MEDIA RELEASE | Greens to bring back neighbourhood planning
Tuesday, October 7th, 2008Protecting Canberra’s unique character as the ‘bush capital’ and re-establishing a neighbourhood planning process are two of the key elements of the Greens policy on Urban Planning, announced today by candidate for Molonglo Shane Rattenbury.
“Urban design should be based on a long-term vision of sustainability, and should promote inclusiveness, equity and a sense of community and place,” said Rattenbury.
“In addition, the Greens are determined to ensure that Canberra’s bush capital characteristics are protected. The network of open spaces and nature parks through our city are undoubtedly one of our most valuable assets. As our city grows, and pressure for development increases, we must ensure that we protect the integrity of this network.”
The Greens also want to re-establish a neighbourhood planning process, and extend its coverage to all suburbs.
“Neighbourhood Planning was abandoned by the Labor Government after the 2004 election because it was seen to be too time consuming and demanding.”
“The Greens are committed to giving residents real influence in the changing shape of their suburbs. The neighbourhood planning process has worked well in Canberra where it has been used and where the plans themselves have been adhered to. Communities are open to adapting, as long as they have true input in the process.”
Other key features of the policy include:
-Implementing enforceable development standards for energy and water efficiency in residential and commercial developments, including random audits and penalties for non-compliance
-Mandating passive solar orientation of new residential homes and other buildings in subdivisions
-The incorporation of community gardens in neighbourhoods and englobo developments
-Mandating the disclosure of political donations made by development applicants
“This policy lays out the steps to ensure that we do build a Canberra that our children thank us for.
The decisions we take today will be with us for a long period of time, so we must ensure that our planning looks forward at least 50 years,” concluded Rattenbury.