Canberra Grammar School’s plans for carpark prompt backlash from local residents.
If you missed this article, printed in the Canberra Times on 28 October, please click here.
October Newsletter
To access a copy of the newsletter please click here.
Some of the issues covered include the demolition of individual houses for multiple public housing dwellings, the substantial increases in land values in the Griffith/Narrabundah area, the future of the Capital Golf Club and the Urban Forest Bill 2022.
Update on ACAT Matters
18 Lockyer Street
At our last Directions Hearing in relation to 18 Lockyer Street, the Deputy Registrar unexpectedly reversed the usual order of things and ordered HACT (the Second Party Joined in ACAT speak) to produce their arguments first, by 22 August. She must have taken pity on us. The lawyers for ACTPLA and HACT were clearly disgruntled.
We received HACT’s Submission, and Associated Witness statement, on 23 August. We are required to lodge any response to this, and any other material served by another party, by Friday 30 September. We lodged our 22 page submission on why the DA approval should be reversed on 6 September. This was originally required by cob on Friday 2 September but the ACAT granted us an extension of two business days ie cob Tuesday 6th.
The actual Hearing is scheduled for Thursday 12 and Friday 14 October.
32 Sturt Avenue
At the last Directions Hearing in relation to 32 Sturt Avenue, we were directed to produce our Statement by Wednesday 7 September. In this case the Submission was 23 pages long. We now await the response from HACT (in this matter just the Party Joined) and ACTPLA due on Wednesday 21 September. We then have until Wednesday 28 September to prepare and lodge any response.
The Hearing is set for Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 October.
Manor House
Most disappointingly, Minister Gentleman has approved the Draft Variation (DV) which allows a one-off Variation to the Territory Plan to open the door for this single major development at the corner of Blaxland Crescent and Frome Streets, Griffith to proceed. Further information is available by clicking here.
GNCA at the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT).
GNCA has lodged an appeal in ACAT against the approval of the Development Application (DA) for 18 Lockyer Street and the directions hearing has been set for 1st July. Issues are the definition of Supportive Housing and the use of the Multi Unit Development (MUD) code rather than the code for single residences. It also plans to appeal 32 Sturt Avenue, which has just been approved.
Is Housing ACT breaking the Planning rules?
The GNCA is asking ACAT to review two development applications approved by ACTPLA. The ACT Government’s Growing and Renewing Public Housing Program, is demolishing red brick cottages, breaching the Planning rules and building three dwellings on public housing blocks in low-density residential RZ1 zones where only two dwellings are permitted. Further information is available by clicking here.
April 2022 Newsletter
To view a copy of the April newsletter, please click here.
Invitation from Minister Berry to meet re Housing ACT issues
To view a copy of the letter received from Minister Berry, please click here.
Review of bus stop on Goyder Street, Narrabundah
To view a copy of the letter received from Minister Steel, please click here.
Request to increase rubbish bins at Manuka denied
To view a copy of the letter received from Minister Steel, please click here.
It’s time Housing ACT got its act together
In the last few months Housing ACT has:
- Surrendered a Development Application (DA)
- Distributed flyers to neighbours containing misleading information on what was proposed
- Lodged 3 DAs that didn’t comply with the planning rules
- Demolished a building without any warning to the neighbours and trespassed on their property.
- Proceeded with the demolition while a DA containing the demolition plan was still under review
- Persists with proposing lower standards for government tenants than for everyone else and
- Refused to meet with community groups to discuss anything.
The details of this sorry situation are attached.
Request to meet Minister Berry re development of Public Housing in Canberra’s Inner South
To view a copy of the letter sent by the GNCA to Minister Berry, please click here.
Inquiry into Environmental Volunteerism
To view a copy of the GNCA submission to the Inquiry, please click here.
Wild Sorghum in Griffith Park
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Wild sorghum is one of the special features of the Griffith Woodland (aka La Perouse Park), along with some very big, old yellow box trees and distinctive boulders. Wild sorghum (Sorghum leiocladum) is a tall summer flowering grass that’s often found growing with the equally striking kangaroo grass, which is the case at Griffith Woodland. It’s considered a rare or uncommon species in urban areas, though widespread in the region, preferring hillsides and slopes, on poorer soils in woodlands and dry forest habitats, in the least disturbed areas.
For more information about this rare sight of wild sorghum in an urban area please click here to read the article written by Alexandra Kirk, who also took the pictures.
Notify ‘Fix My Street’ and have success!!
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A GNCA member put in a request a few weeks ago to refurbish the benches on Flinders Way. Lo and behold, it has happened. Maybe it’s a coincidence? Half a dozen benches have been fixed. Another small step in the rehabilitation of Manuka.