Page 537 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 2019
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(a) Woden Town Centre is widely recognised in the community as a major community and commercial hub for the Woden Valley and wider region, but one that is in need of urban renewal;
(i) Woden has had a number of community and recreation facilities close over recent years, including Woden CIT, basketball stadium, ten-pin bowling alley, bowling greens, tennis courts and pitch n putt;
(ii) the Woden Senior Citizens Centre and Woden Community Service buildings are run down and in need of renewal; and
(iii) the pool and ice skating rink are also at risk of closure and an alternative site in the Woden Town Centre may be needed;
(b) the Government has recognised these concerns. On 18 October 2018, Minister Steel said that ‘Woden is the only town centre without a dedicated fit for purpose community centre’ and announced planning work for a future community centre;
(c) the Greens/ALP Parliamentary Agreement also includes a commitment to a feasibility study for a multi-purpose indoor sports centre in Woden and this work has commenced; and
(d) the 2018-19 Budget Review included funding for demolition of the former Woden CIT ‘for future community and development uses’, however it is not clear whether the site will be needed for the community centre or multi-purpose indoor sports centre; and”.
(2) Add new paragraph 2 (c):
“(c) co-ordinate the planning work for a future Woden community centre with work on a possible multi-purpose indoor sports centre and the future of the Woden CIT site, including by:
(i) providing the Assembly and the Woden community with timetables for planning work for all three facilities by the last sitting day in April 2019 that make it clear how the three processes will be coordinated;
(ii) expanding planning for the community centre to consider options for an integrated community centre/indoor sports centre, including an aquatic centre if that becomes necessary;
(iii) not selling any part of the Woden CIT site until work on the community centre and multi-purpose indoor sports centre have confirmed that the CIT site is not needed for either purpose.”.
My amendments talk about Woden and the situation there as far as community facilities are concerned. As I started off saying, the situation for the older parts of Canberra is a problem in terms of community facilities. While community facilities in some cases exist, they are often ageing and in poor condition or they no longer meet the needs of the community, which may have changed from the time it was originally developed.
Most of the points Ms Orr makes are equally true for Woden. I am not in any way downplaying Ms Orr’s concerns about Gungahlin. As a local member for Yerrabi I am sure she is well acquainted with the need for a community centre in her
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