The Interim Kingston Foreshore Development Authority has taken advantage of the economic downturn to take the long view of what to do with its bailiwick without having some major developer breathing down its neck.
Too often such projects get driven and warped by the pressure of an early big-ticket item like a casino, fun park, major hotel, or public institution, or as soon as the single driving development is complete everyone forgets about long term planning elements and development by expediency takes over.
One of the good points of the winning plan is that some of the key design elements can be locked in fairly early, such as shaping the lake shore and extending Giles, Eyre and Dawe street. It is important to remember that this is a 10- to 15-year project. It is of major importance to Canberra because it will provide a counterpoint to the national attractions and institutions which at present comprise the essence of the city in the minds of many visitors and indeed, may residents. An imaginatively developed Kingston site will show that Canberra is a city of people as well as institutions. The winning design carries the virtue of not competing with other attractions, but complementing them.
At 37ha, this is a major site. It will require long-term oversight, not to regulate for its own sake, but to ensure an integrated result and to ensure the fundamental design principles in the winning design are not compromised on the way.