The DRA Committee meeting of 3 April discussed progress in a number of areas of interest to Deakin residents:

• Traffic and parking around schools: Inner South schools have a high proportion of enrolments from students living out of the area, and this contributes to some serious traffic and parking issues around drop off and pick up times.

  ACT Government have instituted some new parking rules in Grey Street, Fergusson Crescent and Robe Street to try to ensure safe passage for school buses servicing the Girls Grammar junior school in Grey Street. Effectiveness is net to be evaluated.

  ACT Government has agreed to make some changes to parking arrangements at the Deakin shops, in the interest of pedestrian safety. Some issues remain, due to the IGA Supermarket lease extending to the edge of the footpath and hence lessee approval being required for the installation of pedestrian protective devices.

• Concessional leases: Residents have a right to expect that leases granted for community purposes are held to those purposes. Clubs and other groups should not be allowed to privatise such assets without full assessment of community benefit.
• Audit of public open space: Public spaces in Deakin have been nibbled away over the years and often residents do not know the status of land currently open for public recreation. An audit is being prepared so that public open space decisions can be made on a broad factual basis.

  In Deakin, Latrobe Park is the largest such assett and special attention is being given to plans for future use and ensuring long-term public access.

• Precinct plan: A pilot Precinct Plan is being developed to add broader considerations to the current land-use planning information. Local character, transport and foot traffic options, open spaces, concessional and diplomatic leases, heritage aspects, and historic building codes are all relevant, as well as clarification of areas zoned for more intensive development.

The committee will meet again in early June 2014.