Page 3965 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 1 December 2021
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(d) new plans were lodged and approved in 2020, with construction due to start in mid-2020;
(e) on 12 November 2021, The RiotACT reported that the developers still had no timeline to start construction. If construction had commenced on schedule, the complex would have been completed in February 2022;
(f) the Gungahlin community has been waiting for the completion of this cinema project for almost 10 years; and
(g) there is ongoing uncertainty surrounding this project and when Gungahlin residents will finally have a cinema;
(2) acknowledges the:
(a) release of Draft Variation No 364—Gungahlin Town Centre by the ACT Government;
(b) recent inquiry from the Standing Committee on Planning, Transport and City Services into Draft Variation No 364—Gungahlin Town Centre; and
(c) forthcoming ACT Government response to the Standing Committee’s inquiry; and
(3) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) confirm its ongoing commitment to delivering a cinema in Gungahlin;
(b) meet with the developer of Gungahlin cinema, Krnc Group, within the month to determine their capacity to secure finance, commence construction within the development approval deadlines and deliver a cinema complex for the residents of Gungahlin;
(c) consider setting an end date for the completion of works under the lease;
(d) revise the guidelines for granting extensions on development applications to ensure greater certainty for the community on development timeframes; and
(e) encourage retail, entertainment and hospitality providers to commence or expand operations in Gungahlin.
I am pleased to rise today to call on the ACT government to reaffirm its commitment to deliver a cinema in Gungahlin and to reaffirm its commitment to the people of Gungahlin to continue working to make our town centre even better.
Town centres play an important part in the life of any community. They are often where community gatherings take place. There is a social hub. It is where people go to dine, to watch a movie and maybe, every so often, go on a little shopping spree. Gungahlin town centre does not, however, deliver these things in the way the community wants. As a result, there is a real risk that Gungahlin becomes a permanent commuter district. It is great if you are a Belconnen or Civic shop owner—you will have lots of extra patrons venturing to your shop—but it is a real problem for the heart and soul of Gungahlin.
To add to this, we heard just a few weeks ago that the long-awaited Gungahlin cinema, which should have been finished by February, on its most recent time line, is on hold once again. This cinema was first promised in 2012. The ACT government knew back
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