Submission Draft Master Plan for Woden Town Centre (2015) PO Box 280 Woden ACT 2606; e-mail:
[email protected] www.wvcc.org.au Facebook: /WodenValleyCommunityCouncil Twitter: WVCC_Inc WVCC submission on the Draft Master Plan for Woden Town Centre (2015) The Woden Valley Community Council (WVCC) is a non-political, voluntary lobby group for the Woden Valley community. We focus on a wide range of issues such as planning, community facilities and infrastructure, parks and open space, public transport, parking, education, the environment and health. Community Councils are officially recognised by the ACT Government and are consulted by government on issues affecting our communities. History The WVCC was formed in 2001 as work begun on the Woden Town Master Plan which was subsequently released in 2004. The WVCC invested a significant amount of work into the development of the 2004 Master Plan, however it was not incorporated into the Territory plan and had ‘No statutory status’. After some ad hoc development proposals at various sites around the Woden town centre over the years that were not compliant with the 2004 Master Plan, we welcomed the announcement that a new master plan planning process would start. Consultation with the WVCC started in late 2012 with the Environment and Planning Directorate (EPD) presenting at several WVCC public meetings on this issue. WVCC appreciates the extensive community consultation that preceded the Draft Plan, the results of which have been helpfully consolidated and recorded in the Community Engagement Report Stage1) of October 2014. One issue of concern to the WVCC is that a community stakeholder workshop, similar to the meeting held with lessees and traders, was not conducted.