Page 2562 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 9 August 2016
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cross-section of the Canberra community enables our government to make informed decisions which benefit all. This whole-of-government platform enables further use of new channels for our community’s voice.
I have been extremely pleased to take on the responsibility for land management this year in addition to my planning responsibilities. This links directly with our capital upgrades program that will ensure that spaces for visitors and the community to enjoy the great outdoors are maintained. We are including the adaptive reuse of a number of cottages which are no longer used by our rangers. These cottages will be converted into short-stay retreats for visitors; another example of the new ways the government is investing in showcasing the amazing environment in which we live, as well as attracting visitors to our region to further support tourism.
We will be continuing to upgrade and renew our parks and heritage information signage as well. Upgrading this information and making heritage more accessible to the community will provide another opportunity for Canberrans to learn about our history, a subject which I am particularly passionate about and I hear Mr Coe is as well.
This year I am proud to report that we had another successful Canberra and Region Heritage Festival. The festival, which was held in April, had 160 events held over a two-week period and attracted over 20,000 people. The theme, discovery and rediscovery, allowed visitors to experience the extraordinary history of the territory. Understanding and conserving our rich history has always been an important consideration for this government. These events also showcase to Canberrans the connections that we have with our surrounding regions and the part this has played in developing our city.
Throughout the year the directorate dealt with a number of large and complex development applications such as the development of two new supermarkets at Dickson. The recent approval of this revised proposal highlights the value that the community has in shaping planning in the territory. While proposals such as this can take longer periods of time to work through, I strongly believe that the community want to see the right decisions made, and sometimes this can take additional time and resourcing to achieve.
The development application process in the last 12 months was able to deliver a number of improvements including an improved public realm with better design and architectural features and activated frontages to the street, more clarity around pedestrian and traffic movements for improved safety and a reduced number of loading doors to Antill Street which now ensures all truck movements are contained within the loading dock area and will not spill out onto the street. The Planning and Land Authority’s decision included conditions of approval to further enhance the outcome, including further treatment of the north-eastern corridor, extending the proposed shared zone and a requirement for an electronic parking guidance and information system for basement parking.
Through the 2016-17 budget the ACT government will continue to provide resources and support to ensure that the development application processes are continuing to
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