Ms Peggy Danaee Committee Secretary JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE NATIONAL CAPITAL AND EXTERNAL TERRITORIES PO Box 6021 Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Via email:
[email protected] Dear Ms Danaee INQUIRY INTO COMMONWEALTH AND PARLIAMENTARY APPROVALS FOR THE PROPOSED STAGE 2 OF THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY LIGHT RAIL PROJECT ACT Division of the Planning Institute of Australia – Response to request for a submission Thank you for the opportunity to provide a submission to the above inquiry. The key points of our submission are as follows: 1. The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) supports investment in public transport to diversify transport options and provide transport choice. 2. The proposal to create the light rail network as part of the National Triangle and through the Parliamentary Zone is within an area of national significance. 3. The Commonwealth, via the National Capital Authority has planning responsibility for Designated Areas, recognised as areas of national significance. The design quality, breadth of consultation and planning outcomes should represent the significance of the area, in particular the Parliamentary Zone. 4. The National Triangle framed by Commonwealth Avenue, Constitution Avenue and Kings Avenue (including City south, Russell and the Parliamentary Zone) is the centre of the public transport network, providing connections to the rest of the Canberra network. Connecting light rail to the Parliamentary Zone south of the lake also opens up future corridors in Canberra’s south. 5. The PIA supports long term infrastructure planning that integrates land use and transport and is informed by strategic planning and high quality urban design. Planning Institute of Australia Page 1 of 17 Australia’s Trusted Voice on Planning AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY c/- PO Box 5427 KINGSTON ACT 2604 | ABN: 34 151 601 937 Phone: 02 6262 5933 | Fax: 02 6262 9970 | Email:
[email protected] | @pia_planning Planning Institute of Australia planning.org.au/act 6.