Page 1354 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 10 May 1994
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Madam Speaker, again I speak with pleasure to this report of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee on Easts Rugby Union Club. The committee's report endorses the draft variation, which will facilitate activity leading to the development of two office buildings, a restaurant, a car parking structure and a community facility, all while retaining the existing Easts Rugby Union Club. Members will appreciate that the existing site is relatively underutilised, given its prominent location on Canberra Avenue and proximity to Manuka and Kingston shopping areas.
The development proposal is a shot in the arm for activity in the area and has been supported by most persons who commented on the proposal. The committee heard from a representative of the apartments located opposite the driveway of the proposed restaurant, who expressed concern about traffic problems that may arise in the street. The committee's report urges the Department of Urban Services to review the traffic and parking arrangements once the project is completed. If there are problems, the committee considers that "no parking" signs adjacent to the restaurant driveway may alleviate them, but the committee agrees that the matter should be closely monitored.
The committee also heard from a representative of the National Trust who, while not objecting to more intensive use of the site, expressed concern about whether the proposal fitted into a district plan for the area and whether it would detract from the heritage features of St Paul's opposite and the Manuka oval and swimming pool. The committee does not consider that the proposal threatens these heritage features. The committee has called for site landscaping to be with mature trees and shrubs rather than just any sort of landscaping. This reflects the committee's view over recent months that some Canberra streetscapes and development sites have suffered from planting immature specimens that are not able to thrive, thus in effect negating the purpose of their planting. Madam Speaker, I commend the report to members.
MR DE DOMENICO (3.43): Madam Speaker, every now and then you get a proposal for a redevelopment about which one can really stand up and say, "This comes close to being perhaps the perfect way of doing things". I think this is one. One of the proponents is, in fact, a member of the rugby union club, a coach of young people who play rugby union for the club, a member of the hierarchy of St Paul's church across the road and a developer as well. It was said that the developer could have developed more of the site but decided not to because he believed that doing it would not do anything to make the site any better. It is a site that we are told will eventually attract approximately half a million dollars worth of betterment tax. The traffic situation will be looked at once the development is up and running. It is a development that will provide a community facility. It is a development that will create jobs because of the creation of a new McDonald's outlet - and there was a lot of discussion about that.
Ultimately, this proposal was one that the committee found it very difficult not to agree with. I think we ought to pay tribute to the developers, the members of the club, the community around that area and also, I dare say, the objectors. One of the objectors spoke in high praise of the development but was concerned about whether a decision to buy a unit over the road would be adversely affected by the presence of a McDonald's outlet. When the developer showed the proposed McDonald's outlet, I think it alleviated most of the concerns of the people who objected.
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