Page 2653 - Week 08 - Friday, 1 July 2005
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Order of the day—postponement
Ordered that order of the day No 2, Executive business, relating to the Water Resources Amendment Bill 2005, be postponed to the next day of sitting.
Territory plan—variation No 236
Paper and statement by minister
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Minister for Health and Minister for Planning): For the information of members, I present the following paper:
Land (Planning and Environment) Act, pursuant to subsection 29 (1)—Approval of Variation No 236 to the Territory Plan—City West—Commercial A Civic Centre Land Use Policies, Exemption of Preliminary Assessments and Part D—Definitions, dated 30 June 2005, together with background papers, a copy of the summaries and reports, and a copy of any direction or report required.
I ask for leave to make a statement in relation to the paper.
Leave granted.
MR CORBELL: Variation No 236 proposes to provide for the implementation of the City West master plan that was endorsed by the government in May 2004. It proposes to revitalise the City West precinct by extending the commercial A land use policy, amending height controls and including objectives to provide for community facilities. The variation also includes changes to controls on building colour and preliminary assessments that will apply to all of Civic.
The draft variation was released for public comment on 6 August 2004, with comments closing on 3 September 2004. Three written submissions were received during that time. These submissions raised concerns regarding tenure for community groups, building height limits and the impact on the Australian National University. A number of minor revisions were made to the variation as a result of the consultation process.
In report 10 of June this year the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment made nine recommendations in relation to the variation. The committee’s first recommendation was that the membership of the City West precinct committee be broadened to include a representative of community organisations and other existing occupants. In broadening this membership, the ACT government’s target of 50 per cent for female appointees to committees and boards should be applied. The government notes this recommendation. However, the issue of membership of the precinct committee is beyond the scope of both the territory plan and this variation. It will be referred to the City West precinct committee for consideration.
The committee’s second recommendation related to clarifying the proposed exemption from preliminary assessment for development in the Civic centre. This recommendation is accepted. The effect of the variation is to remove the need for mandatory preliminary assessments to be prepared for proposed buildings. Not only will this apply in the Civic centre but it will apply for all of Civic. The variation makes it clear that, in Civic,
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