Page 85 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 11 February 2020
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way to remove a future urban area overlay and confirm the final zoning for land is through the estate development plan assessment process, which includes public consultation. Following consideration of the standing committee’s recommendations, I approved variation 360, Molonglo River Reserve. I thank the Assembly for its time.
MS LE COUTEUR (Murrumbidgee) (4.19): There is good and bad in everything, and the good in the Territory Plan variation 360 is the changes that it makes to the planning rules for the Molonglo River Reserve. These changes are necessary and are supported by the Greens and, I am sure, by everybody else.
However, there is one startling omission in this Territory Plan variation, that omission being the Coombs peninsula. The peninsula is a small site. It is also known as the Coombs tip, because it is on the tip. It is surrounded by the Molonglo River Reserve on three sides. It is, however, also on the land release program. The Greens believe that the bulk of the Coombs peninsula should not be developed. As Minister Gentleman noted, it has been considered a possibility for development for 11 years, but the reason it has not been developed is that there have been a considerable number of people who believe it should be protected.
People have a number of different views. The local community wants the peninsula protected for recreation, because if you go there it has got some really beautiful views. From a recreational point of view, it is a great idea. The other way of looking at it is that it contains an area of pink-tailed worm-lizard habitat and this lizard, of course, is listed as vulnerable both nationally and in the ACT.
Where the peninsula is situated is on a very narrow part of the reserve. The reserve at this point is less than 200 metres wide, and research has shown that reserves that are that narrow actually do not work very well to protect biodiversity. If the reserve was going to work well to protect biodiversity, it would work a lot better if it was a bit wider. Of course, what happens on the peninsula will directly impact on the reserve. Builders’ rubbish will go there when the buildings are being done. Any pets, particularly cats and dogs, that are owned by people who live there will undoubtedly go straight into the reserve. There will be rubbish and all the usual impacts of human habitation.
There are only 30 dwellings planned on this peninsula because, let’s face it, we are not talking about a very big bit of land. While, yes, Canberra does have some significant issues with housing supply, 30 dwellings is not going to solve it.
The government and Minister Gentleman have been repeatedly told that the peninsula should be protected. Environment groups have said this. The local community has said this. The planning and urban renewal standing committee has said this. I have the honour of being the chair of that committee, and I thank Minister Gentleman for reading out our recommendations so that I do not have to repeat them. But I am very disappointed that the minister has chosen to ignore the recommendations of what is a tripartisan committee.
Also, this Assembly, in Mrs Jones’s motion of 27 November 2019, asked to protect the peninsula. The Greens, of course, supported this motion and we expanded it to add
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