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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 9 Hansard (20 August) . . Page.. 2462 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

involved a change to the Territory Plan involving the relocation of a community facility and a net increase of more than 7,000 square metres of gross floor area.

The PA examined the potential impacts on physical, natural and human environments. It was determined that the PA satisfactorily identified the range of impacts arising from the proposed development and that no further impact assessment was required.

The draft variation relating to section 84 City, draft variation 189, was released prior to the last election and was based on the previous government's commitments involving public tender and sale of the land.

The proposed development includes the construction of new community facility buildings for use by the Griffin Centre and youth centre. In accordance with the development deed, they will be made ready for occupation prior to the demolition of the existing facilities. This should cause minimum disruption to the continuity of services.

The buildings will be designed and constructed in accordance with user requirement briefs specifically provided by the ACT government. The new facilities will provide accommodation space equivalent to or better than that which is being replaced, and it will be superior in building quality, flexibility, access, safety and ease of use.

This variation makes the sites for the new Griffin Centre and youth centre subject to the community facility land use policy instead of the commercial B2A Civic Centre precinct D car parking area and major roads land use policies that currently apply to the sites.

The existing Griffin Centre is an important community resource used by over 230 community groups and organisations from across Canberra. The opportunity exists within the comprehensive project to provide new accommodation better suited to the needs of the various community groups that use the centre.

The new building and site will be funded by the developer in accordance with the development deed and handed back to the territory on completion. Whilst the existing Territory Plan policies applying to block 1 section 184 already provide for the development of the new Griffin Centre, the change to the community facility land use policy reinforces the intention of retaining the site as a community facility for the long term.

The new Griffin Centre will be located on the junction of the proposed extension to Lonsdale Street and an new internal street parallel to Ballumbir Street. The corner site will give the building a northerly aspect. The proposed location is close to the existing site, central, accessible and close to public transport and it gives the centre two street frontages.

It is proposed that the new building will occupy four levels. The new facility is proposed to be contained in a distinctive building that recognises the importance and significance of the community sector.

The existing Griffin Centre, in comparison, is a two-storey building with a lettable floor area for tenant and community use of approximately 2,340 square metres. The new Griffin Centre will have a gross floor area of approximately 3,640 square metres. It will

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