Page 4269 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 29 November 1994
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At the time at which the draft variation was put out for community comment, on 20 June of this year, the Planning Authority had been advised by the Conservator of Wildlife of known Delmar impar habitats in the town centre site. However, the conservator supported the draft variation on the basis that these areas be excluded from the draft variation. I established a working party to prepare a strategy for the conservation of Delmar impar in the ACT and the working party presented its report to me in October of this year. The draft variation for Gungahlin Town Centre had already been submitted to the Executive and to me prior to receipt of the report. There was no knowledge of the request for the creation of a corridor to connect the two known habitat areas until the report was received, and that corridor makes a very significant impact on the site. The investigation work which is now proceeding would have occurred earlier had the Planning Authority been aware of the extent of Delmar impar occurrence. The earlier view that the town centre was not a site of significance was borne out by the fact that the wildlife research unit requested funding in October 1991 for investigating Delmar impar sites which did not include the town centre. I think the Planning Authority has acted appropriately on that issue.
In respect to the other variations I have tabled tonight, variation 27 proposes that the Territory Plan be expanded to include a new category, technology, which will permit a range of land uses that are essential to the successful establishment of that technology estate. As the Canberra Region Advanced Technology Manufacturing Association has pointed out, by establishing an estate and encouraging advanced technology manufacturers to cluster in such an estate, the ACT Government will foster growth in this important industry area and assist in the future wealth and employment opportunities for the region. The PDI Committee has recommended that the variation be endorsed, and we agree with that. The committee also requested that stages 2 and 3 not proceed at this time. The advanced technology manufacturing estate will have approximately 25 sites ranging from 3,000 square metres to 8,000 square metres. It is anticipated that a minimum of nine sites could be developed, as they are outside the areas identified for further study.
The committee received advice from the Economic Development Division that the first stage of the development was viable, even if the later stages did not proceed. An advanced technology manufacturing estate requires specific locational criteria, and the proposed Symonston location adjacent to Fyshwick provides the estate with an access to the largest industrial area of the ACT and an address to Canberra Avenue, a major approach route to Canberra. I am pleased that the Government is enabling the proposal for a technology park to proceed and I look forward to working with the manufacturers to enable the provision of quality technological services in the ACT.
The other variation the Government is agreeing to is for Urambi Hills Nature Park. It has been prepared because the area currently links significant remnant woodland along the Murrumbidgee River corridor with the more modified woodland and grassland within the Urambi Hills management unit of Canberra Nature Park. The nature reserve, with an area of approximately 85 hectares, is bounded on the north by the Urambi Hills and on the south and west by the Murrumbidgee corridor. It is currently mixed grassland with stands of remnant woodland and provides valuable habitat for a range of animals and birds and maybe some endangered species. It has been grazing land since last century and contains a small creek and several dams. In this case, an additional area of nature reserve is being
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