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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 11 Hansard (29 November) . . Page.. 3382 ..
MR SMYTH (continuing):
The ACT government's long-term strategic direction is for the continuing development of Gungahlin, West Belconnen and the remaining parts of southern Tuggeranong as well as the ability to maximise the opportunities for residential development in the established town centres and to encourage development and business growth in those town centres. This approach ensures that infrastructure in these established areas is used to its fullest potential and is far better for the environment and for community renewal. It also reduces urban sprawl, which should be a priority issue for all of us.
MR HARGREAVES: My question is also to the Minister for Urban Services. Minister, the Tuggeranong lakeshore master plan released by your department in August 1999 includes the following explicit statement about block 23 section 230, an area of urban open space:
This site, while presently identified by the Territory Plan as Urban Open Space ... is relatively well screened from Drakeford Drive and could in the longer term accommodate low scale residential development in its eastern half.
The Belconnen Town Centre master plan also includes a map that highlights land currently designated as urban open space at Lake Ginninderra as being considered for residential development. How do those documents produced by your department accord with the Chief Minister's commitment not to develop areas designated as urban open space?
MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, the process on the Lake Tuggeranong master plan commenced some years ago. There has been a large amount of consultation on it. It has been before the Standing Committee on Planning and Urban Services for some time and I hope that we will have its report shortly. In the interim the Chief Minister, on behalf of the government, has made the pronouncement that designated urban open space will not be used. That will not go ahead now.
MR HARGREAVES: I have a supplementary question. I thank the minister for the assurance that urban open space will not be used for residential development; at least, that is what I thought it was. Minister, given that you said just a couple of seconds ago that Gungahlin, West Belconnen, another part of Belconnen and southern Tuggeranong were the only areas that you were going to address for urban infill and given the Chief Minister's commitment not to develop urban open space, will you now direct your department to withdraw the Lake Tuggeranong master plan and the Belconnen Town Centre master plan from public comment?
MR SMYTH: Yet again, the Labor Party when it suits them wants to throw the process out the window. That is what they do all the time. The process is that this Assembly-
Mr Corbell: Are you going to do it or not? Does it have status or doesn't it? What a shambles you are in over there, an absolute shambles.
MR SPEAKER: You have a short memory, Mr Corbell.
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