Page 3026 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 15 September 2015
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As we undertake urban renewal we need to make sure we maintain and invest in our green infrastructure. We know not too many of the Liberals believe in action on climate change. I even note that since taking over the Liberal leadership the new Prime Minister has committed to continuing Tony Abbott’s widely discredited policy of direct action. But the key to urban renewal in the face of climate change is the development of green infrastructure in the city and our town centres. Trees in our urban areas are an important component of Canberra's identity and also a significant means to provide a more tempered climate on hotter days. The recent budget directed $130,000 to develop a long-term strategy for ongoing funding for the maintenance of urban trees. I am pleased this goes in part to delivering on a parliamentary agreement item.
The trees and green spaces in our town centres have multiple benefits, including growing food in community gardens, holding community gatherings and encouraging active life styles. That is another reason the government has done things such as put in new bubblers right across the city—to encourage people to be in our open spaces and common spaces and feel they can, in that particular example, get access to free water.
We have spoken in this place many times about shopping centre upgrades, and TAMS continues to roll them out at places across the city. In the recent budget we saw a significant investment of $860,000 for works in Brierly Street and Trenerry Square in Weston group centre, or Cooleman Court. We saw investment for the Erindale shopping centre in Gartside Street. It will receive a significant makeover over two years with a new design, additional car parking, pedestrian paths and associated infrastructure. There are also works in the Tuggeranong town centre in Anketell Street to improve the public domain.
An important element of the discussion about urban renewal is the issue of consultation. Sometimes the vision for our city can be undermined by inappropriate development and poor community engagement in early stages of planning. The challenge is to engage early on with the community in a meaningful way to develop a shared vision for the future of our town centres and the city. There is a lot of scope in this city for change; large segments of our community are hungry for change and for Canberra to be an evolving city from what it is now. That goes back to the earlier comment around both preserving the suburbs but also driving density in the town centres. The important part is to engage the community in that discussion and engage them early.
With ambitious and exciting new projects and examples of urban renewal on the table for the decade ahead in the ACT, like city to the lake, the delivery of light rail, and projects at the Kingston foreshore, East Lake, Dickson, the University of Canberra and Belconnen and Gungahlin town centres, we need to make sure the community has a strong say in them and feels a sense of ownership as different things start to happen in Canberra that are not the way they have always been done.
I emphasise the importance of sustainability with urban renewal projects and the importance of showcasing innovative design and environmental sustainability, both in public spaces and also in private buildings, and the quality of buildings. Urban infill
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