The ACT Government has condemned the National Capital Planning Authority’s proposals for the Central National Area as “”very narrow”.
The ACT Minister for Environment, Land and Planning, Bill Wood, said, “”Canberra is also home to 300,000 Australians. The Commonwealth must take into consideration the impacts on the community of its planning proposals”.
The NCPA launched a range of long-term design ideas for the city last Friday. They included the upgrading of Constitution Avenue, the completion of the Triangle at Russell which would become the entry point to the city from the Federal Highway via a road around the back of Mount Ainslie. Parkes Way was to be downgraded. More residential and commercial uses were to be made of land between the city and the lake.
Mr Wood expressed concern this week at the lack of a metropolitan context for the NCPA proposals, in particular the concentration of Commonwealth employment in Barton, Russell and Parkes.
He expressed concern at the link across the Jerrabomberra Wetlands and the construction of more offices nearby.
The wetlands proposal also concerned the Canberra Conservation Council.
Its president, Jacqui Rees, welcomed the NCPA putting forward a range of ideas, but thought development near and overuse of the wetlands could “”kill the golden goose”.
Mr Wood thought the Russell entry point would detract from Civic and would “”reinforce the misplaced view among other Australians of Canberra as a government town rather than a city in its own right”.
He was also concerned at the downgrading of Parkes Way which was a major west-east arterial.
In all he was concerned at the lack of metropolitan context for the ideas and the “”very narrow perception of the role of Canberra as a city”.
The acting chief executive of the NCPA, Gary Prattley, said the aim was to present a lot of ideas in the lead up to the centenary and find out what Australians, not just Canberrans, thought about their city. The ideas were very long-term. He expected them to upset some people, challenge others and enthuse still others. None was set in concrete and the whole central national area rethink would be done in consultation with the ACT Government. All proposals would be subjected to community consultation.
The NCPA and the ACT Government are also at loggerheads over Acton Peninsula. The ACT wants a hospice and perhaps some low-cost housing there and proposes to refurbish an existing building to get it. Now that there is not a major hospital on the site, the NCPA wants the peninsula for a major national purpose, such as the museum.