Page 1909 - Week 07 - Thursday, 23 August 2007
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
The council’s letter continues:
While this currently may be the case, WVCC understands that mandatory Preliminary Assessments will not be required under either the FRV 259 or under the imminent new structure for the Territory Plan. Concomitant with this there will, as we understand it, be no mandatory requirement to assess any DA against any community needs assessment. If this is in fact the situation, WVCC considers your advice above—
the advice I quoted—
to be misleading. Your further urgent advice on this would be much appreciated.
I look forward to hearing the further advice that the minister has given the council. The letter continues:
WVCC is also of the view that, while recreational and community developments may be allowed in commercial zones, that it is logical to assume that lessees will actually pursue developments which have the highest commercial return.
What we are seeing here is the loss of probably the only piece of ground that is actually used—that is actually available. I think this is why the Woden Valley Community Council is so concerned. They are very desirous of having community facilities to use. Each time there is a new variation—the loss of a building, the loss of a bit of park—that becomes less likely, in their opinion, because they have never been reassured that the government has any plans to provide them with their community facilities.
We must realise, too, that the Phillip pool and ice-skating rink are used by people from all over Canberra. In the north of Canberra Dickson pool is probably the equivalent of the Phillip pool. I believe that the variation will replace the Phillip pool with just a pool, with absolutely no requirement for there to be any grounds outside it. We could end up with just a lap pool, when the Phillip pool has grass and is a place where a family can go and sit all day. There is a child’s pool; it is a safe place. I am concerned that, as we are looking at severe water restrictions, we are downgrading our public pools. Of course, the more we do that the more people are going to be inclined to install private pools, which I think is absolutely the wrong way to go.
But the main point here is this, and I will refer to it again. I will remind people again because I can see that they easily get distracted and caught up in their own wit. The issue is that the Woden Valley Community Council was consulted on one thing and thought that their work in the master plan was leading somewhere, and suddenly they were landed with another thing that the government apparently did not even want them to know about. It was quietly tabled in our last week of sitting and, unless we had this disallowance motion, we would not be discussing it today. That is why it is really important that we have that ability—that we maintain that ability for community councils to have a voice in the Assembly.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Planning, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Minister for Industrial Relations) (10.53):
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .