Page 1359 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 12 May 2021
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MR HANSON: Minister, when will the new community centre be built?
MR STEEL: Following consultation with the community. We committed to that in the election.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MR STEEL: I do not think you committed to anything, so under the Liberals there would be no community centre at all. We have committed to co-design. It’s a deep level of engagement with the community about what they would like to see. I understand the planning minister is working on an estate development plan for the new Molonglo commercial centre. I look forward to that work going on and of course we will be looking, as part of that estate, to have a community facility that will meet all the needs of the current residents of the Molonglo Valley and the future residents as well. That should be located in the town centre, close to public transport—access for everyone in the Molonglo Valley.
Planning—entertainment precincts
MS CLAY: My question is to the Minister for Skills. Will the government include a live music venue and arts precinct in the construction of the new Woden CIT campus?
MR STEEL: I thank the member for her question. The ACT government is committed to building a fantastic, new, modern state-of-the-art CIT facility in Woden. We have engaged architects to start developing the reference designs and then we will be undertaking consultation with the community. Consultation has already been underway in relation to the site and block massing. Further consultation will occur around the middle of the year in relation to an estate development plan for the site. We have been engaging with staff and students already through the CIT directly to talk about their needs in relation to the new facility.
There are, of course, a range of existing arts facilities around Woden. Our government built, in 2014, the new performing arts centre at Canberra College, so there is a space for performing arts very close by at another education institution. The government also has plans underway for a new community centre in Woden, which will also have the opportunity to be a flexible home for the arts. In addition to that, the ACT government is undertaking upgrades, which are under construction at the present time, of Woden Library, which will include a space for some arts, including a recording studio.
We are taking all of those things into account in the design as well as the functional needs that will be required as part of the design of new CIT. At the moment we expect that pretty much all of the functions that were at CIT Reid will come over to CIT at Woden and will be incorporated into the design. That includes the arts-related disciplines. Those facilities will need to be provided as part of CIT Woden, and it will be a fantastic, brand-new facility for them to use.
MS CLAY: Will the government ensure that zoning and noise regulations are set up in the right way to support a live music venue in Woden CIT?
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