Page 957 - Week 03 - Thursday, 28 February 2013

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MR GENTLEMAN: Minister, can you tell us the number and level of requests that the government gets for master planning in the ACT?

MR CORBELL: I thank Mr Gentleman for the question. As members would be aware, there has been considerable interest in master planning at a range of centres across the city. Members would be aware—at least some of us who were here in the last Assembly would be aware—that there was significant interest in the last Assembly as to where master planning should be. As a result of that, the government has established a dedicated master planning program. On a year by year basis we identify those centres that will be subject to master planning work.

Right now we have master planning underway at places like the Weston group centre—Cooleman Court, as it is known. We have master planning ongoing at Pialligo. We have master planning commencing in the Woden area in the near future. So we have some important master planning exercises already underway. In addition to that, in the Tuggeranong valley we have successfully completed master planning exercises at Erindale, Kambah and Tuggeranong town centre.

So the government has not been remiss in focusing its master planning resources in areas of demand, including areas of demand in the Tuggeranong valley. I have to say that we have had a very strong level of endorsement from the community for those master planning outcomes. The master plans that have been developed for Erindale, Kambah and Tuggeranong have received strong community support. That is down to the very dedicated work of the Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate staff, who go out and spend a considerable amount of time with the community, often outside normal working hours, because that is when people are available, to talk these issues through. As a result, we have a strong consensus around future development outcomes at those centres, and those will then be related, as necessary and as needed, into changes to the territory plan or other works that the territory government does. (Time expired.)

Municipal services—Yate Gardens

MRS JONES: My question is to the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, on behalf of constituents of Yate Gardens in Rivett. Off Yate Gardens, there is a long pathway that passes through several blocks and streets to Hindmarsh Drive. Residents are seriously concerned about the lack of maintenance, and in particular mowing, despite repeated requests, of the verges on the side of this path. It has become so bad that residents have now taken to mowing the verges themselves. Minister, can you tell residents why this path is so often neglected and what you can do immediately to assist them?

MR RATTENBURY: I thank Mrs Jones for the question. I have not to my knowledge received any specific representations about the path outside Yate Gardens in Rivett. As I regularly advise members, we get quite a few requests about mowing. There is a regular mowing program across Canberra that varies with the seasons and varies with the location, depending on a range of factors, including the necessity for fuel reduction. I suspect this is not an area that is a fuel reduction priority, but I cannot think of locations off the top of my head.


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