Page 1746 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 21 August 2007

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The current 2007-08 infrastructure works are for roads adjoining Childers Street and a community park at the northern end of Childers Street that connect the “arts heart” to the surrounding areas of the city and the ANU. These areas will include some elements of the “arts heart” but will generally be more modest in the level of finishes provided. It would be appropriate to incorporate public art into the design of these works, rather than through a separate design competition that may not necessarily result in integrated artwork.

The committee’s seventh recommendation is that cycling infrastructure development in City West should be a priority in the implementation of the 10-year master plan for trunk cycling and walking path infrastructure 2004-14. This recommendation is supported and the ACT government will seek to encourage cycling to work by ensuring that the City West area is a priority for trunk cycling and walking path infrastructure.

The committee’s eighth recommendation is that the Minister for Planning encourages the extension of the Lindsay Pryor Walk on the ANU campus and/or the construction of other high quality signed walks and pedestrian corridors to better link the ANU with the city, the Australian National Botanic Gardens, the CSIRO, Canberra Nature Park and Lake Burley Griffin.

This recommendation is agreed to in part. A large proportion of the Australian National University is designated land, under the planning control of the National Capital Authority. I have written to the Vice-Chancellor of the ANU alerting him to the committee’s recommendation and encouraging him, through consultation with the NCA, to explore opportunities to extend the Lindsay Pryor Walk through the university campus and/or the construction of other high quality signed walks and pedestrian corridors to better link the ANU with the city, the botanic gardens, the CSIRO, Canberra Nature Park and the lake. The ACT government would seek to coordinate with the ANU in regard to any proposed or existing pathways on territory land that are linked to pathways on the ANU campus.

The government agrees with the committee’s ninth recommendation that the landscape character of University Avenue be enhanced, forming an extended avenue merging into the main Childers Street entrance to the ANU.

Mr Mulcahy: You could call it David Lamont Drive!

MR BARR: The ACT Planning and Land Authority has capital works funding in 2007-08 for the upgrading of the public realm for the side streets adjacent to Childers Street, including University Avenue, Mr Mulcahy. The landscape character of University Avenue would be considered as part of this capital works project.

Finally, the committee’s tenth recommendation is that the ACT Planning and Land Authority ensure that the City West area realises its aim of having active ground level street frontages, public art, wide footpaths and planting zones with good permeability to ameliorate the closed-in nature of the proposed built environment.


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