The Real Estate Institute of the ACT welcomed yesterday the ACT Government’s draft planning proposals for North Watson.
The institute’s general manager, Bruno Yvanovich, said the plan would present a better northern gateway to Canberra and be a more efficient use of schools, roads, sewerage and water.
He criticised the narrowly based, extravagant claims by some community groups that the development would put a strain on shops and schools and would cause traffic congestion and lack of open space.
The urban consolidation would be a more efficient use of “”the horse agistment paddocks available for the use of a privileged few, rather than the community at large” and the hotch-potch of other uses in the area.
The plan gave welcome protection and certainty to the foot-slopes of Mount Majura. The institute supported the proposal not to develop east of Antill Street. Mr Yvanovich called for the widening of the Federal Highway to prevent highway uses from driving through Watson.
He said the institute welcomed the provision of medium-density housing because of the high proportion of aged people in North Canberra who would like more suitable housing in an area familiar to them with existing support networks.
Shops in the area were struggling and could do with the extra population. Schools were operating significantly below their designed capacity. Roads would be improved and existing roads were already over-engineered. Horse agistment paddocks for the privileged few could not be considered genuine community open space.
In all “”North Watson provides an excellent opportunity for urban development”.
“”It could be developed whilst largely retaining the existing amenity of the area and the amenity of adjacent suburbs,” he said.
The institute had presented a formal submission to the ACT Government.
Last week a meeting of Watson residents at Majura Primary School condemned “”the failure of the Government to respond to concerns raised by the community about the impact on traffic, the school and the urban environmental amenity” of the North Watson proposal.
The meeting of about 100 residents endorsed the statement by the Chief Minister, Rosemary Follett, that North Watson would only proceed with broad community support and asked her to demonstrate that support. It said, “”Until this support is demonstrated, this community is opposed to residential development of North Watson.
It called on the Government to prepare a new proposal for the development of North Watson for tourism, recreation and leisure.
The president of the Canberra Conservation Council, Jacqueline Rees, said yesterday it was another hastily done, ill-conceived project simply with an eye on grasping Better Cities funding.
There needs to be a thorough investigation into the whole matter. And the Minister for Land Environment and Planning, Bill Wood, to should address urgently the matters legitimately raised by the Watson residents.