Page 4186 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 23 October 2019
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Residents tell me that summers in Molonglo are hot. As well as the lack of big trees and northern orientation, many of the larger multi-unit developments lack any cross-ventilation, which means that the people who live there are 100 per cent dependent on air-conditioning so that their units can be habitable in our hot summers.
I will finish my summary of the gaps by referring to the latest suburb, Whitlam, where street construction has just started. For members who are not aware of the location of Whitlam, it is the first Molonglo Valley development on the north side of the Molonglo River. This means it is a long way from the rest of the Molonglo Valley and, in fact, the first houses will be closer to Belconnen than to Denman Prospect. This brings immediate issues in terms of how a community is going to develop. I have already had quite a few complaints about Whitlam, even though construction has barely started. All that we have started on so far would appear to be destruction.
The whole suburb is being stripped bare of vegetation and soil during the development process. As far as I can see, there is not a single blade of grass left. People seeing it from Coppins Crossing Road and William Hovell Drive are shocked and horrified. It is a complete wrecking of the ecosystem. This approach also has a big impact on existing residents on the other side of the river. Here is an extract from an email I received from a Coombs resident in the last few days:
We know all about raging dust-storms from new suburban developments. We endured them for 12-18 months while the North Coombs and North Wright estates were engineered and laid out.
She went on to say that she was seeing, in fact, more of the same.
There is lack of access to services. I am concerned that in about three years time—thankfully, from my point of view, I will not be here—there will be angry residents of Whitlam complaining in the media and to the MLAs who will be serving the people of Canberra, including the people of Molonglo, at that time about the lack of services.
The first parts of Whitlam are over two kilometres from the nearest schools and shops, which of course are in Cook and Macquarie. This is going to be hugely inconvenient for new residents. Obviously a permanent shopping centre cannot start the day the first resident arrives but a temporary pop-up shop could be done pretty soon afterwards. Whitlam, of course, is just off two major roads, and there could well be a large amount of passing trade if it was allowed to develop.
But an answer to a question on notice reveals there is no plan for that. Instead, the shopping centre is on the land release program two years after the first residential land release. Given how long it takes to construct commercial development, it is likely that the first residents will have to wait three years for shops.
On schools, similarly, a new school cannot start on day one—there simply will not be enough students—but there could be a school bus. There should be a school bus. It seems unlikely that there will be a school bus or any other buses. I asked a question on notice about this and a question in estimates, and Transport Canberra were not
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