Page 84 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 11 February 2020
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
The draft variation was released for public comment from 23 November 2018 until 1 February 2019, and two public submissions were received. The key issues were future development on the Coombs peninsula and the effect on wildlife, especially platypus habitat; proposed development in the bushfire-prone area; and that the width of the reserve would not be enough to maintain environmental and public reserve functions. I referred a report on consultation and the recommended draft variation to the Standing Committee on Planning and Urban Renewal to facilitate its consideration of the draft variation. Following an inquiry into the variation, the standing committee made four recommendations. The government carefully considered the report, noted the first recommendation and declined to agree to the other three recommendations.
The standing committee recommended that the Coombs peninsula be considered for environmental and recreational purposes and that it be withdrawn from the land release program while this is completed. The committee also recommended that the bulk of the Coombs peninsula be rezoned to hills, ridges and buffer and that the future urban area overlay be removed. The government did not agree with these recommendations, as the future development of the Molonglo Valley has undergone numerous environmental and planning assessments under both ACT and commonwealth legislation and the Coombs peninsula has so far been determined to be suitable for urban development.
The site was originally zoned for urban development in 2008. The Coombs peninsula was previously a commercial pine plantation, which left the peninsula with low environmental value, including patches of pink-tailed worm-lizard habitat of low quality. The peninsula is currently dominated by exotic and native grasses, does not contain platypus habitat and would require significant effort to restore it to native grassland or box gum grassy woodland. Environmental approval for development of the Coombs peninsula was granted in 2009 under the commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and remains valid.
To finalise the land use of the Coombs peninsula, an estate development plan will be submitted to the planning and land authority for assessment. The estate development plan requires public consultation. The plan will set out the proposed development of the land, including the proposed zoning and associated land uses. It will also do the subdivision pattern, the number of residential dwellings, road layout, bushfire risk assessment and mitigation measures. This plan will also take into consideration the requirements of the Coombs and Wright concept plan, including environmental values, tree assessment, slope, heritage, stormwater management and bushfire impacts when determining the most appropriate use for the land on the Coombs peninsula. The environmental studies undertaken to support the estate development plan will identify which parts, if any, of the Coombs peninsula are suitable for environmental and recreational purposes.
Variation 360 was prepared to bring the reserve boundaries on the Territory Plan map into line with the reserve management plan for the new Molonglo River Reserve. It was not prepared to finalise the zoning for the Coombs peninsula or any other future urban area. Public consultation on the variation was about the public land reserve boundaries and did not include changes to the Coombs peninsula. The appropriate
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video