Page 1912 - Week 07 - Thursday, 23 August 2007
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restricted access recreation policies. Under the proposed changes, heights would be restricted to six storeys, although buildings of up to 12 storeys may be permitted provided matters such as overshadowing are addressed. Any development proposal would undergo a development assessment process that would look specifically at these issues.
While the government understands the community council’s desire for additional community facilities in the Woden town centre, we do not consider that this process is the appropriate one in which to make these provisions. There are a number of territory controlled sites which could provide future options for such facilities should those decisions be made in the future.
The process associated with the preparation of the Woden town centre master plan and variation 259, including the consultation, has been comprehensive; we need to finalise this exercise. Dr Foskey has not raised any substantive or new issues that have not already been addressed. For this reason, the government will not be supporting the disallowance motion.
MR SESELJA (Molonglo) (11.01): The opposition will be supporting this disallowance motion. There are a number of reasons for that. This issue has been going for some time. I do not necessarily share Dr Foskey’s concerns over the process; I think the process has been reasonable. There has been an opportunity for the planning and environment committee to look at the matter; there has been an opportunity for submissions to be made. The process is a reasonable one, in our opinion.
At the same time, I have looked at this issue very carefully and discussed it with a number of stakeholders who are affected by this—including, most importantly, the Woden community council, but also groups such as the MBA and the southern cross club, which is an important stakeholder in that precinct. I have also had representations—as I think other members have—from a number of individual residents, most living in the Woden area, who have concerns over the variation. On balance, taking all of those things into account, we have come to the view that the disallowance motion should be supported.
David Menzel has put a very forceful argument in relation to the need for a section master plan. There is some merit in that, and I will go into some of the reasoning behind our support for it.
The minister has spoken about the protection of the pool. I think what the committee recommended—which has largely been agreed to—is a good thing. It is important that we have some protection for the pool and the ice-skating rink. There are still concerns in the community around the open space with the pool, but obviously there are economic realities which make that a difficult balancing act in order to keep this pool viable for the community. There are concerns around that but also concerns around some of the other recreational facilities in the precinct. That is where I think the government needs to take another look at this. There are significant concerns about loss of some of the other recreational facilities in particular, such as the bowling green and the gymnasium.
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