Woden Community Festival 2008: Volunteers Needed!
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Community News and Information Published by Woden Community Service Inc. & Woden Valley Community Council Inc. with a distribution of 12,500 _________________________________Issue #3. March 2008________________________________________________ Woden Voice encourages its read- Hot topics ers to take part in Earth Hour to - Woden Community Festival p1 help tackle climate change. Please join in and turn off your - Planning Changes p7 lights 8—9 pm, March 29, 2008. - Eddison Park facelift p3 For more information go to: - Bus Interchange upgrade p3 www.wwf.org Woden Community Festival 2008: Volunteers Needed! Woden’s second community festival the Future competition for school that give our community great will be held in Spring at Eddison children to express their vision for strength that we often don’t know Park in the heart of the valley. the sort of community they would about or enjoy as we could.” like to grow up in. Early preparations are underway Woden Community Service and following Woden Valley Commu- “Woden is often seen as just a com- Woden Valley Community Council nity Council and Woden Community mercial centre where people come to want to establish a community man- Service’s successful bid for festival work and shop. Many don’t realise agement committee to oversee all funding through the ACT Govern- that there are thousands of families aspects of the festival. ment’s Chief Minister’s Department. and residents living here in the geo- graphical centre of Canberra,” “Although the festival will only be The community festival will be a Woden Community Service (WCS) for a day it will take months and celebration of the Woden Valley, its Director Chris Redmond said. many people to organise and stage, people and community, its past people with an interest in assisting to which is little known by many, the “Woden Valley is undergoing a plan the festival or organise activi- present which is full of opportunity physical transformation with un- ties for the day are urgently needed.” with its rejuvenation and its future precedented commercial and resi- which is full of potential. dential development and the renewal “We are now looking for volunteers of many of the suburbs with many to help make this festival a great Numerous activities are being new people and communities mov- success. It is going to be a lot of planned including a Lady of the ing into the area.” fun,” Chris Redmond said. Lake competition to crown a host for the festival, a Local Hero contest “There is much to celebrate in the If you would like to volunteer your asking community members to ac- valley, a great diversity of commu- time, please contact Emma Walter at knowledge people in the community nity members and groups, cultural WCS on 6282 2644 or email wcsad- doing great things and a Woden of organisations and other resources [email protected] Woden Community Service Inc. PO Box 35 Woden ACT 2606 Ph: 6282 2644 E: [email protected] W: www.wcs.org.au Deadline for submission of articles for the next issue of Woden Voice is 28/05/08 Woden Valley Community Council Update ment is going to put in a lot of emissions down to a minimum. Eddison Park money into refurbishment of the My solution on that is to have a upgrade Interchange, closed circuit tele- gentle increase on parking facili- vision sets and enhanced light- ties and a very, very big increase The ACT Government has allo- ing so that for the intervening in public transport quality and cated more than $1 million dol- period it is a pleasant place for service delivery." lars to upgrade Eddison Park in people to go and a safe place for Phillip. $750,000 will be used to people to go whilst they are redesign and landscape the travelling." No commencement Chifley pond, with work expected to date for the upgrade was given. Playground begin in July and completed by the end of October this year. A spokesman for Minister Har- $275,000 has also been allo- Phillip Oval greaves says work is expected to cated to improve the picnic fa- Work is well underway on the commence on the new play- cilities, playground and fitness Phillip Oval redevelopment pro- ground in May, 2008. trail. The grant is welcome by ject. At the WVCC, Minister WVCC, which has lobbied con- Hargreaves advised that the sub- sistently for the park to be im- surface irrigation system had Woden Community proved. been installed and the first layer Cultural Centre? of soil laid. The Minister said ACTEW has granted an exemp- The WVCC has received Woden Bus tion to water the grass and as $20,000 from the Stanhope Interchange soon as the turf is ready, the Government to carry out a feasi- oval will be open for use. bility study for a Community At the WVCC meeting on Cultural Centre in the Woden March 5th, Minister for Terri- More parking v Town Centre. While the Coun- tory and Municipal Services, cil is grateful for the funding John Hargreaves said the gov- Climate Change received, it is unfortunately well ernment has allocated money to short of the $50,000 requested to improve security and refurbish Minister Hargreaves told the engage a commercial consultant the Woden Bus Interchange. WVCC meeting that there is a to carry out the project as ini- need for more parking in the tially planned. WVCC will now As to whether the interchange Woden Town Centre, but this review its approach and seek will be replaced in the future, must be balanced against the further discussions with the the Minister says, will depend need for people to use their cars ACT government. on the results of changes being less. Minister Hargreaves said, made to the Belconnen Inter- “It’s pretty obvious that though Old school sites there have been plenty of car change. "I want to see the ex- Minister Hargreaves also told park spaces created with the perience of Belconnen, which the WVCC meeting that Cabi- new buildings, there is still an will see the elimination of the net was currently considering a unmet demand in the Woden interchange and the installation submission about the future of area. We need to measure that of four bus stations, to see school sites based on the results against the need to be green- whether or not it has application of the community consultation house conscious. We need to in Woden,” Mr Hargreaves said. process. A decision will be an- make sure we keep our CO2 “In the meantime, the govern- nounced soon. The next WVCC meeting will be held on Wednesday April 2, 2008 at 7.30pm at the Hellenic Club. Please come along. www.wvcc.org.au or [email protected] or (02) 6281 0096 Local development update Town Centre 1) The proposal for the new building to replace 2) WVCC has also raised major objections to the the Sirius Building and Penryhn House in the Development Application for a 13 storey Town Centre. The new building is proposed to building on the old YMCA site immediately to have an increase in Gross Floor Area from ap- the north of, and adjacent to, the Phillip pool proximately 9,000 sq metres to 49,164 sq me- and ice skating rink. The proposed building tres. The objection was the additional off site will overlook the pool and severely impact on car parking requirements that the development the amenity of its users. Diagrams show the will generate, together with concerns in respect development will overshadow the site and the to protection of pedestrians from wind impact. newly reconstructed Football Park at certain Wind studies showed that the much larger times of the year. There are other concerns building will have a significant impact on a in relation to wind impact on the pool and very windy corner of the town centre. traffic as entry to the building will be along the northern edge of the pool site. The Government has undertaken some im- The Territory Plan in the area (north of provements to parking in the town centre, how- Launceston St and adjacent to Melrose Drive) ever, this will be far exceeded by the new office allows for offices with the maximum building demands. The offsite car parking requirements height of generally six storeys. Taller buildings generated by the development were not clear up to a maximum of 12 storeys may be per- and we requested further information. mitted provided certain matters specified in the The ACT Planning Authority (ACTPLA) has Plan have been satisfactorily addressed. WVCC advised that it has approved the new Sirius De- believes they have not been addressed. In addi- velopment Application. We are pleased that tion the tennis courts on the site would have to ACTPLA has required much more stringent be demolished and this, together with the action to protect pedestrians from wind effect. negative impacts on the pool, requires a Pre- ACTPLA has not however advised how much liminary Assessment to be un-dertaken under off site parking is expected to be generated by the Legislation . ACTPLA should require this the development or how that parking demand assessment to be undertaken before the DA. will be met. This remains a major issue. We await the outcome of these objections. Lyons Farrer 1) WVCC has made comment on the proposed 1) A development application has been lodged to units to be built on the old Burnie Court site extend the Farrer shops at the front and back. with respect to solar orientation and advised The proposal is most welcome as the shops are that the Council will not support a nine sto- in dire need of a revamp.