Page 477 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 18 February 2015
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that we can provide better homes for Canberrans. We recognise the important opportunity that this presents for the city, both in terms of an economic stimulus for the housing and construction sector but also, and most importantly, the opportunity to provide more suitable, environmentally sustainable, affordable and higher quality housing properties for Canberrans.
This is an important step forward today, the announcement in relation to the Owen flats being the next stage of development. We have identified three sites for around 50 new public housing dwellings in different locations in the city. As members would be aware, Minister Gentleman, though the omnibus territory plan variation, is ensuring that there are a wide variety of new sites to add to our city’s housing stock.
The government’s agenda here is very clear: we want to grow public housing, community housing and, indeed, affordable housing in this city, and the answer to that is more supply in appropriate locations right across the city. The government is getting on with that job. The urban renewal task force and the public housing renewal task force are working to provide for nearly 1,300 new public housing dwellings in the coming years. The government will make a major commitment to the urban renewal of our city, and particularly to our public housing stock, in coming budgets.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Fitzharris.
MS FITZHARRIS: Chief Minister, why is urban renewal important for our suburbs and local shops?
MR BARR: It is very important to ensure that a partnership between the government, the private sector and the community is achieved in renewal outcomes across the city. This means opportunities for the community and the private sector to come forward to government with proposals where government assistance to upgrade the public realm could be matched by the private sector upgrading those areas of local shopping centres that are in private hands. Clearly, there is also a significant opportunity, building off the success of a range of programs in our centenary year, to have a greater level of community engagement and activity at a local suburban level.
We are seeing this renewal occurring in a number of different areas of the city. Some examples in recent times have included the Aranda shops and the Cook shops. Most significant examples that have got the bulk of public attention in recent times have been the outcomes in Braddon and the Kingston foreshore. We certainly look forward to spreading those opportunities to a variety of locations right across the city.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Dr Bourke.
DR BOURKE: Chief Minister, what major urban renewal projects are already complete or underway?
MR BARR: There are indeed a number of projects that have been completed or are in the final stages of completion. I have mentioned some, including the work at Kingston foreshore, but we are also underway with urban renewal projects in every part of the city, including the Tuggeranong town centre, and the master planning exercises that
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