Page 4644 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 27 November 2019
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We have established almost all of Coombs for housing purposes, and the preservation of the Peninsula is vital, as there is wildlife such as the pink-tailed worm-lizard and platypus.
The additional 30 dwellings that the government is trying to develop in Coombs is not taking into consideration the natural preservation and the satisfaction of the residents. People purchased properties specifically on the understanding that the green space would not be developed.
The lack of trees in Coombs is quite frightening and developing on the Peninsula is unnecessary and reduce the numbers even further. The government is sacrificing the last natural space that Coombs has. They are choosing development over natural green space.
Therefore, I call on the government to protect the Coombs Peninsula from a multi-dwelling development and I commend the motion to the Assembly.
I would like to recognise Suhaan in the gallery, as well as Verity Beman from his school, Canberra Grammar, who has come in to listen to the input that he has made to this speech. I reiterate and support the very important points that Mrs Jones and Mr Parton have made in this debate, as well as Ms Le Couteur.
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Manager of Government Business, Minister for Advanced Technology and Space Industries, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (3.11): I thank Mrs Jones for her motion on the Coombs peninsula. The government has, on many different occasions, spoken to its vision of Canberra as a sustainable, competitive and equitable city that is a great place to live not just today but for the community of tomorrow.
Only last year I approved the ACT planning strategy 2018 to provide a clear, robust and contemporary urban planning framework that will guide our growth and prosperity into the future. Relevant to the matters raised by Mrs Jones’s motion, the strategy recognises the importance of protecting the many defining characteristics of our city that we value so much—our green space, diversity of lifestyle choices and bushland setting. It recognises the imperative to balance these while supporting infill to achieve a more sustainable and livable city.
These values inform the government’s decision-making around the supply of land to meet the needs of our growing and changing city. The indicative land release program, the ILRP, aims to make sure enough land is released to the market every year to cater for Canberra’s growth and change.
Canberra’s growth is undeniable. By 2023 we expect that approximately 32,000 more people will call Canberra home. Mrs Jones quite rightly acknowledges that the ILRP signals the release of residential and multi-unit blocks in Molonglo Valley. A stable supply of new homes, available in a variety of locations and at different price points, contributes to Canberra being an attractive place in which to live and buy a home.
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