Page 5609 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 17 November 2010
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Parking at Cooleman Court is already operating at capacity and this is one of the reasons why it is difficult for the government to ignore that this is going to become a huge problem in the future.
The community facility needs assessment for stage 2 of the Molonglo development outlines the availability of community facilities in the Weston Creek district and this report highlights that approximately one-third of the community facilities available to the local community are provided in other districts. The closest library for the Weston Creek community is the Woden public library. This library has limited space available for community group meetings. As reported in the community facility needs assessment report, participants suggested that with the population ageing and limited public transport options the facility at Woden may not best serve the Weston Creek community, regardless of the fact of whether Woden library is sufficient to deal with the demand of the local area. A local mobile library service is currently provided but only visits the area once a fortnight for two hours. Similarly, there is currently no government shopfront in the area, which makes it difficult for residents to access central services.
Sporting and recreational facilities to service the local community are also lacking. A number of facilities currently provided in the area were built some time ago and issues of access are present. There is no swimming pool in the area and residents of the area have told me that this is something they would greatly appreciate. They believe that this service would be good for the health of an ageing population. In light of the number of drownings this past year, a facility to teach children how to swim is very important. Having to leave the area to allow for swimming lessons is demanding on the time of parents and provides a disincentive for ensuring that children receive swimming lessons.
Access to facilities is difficult for people with disabilities and we need to ensure that all existing and new capital works have adequate ramps, bathroom facilities and so on. It needs to be acknowledged that many of the facilities in Weston Creek are older and it needs to be seen with the big picture in mind whether they are adequately serving people with disabilities.
Access to health services is very important with an ageing population and at the other end with the growth in the number of young families. We need to ensure not only that there are sufficient general practice and other primary health facilities in the area but also that they are easily accessible by an ageing population.
The steep growth in the number of young families coming into the area due to the Molonglo Valley development means that this is an important time to investigate whether educational facilities in the area are adequate and sufficient. It is without a doubt that there will also be considerable demand placed on existing school facilities by the growth.
Public transport is an important element of ensuring access to facilities and mobility for the residents of Weston Creek. In previous comments to the Assembly, the Minister for Planning has outlined how the government plan to build a number of bus
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