On 20th March DRA President Peter Wurfel and Secretary Richard Thwaites had a meeting with the new CEO of the National Capital Authority, Malcolm Snow. Mr Snow has been making a point of meeting with residents representative groups across Canberra as part of his familiarisation.

Mr Snow has a personal professional connection with Deakin. As a young town planner with ACTPLA he was responsible for the planning of the West Deakin National Institution precinct, between Kent Street and the Mint area.

DRA reps noted that direct NCA responsibility may only apply to specific areas of Deakin such as Adelaide Avenue, The Lodge, and State Circle. However we found that Mr Snow was receptive to our concerns about the effect on Deakin of developments in National areas including the Parliamentary Triangle. Topics we raised, with Mr Snow’s response, are:

General population growth of Canberra, including potentially large numbers at Molonglo, Yarralumla Brickworks and urban intensification, placing more pressure on Deakin traffic and facilities
Streets (Grey Street, Gawler Crescent, Hopetoun Circuit, Macgregor Street, Stonehaven Crescent, Strickland Crescent and Kent Street) because of increasing levels of commuter traffic (employees, shoppers, students) accessing the Parliamentary Triangle, Manuka, etc.

• Malcolm Snow agreed that the respective roles of the NCA and the ACT Government would benefit from greater clarification, and he hoped to ensure better coordination between the two authorities so that resident issues were not overlooked. He agreed that a better balance between public transport and private vehicle dependence was needed to go along with densification of inner suburbs.

Intensification and paid parking in the Parliamentary Triangle. DRA raised the impact on surrounding suburbs of paid parking and increased building over previously-available parking sites in the Triangle.

• Mr Snow recognised the issue and indicated he was already seeking ways to improve public transport for workplaces within the Triangle, including perhaps a Civic-Manuka shuttle service. Public/private partnerships might offer some opportunities to provide services co-located with pay parking, to reduce need for daytime car access. Enforcement issues are outside NCA control, however.

Adelaide Avenue is a “Main Avenue”, covered by a Development Control Plan (DCP), but recent developments appear to be inconsistent with the DCP, and our experience is that NCA has been silent on ACTPLA/NCA consultation with respect to adherence to the DCP.
There are major emerging issues include proposed bus stops (for access to faster, more efficient public transport) and the inevitable growth of Canberra and the Parliamentary Triangle.

• Mr Snow recognised that the Adelaide Avenue DCP and the current state of developments on that corridor are less than optimal, and would hope to achieve better coordination in future.

Diplomatic estates. What is the future of diplomatic leases currently in Canberra, with the Parliamentary enquiry now finalised?

• Mr Snow expects that a comprehensive policy will be developed with respect to location of future embassies before the end of this year, taking into consideration the outcomes of the recent Parliamentary enquiry.

National Heritage Listing for all of Canberra and potential relevance to Deakin.

• Mr Snow was unaware of the proposal for National Heritage Listing for Canberra, and we offered to provide him with a website link to this. We noted that it was especially important to link this in with our own suburb precinct codes.

Residents and home-buyers in many parts of Canberra have raised concerns with the Government about lack of confidence that building certifiers are adequately qualified for the tasks with which they are entrusted, or that they can be relied upon to act in the interests of consumers when they are selected and paid by builders or sellers’ agents.

In response, the government commissioned a consultancy report, and launched an open Consultation on Construction Industry Practitioners.

DRA has made a formal submission to this inquiry, with extensive local consultation among our members and committee. Our key points in summary are:

1. Accreditation need to be reviewed to ensure certifiers have appropriate skills for all situations, and carry the onus of bringing in additional advice where needed for special situations.
2. Certifiers should be subject to a requirement for continuous professional development with regard to both technical and regulatory dimensions of their responsibilities.
3. Monitoring and review have been inadequate and require the proper level of resources to be applied, as well as a targeted risk management program set around open criteria.
4. Credible penalties for poor performance, and redress for residents affected by those poor outcomes, including third parties, are essential to support public confidence in the building certification regime.

Read DRA’s full Submission on Building Certifiers

DRA President Peter Wurfel, Vice-president John Bell, and Committee member Tony Eastaway met with the ACT Planning Minister Simon Corbell on 5 February 2014.

After some introductory discussion about DRA’s concerns and interests, the delegation raised a number of specific issues for the Minister’s consideration. Issues and Mr Corbell’s responses are summarized below (see other posts on this site for background on issues):

1. Considering the garden city principals and anticipated increases in Deakin’s population, DRA is looking for more certainty in planning rules and their application.

• The Minister noted the Government’s policy to concentrate growth in centres and along public transport corridors, including Adelaide Avenue. He did not anticipate major changes in Deakin, but some redevelopment with some block consolidation and some more dual occupancies.
• He considers that matters of scale, etc. are adequately covered through the Territory Plan. In the context of discussion about the R2Z zone (higher density closer to the shops) Mr Corbell indicated that there was some room for adjustments to zoning boundaries.

2. Development of more detailed Precinct Codes for individual suburbs, and budget funding to support this.

• Mr Corbell supported the idea of a “statement of desired character” in Precinct Codes. This would provide values that would inform planning decisions. It would be done in a way that was “workable”, locking into the statutory development process.
• Funding would depend on the ACT budget and he would be working with relevant departments to establish future priorities.

3. Concerns about the operation of planning processes, inadequate consultation and loopholes for exemptions.

• Mr Corbell said that complaints were few compared with the numbers of development applications and. he is happy with existing arrangements. In his view, exempt development provisions are “pretty tight” and work well overall.

4. Confusion over the accountability of building certifiers nominated and hired by builders.

• Mr Corbell noted that work is in progress on reviewing the operation of building certifiers. Where appropriate, he will strengthen the provisions and penalties in the Building Act.
• He had been advised that transgressions in Deakin have been minor, and amended plans subsequently approved.
• However he agreed the Registrar needs more powers to enforce the rules in a more timely manner.

5. Establishment of a Planning Advocate to reduce burden and cost to parties of Tribunal and Supreme Court action on planning issues.

• Mr Corbell noted that ACAT decisions remain subject to Supreme Court review and the Government can’t stop people from engaging legal representation in ACAT. He said that the mediation process is designed to improve the process. One third of cases are resolved this way but it appears that there is room for further improvement.

6. Express bus stops on Adelaide Avenue.

• Mr Corbell said that he was supportive in principle but that the costs were many millions of dollars (he mentioned lifts and escalators) and the likely increase in bus usage did not justify this expenditure. He thought that bus stops could be a 1-5 year possibility.

7. Jervois Street redevelopment.

• Mr Corbell noted that the issues needed an independent investigation and that the matter was now in the hands of the Ombudsman. If the DRA did not like the outcome, it could go the Supreme Court under the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act.

ACT Government has announced a public presentation of its plans for redevelopment of government-owned housing as follows:

Redevelopment of Blocks 5, 6, 27, 28 Section 24
Deakin – Information Session No.2

The Community Services Directorate would like to invite interested
members of the community to a further information session on the future
redevelopment of the duplexes at 64 and 66 Jervois Street and 63 and 65
Buxton Street Deakin.

The details of the presentation are as follows

Location: Canberra Deakin Football Club, 2 Grose Street Deakin
Date: Tuesday 18th February 2014
Time: 6:30PM to 7:30PM

If you have any questions about the redevelopment or the studies which
are being undertaken, please contact Mr Peter Johns on 6207 8170 or
visit http://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/hcs/current_news

DRA has been in correspondence with the government on this matter and the President has emailed some documents to members. If you would like to know more, contact president@deakinresidents.asn.au

In 2012 the Deakin Residents Association Inc. co-ordinated a petition with over 800 signatures, which was lodged by Caroline le Couter MLA in the Legislative Assembly, primarily to address public safety concerns following several incidents of cars accidentally mounting the footpath in front of parking spaces. Shop owners have also made representations because of physical damage which was occurring to shopfronts

Roads ACT has provided the attached proposal to install steel barriers in front of each car space that faces the footpath.

The expected date of implementation is not known, and is dependent on formal approval of lease holders of Deakin Shops for the barriers to be installed.

DRA President Peter Wurfel has asked that DRA be kept in the loop on this. He has provided preliminary comments as follows:

• The barriers appear to be appropriate – assuming that they will be similar to the (tubular steel) ones that are already in place
• It would be useful to completely remove the paved promontory element that intrudes into the car parking spaces – exiting drivers are not always aware of it, and motor vehicles have connected with it, causing damage (it appears from the drawing that it will be reduced in size, not removed completely)
• It is arguable that the barriers should also be erected where car parking exists at the rear of the shops (excluding the loading zone and garbage area).

If there are other issues that DRA should raise with Roads ACT, please contact Peter Wurfel at president@deakinresidents.asn.au

The ACT Territory and Municipal Services department (TAMS) has responded to consistent concerns about traffic congestion and unsafe parking practices in residential streets close to Canberra Girls Grammar junior school and Early Learning Centre on Grey Street.

Many accidents have occurred during the morning and afternoon drop-off and pickup times, when large numbers of parent vehicles compete for parking and road space with numerous school buses.

TAMS wrote on 13 January to residents of Fergusson Crescent, Robe Street and Northcote Crescent proposing to restrict parking on one side of each of these streets during the morning and afternoon school peak periods, as well as to install a new pedestrian crossing at the corner of Grey St and Fergusson Crescent.

These restrictions may result in additional parking pressures on other nearby streets, or on verges and driveways in the affected streets.

Comments are invited by Friday 31 January.  See this link for the letter including a map of proposed new parking restrictions, and contacts for comment.

New Parking restrictions for Fergusson Cr, Robe St, Northcotte Cr.

DRA supports  proposals for safe, traffic-segregated bus stops in the median strip of Adelaide Avenue, to provide local residents with access to express bus services to Woden and the City.

Contact DRA for details on the proposed bus stops

DRA has held discussions with ACT Government officials with respect to development of detailed Precinct Codes to supplement the more general provisions of the ACT Territory Plan.   The Territory Plan does not give sufficient guidance to planners or developers as to what weight should be  given to the effect of developments upon the distinctive character of particular areas.  Precinct Codes, developed in full consultation with residents, investors, designers and builders, would provide more transparency and confidence to all parties and minimise disputes when developments cause problems for neighbours or the broader community.

DRA proposes that Deakin and Yarralumla would be appropriate suburbs to pilot this improvement to the ACT Planning processes.  DRA is scheduled to meet with the relevant ACT  Minister,  Mr Simon Corbell MLA, in February 2014.