Page 3735 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 18 September 2018
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Gungahlin—park
MS ORR (Yerrabi) (5.24): I rise to speak about the community’s views on the new park in the Gungahlin town centre. The new park is a linear park running from Anthony Rolfe Avenue to the Mulanggari grasslands and is part of the Gungahlin town centre east development, which provides for housing, commercial, business and community development and will undoubtedly further enliven the Gungahlin town centre.
The linear park will be a central feature of the development, establishing a public thoroughfare that connects all the new components. The indicative thinking for the linear park was first foreshadowed in the development application for the Gungahlin town centre east development. The DA indicated that the treatments for this park would be similar to other spaces in the town centre.
While Gungahlin residents love their town centre, they have made it clear they want more green spaces in it. With this in mind, I approached the minister for suburban development, Yvette Berry, and asked her if this linear park could be a little bit different. I asked her if this linear park could specifically have more greenery in it.
That request has started an ongoing discussion not only with the minister—who I note is supportive of the community’s views feeding into the detailed design—but also the Gungahlin community. Over the last few months I have been out talking to residents of Gungahlin asking them what they would like to be able to use the park for. Asking people what they would like to be able to use a park for may seem like a simple question, but everyone is different and by asking the question we have gained insightful feedback.
Over 80 per cent of people indicated they would like a space where they could go and spend time with their family or friends. In addition, the majority of people indicated that they would like a space where they could have a picnic, relax and attend community events or exercise. When asked what they would like to see included in the linear park, one thing came through louder than all the others—people want a space that has lots of play opportunities for kids of all ages, and a space that is safe and has seating for parents to rest.
As one resident pointed out, the park also needs to provide space for all people, not just kids. A number of respondents indicated that they would like a place where they can go and relax and read a book under a tree. People also overwhelmingly indicated that they would like a space that is green and full of as much nature as possible. In fact, 95 per cent of people indicated that it was important that there was lots of shade in the park, and 93 per cent of people indicated that they would love a grassed area. There is also a high preference for a water feature that could double as a play opportunity.
Another theme that came out strongly in the responses was the hope the space would be an active space, providing lots of interest for the community to come together. One person noted that it would be nice to have a place that can host markets and festivals.
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