Page 830 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 9 March 2016
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These included the quality of the public domain and the lack of outdoor meeting spaces in the centre, access to the shops and services in the centre through improved pedestrian connections, providing long-term and short-term parking opportunities for residential development for a more vibrant and active centre, the provision of community facilities, and the transitional impact of the Molonglo Valley residents on the Weston group centre in terms of facilities, services and parking.
The vision for the Weston group centre is drawn from the community of Weston Creek and their valuable input towards the master plan. So you can see, Madam Deputy Speaker, that a lot of engagement has occurred through this master planning process with the residents of Weston Creek. It envisages the centre as “an attractive village in the valley with pleasant and safe surrounds to enjoy, convenient access to shops and services, a sustainable built environment and opportunities for all to socialise and participate in community life”.
I am pleased to confirm that there have been a number of achievements to celebrate since the completion of the master plan in 2014. In 2014, 76 additional surface car parking spaces have been provided in Liardet Street and Dillon Close, as identified in the master plan, to provide long-term parking at the periphery of the centre. This has allowed more short-term parking to be made available near the centre in the larger car parks to allow for a more accessible centre. Improved pedestrian connections from Dillon Close to the shopping centre have been constructed to improve access to the shops and services in the centre.
The Weston group centre master plan aimed to integrate public transport infrastructure and services with land uses to promote greater use of public transport, including the frequent rapid bus services. I can confirm that in 2014 improvements to the services, including additional Xpresso bus services, were introduced to improve access to Woden and the city centre to encourage more active travel.
A feasibility study is currently being undertaken to upgrade Brierly Street and Trenerry Square to enhance the public spaces and to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety and access. This was also a direct recommendation from the master plan that will create a place for the community to meet and improve opportunities for active travel.
The ACT government has an age-friendly program that includes the suburb of Weston and the Weston group centre. The program provides improvements to the local footpath network to encourage the local aged population to be more active. As members of this Assembly would know, the Mirinjani retirement home is located in close proximity to the Weston group centre and many residents use the facilities within the centre on a daily basis.
Safety on the roads in the vicinity of the group centre has also received attention over the years, with improvements provided at the intersection of Streeton Drive and Namatjira Drive as part of a federally funded black spot road safety project. The Weston group centre master plan also identified the need to provide improvements at the intersection of Hindmarsh Drive and Brierly Street, one of the two key access points to the centre. The provision of traffic lights at this intersection will be considered in a future ACT government budget.
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