The ACT Greens have today called for Molonglo to be a genuine model of sustainability with low water and energy use, and clever design innovations that will make it an easy and pleasant place for Canberrans to live.

The Greens Parliamentary team today launched a discussion paper on the planned Molonglo urban district for the Canberra community to debate and provide feedback

“The Molonglo development will become home to 55,000 Canberrans.  We need to take on new design and planning innovations to build an urban village for the 21st century that is low on water and energy use,” Greens Parliamentary Convenor, Meredith Hunter, said today.

“This is an important development that requires a whole of Government commitment to make sure we get the best outcomes for the Canberra community.

“But most importantly, we would like to bring the people of Canberra and their interests, knowledge and expertise into the discussion.”

The paper outlines 11 design and planning issues that address high sustainability, including water and energy use, transport options, design that promotes healthy communities and ongoing protection of our natural areas.

“It is time for us to move towards building zero emissions neighbourhoods,” Greens Environment spokesperson, Shane Rattenbury said.

“We must face up to being the largest inland city on the driest continent on earth.  Water sensitive design and non-potable water use is the only way to sustainably support this growth in the region’s population.”

“Protecting the biodiversity of the Molonglo river corridor is a priority and something we know that future residents will value. A chain of ponds is a far better option than building a dam,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“It’s often said that Canberra is a ‘car city’.  Building Molonglo from scratch gives us a chance to have fast and frequent public transport, on dedicated routes that will provide a very attractive alternative to the private vehicle,” Greens Transport spokesperson Amanda Bresnan said.

“Let’s not make the mistake of trying to add public transport only when demand grows.  It needs to be there from the very beginning to nurture a culture of public transport use.”

Greens Planning spokesperson, Caroline Le Couteur, said that Molonglo could become Canberra’s most truly affordable area.

“Our vision for Molonglo is for a place where housing is well designed so that heating and cooling costs are low, there is local employment, people live close to schools and shops, and there are good bus and bike transport links to the rest of Canberra.

“Molonglo should cost less to live in because it is well designed and these savings will help housing affordability.  In turn, savings in resource use mean that Molonglo will has less environmental impact.

“The Molonglo development has the potential to be a turning point for the ACT and Australia as we design and plan for a world where we need to account carefully for our energy and water use.

“This discussion paper presents ideas to the people of Canberra about an affordable and sustainable way to build and live that we can be proud of,” Ms Le Couteur said.

The Greens will consult on the discussion paper over the next two months, holding a public forum at the Assembly and engaging with community organisations and other stakeholders.

Please click here to view the discussion paper

Submissions will be received until 9/04/10 – send to: LeCouteur@parliament.act.gov.au

Trafic Lights commitment

ACT Greens Planning spokesperson, Caroline Le Couteur, has announced that the Greens have secured a $700,000 commitment from the ACT Government to signalise the extension of Wells Station Drive.

This is a good result for residents who have been concerned about the safety of the intersection between Horse Park Drive and the proposed Wells Station Drive.

It was clear that their concerns were real, and needed to be addressed.  This is a good example of community input being taken on for a better outcome.  After pressure from the Greens, TAMS has redone its traffic modelling. TAMS now agrees with the residents that the intersection would have been dangerous and it will now have traffic lights from day one.

Road Re-alignment issue

The Greens have recently been advised that the additional cost for re-routing the road to the eastern side of the hill would be in the order of $5m – almost doubling the project cost.  This is due a number of factors including the need for widening and strengthening of the existing bridge where the re-routed road would meet Horse Park drive and the need to replace the alluvial soil on the alternative route.

Last November, when the Greens supported a motion calling for the re-routing of the road, there was no information to suggest it would cost almost twice as much.

Now we have the cost and the commitment to signals from the start, the Greens have looked at the issue again.  The signals will significantly reduce the safety issues, and both possible routes will have houses at about the same distance away from the road so they have a similar impact on people.  We are not aware of any ecological or heritage case for changing the route of the road.  So given these factors and the state of the ACT budget, we have accepted the Government’s decision to stick with the original route.

Mr Barr has made a Ministerial Statement to the Assembly, explaining to residents why the realignment will be so expensive. We also expect the Government will further liaise with local residents to establish whether any additional noise or safety mitigation measures can be taken.

The Greens have cited new data from insurer AAMI as further proof that the Government needs to do more to support vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians.

According to the survey, almost 50% of ACT residents own a bike but only one in six uses it to commute. 80% of those who didn’t ride cited dangerous traffic and unsafe roads as the biggest barrier to riding.

“This result shows that our car and road focused Government is discouraging people taking up healthy sustainable transport options,” said Caroline Le Couteur MLA, Greens spokesperson for planning.

“The survey shows there are people out there wanting to ride, but being discouraged by Canberra’s traffic environment. The Greens have been working to address this through the Parliamentary Agreement by securing extra funding for bike paths and footpaths.”

“The AAMI report comes on the back of an ANU report last year, showing that almost one quarter of hospital episodes due to road trauma were cyclists.”

“We must prioritise sustainable transport like cycling, walking, and public transport. Increasing cycling infrastructure makes it safer to cycle, and better prepares Canberra for the challenges of climate change and peak oil, as well as improving people’s health.”

“The Government continues to prioritise car use, focusing on new freeways, and providing 50 times more capital funding for roads and car parks, than for cycling and pedestrian projects.”[1]

Ms Le Couteur said Canberra needs a multifaceted approach to create an environment that is cycling and pedestrian friendly, including:

• Making cycling and walking prioritised transport modes in planning, traffic, and urban design policies, instead of motor transport
• Structural measures, such as separated bike ways, and ‘pedestrian-priority’ spaces
• Improving road education to help all users co-exist safely.

[1] Figure from Government’s 5 year Integrated Transport Action Plan. It sets out $161m for road infrastructure projects and $41m for car parks. By contrast, it provides $4m for cycling and walking.

Amanda Bresnan, ACT Greens MLA for Brindabella, successfully moved a motion in the Legislative Assembly today that will see a Master Plan for Erindale be conducted in 2010-11.

“Erindale is a hub for business and community, and is getting bigger every year.  There are some major changes for the centre afoot, and it’s important that we develop a first rate plan,” Ms Bresnan said.

“Current residents are concerned about what the suburb will look like in the future. They want assurance that growth will be achieved in an orderly and respectful manner.”

“I have conducted consultation with local businesses and active groups, and collected constituent responses that have informed the motion I presented today.”

The motion calls for the Government to conduct a master planning process for Erindale in conjunction with the Master Plan it is conducting for the Tuggeranong Town Centre.

“I think there are great benefits that can be achieved in doing the two Southside plans together, especially because of the common transport concerns they share.”

“Erindale is in line for a park and ride facility and a new bus interchange as part of the 2031 Public Transport Plan, but no one seems to know where in Erindale these facilities will go.”

“The Tuggeranong region rarely receives the attention it deserves from governments and planning departments.  My instigation of an Erindale Master Plan is aimed at addressing that for the future,” Ms Bresnan said.

The ACT Greens will today table a bill to improve Planning and Development notifications, appeals and reviews.

“This Bill has three main parts, improving notification of development proposals, fixing the process of reconsideration of proposals, and giving greater standing for people to appeal development decisions,” Greens Planning spokesperson Caroline Le Couteur said today.

“My Bill removes a current loophole in the Act. Currently, if ACTPLA fails to correctly follow the public notification requirements and notify the full information for a merit or impact track DA, this does not affect the validity of the DA.”

In a recent case in Latham, the DA was put out for public notification, but only contained a lease variation proposal. The actual demolition and development proposal was omitted completely from public notification. Despite this, ACTPLA permitted a decision on the whole proposal.

Key points of the Planning and Development (Notifications and Review) Amendment Bill 2009 in relation to development applications:
•  it ensures that the ACTPLA undertakes full public notification with the full information available at the outset on all merit and impact track DAs;
•  it allows ACTPLA and ACAT to consider a broader range of issues when reviewing DA decisions, such as Territory Plan Zoning and Objectives, as well as the Territory Plan Rules; and
•  it increases standing for community members to appeal DA decisions.

“It’s important that reconsideration of decisions – either by ACTPLA or ACAT, allows Territory plan zoning and Objectives, not just Rules, to be examined.”

“Only allowing ACTPLA and ACAT to look at detailed aspects without being able to consider the overall intent of the Territory Plan means that many of the important principles within the Territory Plan are wasted.”

“The Government says that opening up appeal rights to the broader community will lead to ACAT being flooded with a deluge of appeals, but the evidence does not bear this out.”

“The NSW Government has broader planning appeal rights, and Justice Peter McClellan, Chief Judge at common law, NSW Supreme Court, says that it has not created such problems, and in fact leads to better decisions overall,” Ms Le Couteur said.

Greens sports spokesperson, Shane Rattenbury MLA, says the Deakin Pool saga shows a need for the Minister to be more pro-active to enforce lease conditions and protect public facilities.

“We’re certainly pleased that the Minister has negotiated a re-instatement of a public pool at Deakin, but residents will have been left high and dry for about 2 years by the time the pool re-opens,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“I really welcome the re-opening of the pool, but it’s a shame that the lease conditions weren’t able to be renegotiated earlier to reduce the impact on local pool users.”

“Mr Barr could have avoided the pool having to close had he actively engaged in the situation earlier,” Mr Rattenbury said.

An ACT Government commissioned Pedestrian and Cycling Infrastructure Review has recommended ‘shared space’ as a way to make Bunda Street more people friendly.

The report has been welcomed by ACT Greens Planning spokesperson, Caroline Le Couteur MLA, who has been calling on the Government to use its $4m to redesign Bunda Street to fix traffic problems, and to consider the ’shared space’ concept.

“A shared space is just the kind of thing we need to address the Bunda Street issues. Shared spaces improve safety and community life by creating an environment where drivers do not have priority, but all users of the street share the environment,” Ms Le Couteur said today.

“I’m concerned that the Government is not even taking its own consultation process seriously.  The consultation runs until 4 December, but the Government has already pre-empted it and allocated its $4m to paving and other aesthetic upgrades.”

 ”If the Government spends its funds on cosmetic improvements Bunda Street is unlikely to see any substantial work to improve the traffic issues for years.”

“Now that we have the Government’s own report recommending shared space on Bunda Street, we wait to see an indication that they are really listening.”

“The Greens maintain that this $4million opportunity to make a modern, people friendly Bunda St should not be missed,” Ms Le Couteur said.

The Greens have described the ACT Government for planning to spend $4M on Bunda Street without looking at sustainable transport options as a missed opportunity.

“All year the Greens have said that any Government funds spent on Bunda Street should include long term transport options and bicycle and pedestrian-friendly planning,” Greens planning spokesperson Caroline Le Couteur said today.

“It now seems the Government will spend the $4M appropriated for improving Bunda Street to repave sidewalks and make other aesthetic changes without addressing any traffic design issues.”

The Government has advertised for a tender for the Bunda Street refurbishment, signalling that it will stick to the existing car heavy design street with two lanes for traffic and two for on street parking.

The Greens want the following design innovations considered for Bunda st:

- redesigned as a ’shared space’ – a European design concept that improves safety and community life by creating an environment where drivers do not have priority, and all users of the street share space equally (elements of this are on display in Childers Street); or
- redesigned to have motorized traffic limited to one-way only and the addition of a two way, separated, coloured bike lane (similar to the ‘Copenhagen style’ design used on the Fitzroy St Greenway bike path in Melbourne); or
- restriction of motorized traffic in Bunda Street between 7am – 7pm, except for taxis, deliveries and disabled access.

“Consultation with the community has ignored calls for sustainable development in the town centre. The Government has preferred its ‘business as usual’ approach to town planning.”

“This also pre-empt the results of a consultant’s study into walking and cycling projects in Civic, due early next year. It may recommend redesigning the street.” 

“Mr Corbell said recently that Pedal Power’s Civic cycling loop proposal ‘has merit’, but the Government’s actions amount to a missed opportunity to redesign the street,” Ms Le Couteur said.

The Greens have joined Gungahlin businesses and residents and urged the Government to bring a safer and more community friendly design to Gungahlin town centre.

“It’s great that Gungahlin is getting a new library on Hibberson street, but the Government must also listen to the Gungahlin community and take measures to increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists in this area, and to make the shopping strip more attractive and community friendly,” Greens member for Molonglo, Caroline Le Couteur MLA, said today.

“The ‘Business in Gungahlin’ (BiG) group, the Community Council and many residents in Gungahlin, are anxious about cars around Hibberson street and have suggested making the area pedestrian only during the day, or taking other measures to slow down and reduce traffic.”

“The Greens support town planning that will slow down or reduce cars and prioritise more vulnerable road users. This is in line with the ‘vision zero concept’ that the Government supports, and which aims to eliminate road fatalities and injuries.”

“The Government has also been undertaking Master planning in Gungahlin; this is a perfect time for the Government to abandon its car-focused mindset, actually act on its ‘vision zero’ promises, and make Gungahlin a real community friendly area.”

The Greens have also renewed calls for the government to come good on its Agreement promise to establish a government shopfront in Gungahlin.

“There is some work to do to make Gungahlin the community centre that it can, and should be.  The new Library should also be supported by the other things we expect in a town centre, such as a proper bus interchange and a government shopfront.”

“Gungahlin rightly feels neglected for services.  It’s important that as we play catch up, we get it right and plan properly for a vibrant and safe community hub,” Ms Le Couteur said.

In calling in the Cotter Dam Development Application, Mr Barr has poured a large bucket of cold water on his own independent statutory authority, and has thrown in a massive dose of ‘politics into planning’.

“The Minister must explain why he has called in this project. Is it because he doesn’t trust ACTPLA to make the assessment? Does Mr Barr suddenly think that he has better skills to make a decision on the environmental impacts of such a large proposal?” Shane Rattenbury, ACT Greens Environment spokesperson said today.

“The Minister claims he has done this to ‘keep the politics out of planning’. The problem is no one knows what the ‘politics’ is. What exactly is the ‘politics’ of the Cotter Development?”

The Greens would like to see call-ins become disallowable, instead of decisions on such large projects of benefit to the community being put in the hands of just one politician.

“This is the first proposal to properly use the full EIS process under the new Planning and Development Act, yet the Minister has already decided that he knows better.”

“It is time for the Environment Department to be involved in environmental planning decisions. Environmental impact assessments should be put out of reach of the Planning Minister.”

“It is unclear what advice has led Mr Barr to this decision, but he should be clear about his rationale.”

“To make matters worse, Mr Barr is also undermining the credibility of ACTEW, who have put extensive effort into addressing the environmental concerns at the Cotter Dam expansion. This project should be subject to full public scrutiny of the standard planning processes.”

“The Minister constantly claims he wants to ‘take the politics out of planning’. Based on Mr Barr’s actions this year, this statement is increasingly wrong:

Minister Barr (re Telopea Park School – 10 Feb 2009): “I would indicate to Ms Hunter and to the Assembly that, as planning minister, I have never used the call-in powers… as a fundamental principle, I reject the notion of politics getting into planning.”

Minister Barr (re Hospital Car park call in – 29 May 2009): “I have decided to call-in the applications and consider them myself in order to keep politics out of planning.”

“When it comes to politics in planning, Mr Barr is undoubtedly the champion.” Mr Rattenbury said.