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Commonwealth department in the pipeline for Gungahlin

Dec 11, 2008

Gungahlin residents and business operators have expressed the need for increased employment opportunities and enhanced entertainment and recreation facilities in the town centre.

The results of the Gungahlin planning study were released in September, which also indicated residents would like to see a reduction in traffic on Hibberson Street. The responses indicated that the community would most like to see:

increased employment in the area including attracting a Commonwealth Department and setting aside land to accommodate such a department,
more recreational facilities such as an indoor leisure centre, pool and cinemas,
a mix of building heights,
more open space, playgrounds and parks,
reduced traffic on Hibberson Street,
more parking as part of development,
enhanced public transport,
enhanced access and shelter between retail centres for pedestrians.

Planning Minister Andrew Barr said the response to the consultation process had been very strong. "One hundred and twenty-nine submissions were received. They were from businesses and residents and they highlighted a range of issues," he said. "The number one thing was for there to be more office employment in the town centre and that most particularly focussed on attracting a major Commonwealth department to the town centre."

Mr Barr said the ACT Government had made changes to planning which would allow a building large enough to house a government department to be built in Gungahlin. "We made two important changes earlier in the year for the planning rules for the town centre. "The first was to rezone a larger amount of land for commercial development and the second thing was to remove the height limit of four stories." Mr Barr said the extra land and extra height provided more options in terms of localities for office blocks to be built. "There's a couple of blocks on the southern side of the town centre that are now of ideal size to be able to get a big enough building to be able to accommodate a major Commonwealth department," he said.

The possibility was welcomed by Federal Member for Fraser Bob McMullan who described the location of a Federal Government department in Gungahlin as a "win-win" proposal. "It's cheaper for the Federal Government to buy land and build in Gungahlin, and increasing the number of people employed in the town centre would be good for the Gungahlin business community," Mr McMullan said.

Mr Barr met with Federal Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner in September to discuss the possibility.

Source: The Northside Chronicle – 10 February 2009.
The Chronicle is published by The Federal Capital Press Pty Ltd - 9 Pirie Street, Fyshwick.

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