Page 318 - Week 01 - Thursday, 15 December 2016
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Prior to the election, I foreshadowed the government’s intention to replace the Land Development Agency with two specialist dedicated entities: one to focus on leading and facilitating the critical transformation of Civic and the Northbourne Avenue corridor, and one dedicated to the equally important task of developing our vibrant new suburbs to meet continuing demand in our growing city. We are now commencing this task. The urban renewal and suburban development portfolios signal the government’s clear intention to direct effort at ministerial and official level. Work is progressing to create these two new public sector entities with clearly articulated roles and responsibilities, each with their own identity, structure and leadership.
The urban transformation task in Canberra is different from those faced in other cities. We are not dealing with uncontrolled or unsustainable population growth. We are not seeking to repurpose industrial infrastructure and areas that have fallen into wanton disrepair. What we are doing is deliberately setting out to transform the heart of our city.
In gearing for that task, the government will adopt the very best of the approaches that others have taken elsewhere and add them to our local expertise and our local knowledge. The critical elements of this approach include a clear vision for city to the lake and the Northbourne corridor, defined by people-focused, design-led development which is properly assessed as economically sensible and sustainable and which starts from a strategic plan for the whole of the city; the creation of a defined precinct over which the new entity will have control so that it is able to work with the community and partners in developments on planning, designing and then delivering this vision; absolute clarity of purpose, role and authority, as well as accountability and responsibility for the results; and an expectation that the entity will operate commercially and deliver social policy and sustainability goals. I will repeat that: to operate commercially and deliver sustainability and social policy goals. They will also include equality and genuine engagement with the community; and a governing board with the powers and accountability arrangements needed to get on, comprising leading thinkers in design, the commercial realities of development, community building and social inclusion, governance of public sector entities and sustainable city building. These are the skills we require on the governing board.
This precinct process has proven successful in places like South Bank in Brisbane, Elizabeth Quay and east Perth; it is being applied with great success in Adelaide, in urban renewal projects at the heart of that city; and in Sydney, at Barangaroo; in Auckland, in our region; and in cities all over the world. The government, not this new entity, will determine when a precinct of this sort should be declared and the shape that it will take. The new entity will prioritise design to support the delivery of quality buildings, places and landscapes. This approach explicitly recognises the importance, the value, that good design adds to the experience of living in the city and the communities that we are creating. It recognises that there must be a mix of housing types and demography if these communities are to be sustainable in the long run, and that appropriate mixed-use areas are created that are safe and vibrant during the day and after hours.
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