Page 3735 - Week 10 - Thursday, 14 September 2017
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Mrs Dunne: I think you’re not the person to judge whether it’s been sufficient or not.
MS FITZHARRIS: Madam Speaker, neither, I think, is our resident fire expert over on the bench there, Mrs Dunne.
Planning—land release program
MS ORR: My question is to the Minister for Housing and Suburban Development. Minister, how is the government continuing its land release program so that Canberrans can build their own homes in vibrant new suburbs?
MS BERRY: The four-year land release program proposes a target of around 16,000 homes and about 4,000 sites per year, with 47 per cent of those in greenfield estates. If I may talk about Taylor for a moment, on 4 September, registrations opened for the second ballot of 142 single residential blocks, with 32 blocks offered under the land rent scheme. That is a great outcome for the Canberra community, particularly for people who are looking to get into homes of their own. An information expo for the Taylor ballot was held on Saturday, 2 September, with around 200 people getting along to that. There were also people from the ACT Revenue Office, EPSDD and the Education Directorate, who were able to provide information about what that suburb is going to look like for people who are looking to move into new and different homes. Ballot registrations opened at 10 o’clock on 4 September and they close on Friday 15 September. Fifteen hundred-plus ballot registrations have already been received.
MS ORR: Minister, how does the ACT government work with the community to ensure that the land we release is appropriate to people’s different needs?
MS BERRY: Community conversations are very important as we plan new communities and we gather together a range of different views. Early and ongoing conversations with the community, business and research sectors are one of the priorities—and this happens in a bunch of different ways—to ensure that the planning proposals for greenfield or urban sites reflects the views of the community.
I know that Ms Orr has a particular interest in the planning of new suburbs, suburban development and urban development. It has been great to have Ms Orr come along to a few events out in Gungahlin, in some of the newer suburbs out there, to ensure that locals in the community can understand better what is happening within their community and contribute to the building of new suburbs in the ACT.
MR PETTERSSON: What activities are occurring to build and strengthen new communities being developed in Canberra?
MS BERRY: As I said yesterday when I was talking about Ginninderry, when the ACT government is building new suburbs we are doing more than just building bricks and mortar; we are building new communities with people who are moving into those places. We want to make sure than new residents are part of the building of those new communities and, when they move in with their families, that they are great places to socialise and live, learn and play.
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