Page 73 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 22 February 1994
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First of all, it will allow for access to the development site. It will also provide for a traffic calming device to be constructed to slow down traffic on Launceston Street. The reason for that is that it is often used as a bit of a rat-race. I think most residents in Lyons have acknowledged that it is less than desirable to have the street used as a bit of a rat-race between Hindmarsh Drive and, I think, Melrose Drive. It is a short cut.
In discussions with my colleagues from the Department of Urban Services, including people in the Minister's office, it has been quite clearly indicated that there have been a considerable number of complaints about the way that this street is being utilised. There have also been a number of complaints received from people who live in the Weston area about the intersection when they come off Devonport Street and attempt to turn left or right into Launceston Street. I believe that the Planning Committee, in proposing as part of this variation that there be a requirement to build that roundabout, has provided a sensible solution about access to the site and a sensible solution to the traffic problems on that street.
Madam Speaker, I have much delight in recommending this variation. As I have indicated, it is a unanimous recommendation of the Planning Committee and one that I am sure will augur well for consideration of similar proposals from the community when community organisations or school organisations in the future indicate that there may be unused land or land which is no longer required for playing fields at a school.
MS SZUTY (9.27): I would like to comment on several issues arising from the draft variation regarding Lyons Primary School, although it should be noted and acknowledged that I, along with other members of the Planning Committee, support this variation. My first comment concerns the impetus for the draft variation in the first place. As Mr Lamont has said, the suggestion for the proposed development of this site originated from the Lyons Primary School community at the time of discussion and debate about school closures in 1990. The Lyons Primary School community recognised the sale of part of the schoolgrounds not required for school purposes for residential development as a means of reducing the site management costs of the school and possibly generating additional enrolments for the school in future years. It seems amazing to me, Madam Speaker, that it is only now, at the beginning of 1994, that we are seeing the finalisation of this draft variation.
The ACT Planning Authority was asked during the committee's consideration of the draft variation why this draft variation has taken so long to finalise, given that it had always had strong community support. The response given to committee members by the Planning Authority indicated that other matters had assumed a higher priority. I strongly suggest to the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning, Mr Wood, that this is not good enough, given that proceeding with the draft variation was always going to save the Education Department, and thus the ACT Government, money. We are talking about four years. That is a long time for a fairly small draft variation.
I am sure that Mr Kaine, when he speaks to this draft variation, will refer to the Department of Education and Training's assessment of the needs of the school community for the schoolgrounds and also the extent to which the excess space could be devoted to residential development. We pursued this issue quite vigorously during the debate on the draft variation and fairly late in the day we
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