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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 11 Hansard (29 November) . . Page.. 3413 ..
MS TUCKER (4.36): I move:
That this Assembly calls on the Government to-
(1) abandon the current public consultation process on a development control plan for the Yarralumla Brickworks and surrounding land between Cotter Road and Denman Street; and
(2) commence a new community workshop consultation process that-
(a) only addresses options for the future use of the Yarralumla Brickworks buildings and adjacent land within the area defined as 8A in the Territory Plan, and associated access and traffic issues; and
(b) is independent of any government process to determine an alternative location for Floriade.
Members are no doubt aware of the community consultation meeting last Thursday on the development control plan for the Yarralumla brickworks which degenerated into a total debacle and ended with a scuffle between two grown men over a microphone. I was at the meeting and I was totally appalled by this so-called community consultation process. This meeting must have been one of the worst community consultation meetings I have attended in my time here.
What was apparent from this meeting is that around 200 people, with a handful of exceptions, were very upset that their concerns were being ignored by the government and its consultants. They felt that they were being steamrolled into accepting a very narrow range of options for the redevelopment of the brickworks, all of which involved the movement of Florida to the site and the building of substantial levels of housing when they felt that none of these options was acceptable. They also felt that they had been fed lies and disinformation by the government and its consultants. In short, they are totally disillusioned with this consultation process, and I agree with them.
I doubt if there is anyone in Yarralumla or this Assembly who does not want something to be done to the brickworks site. The brickworks closed in 1976 and, apart from some minor uses, has been sitting virtually derelict since this time. The buildings and structures are gradually falling down and the area is becoming overgrown. There have been various attempts over the years to find an alternative use for the site. After the brickworks closed, a developer, Mr Marr, took over the site and proposed to turn the brickworks into a major tourist complex and build housing on adjacent land. He began improving the site but went bankrupt in 1980. By this stage some housing was approved on the eastern side of the site.
The federal government resumed the lease and rented out parts of the site for such things as art and craft studios and antique shops. A conservation plan prepared for the site in 1986 recommended that many of the buildings and structures be restored and a heritage interpretation centre and an arts and crafts facility be developed in the old buildings, as well as the building of housing on vacant land around the edge of the site. However, this plan was never acted on.
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