According to the Canberra Times the ACT government are looking to expand the borders to accommodate more suburbs [ED - actually use amenity cross-border, not quite the same thing].
Developers are apparently looking at building on both sides of the border at Belconnen, and it seems the only way to deliver services is to shift borders.
The ACT is set to burst out of its borders as Canberra’s hunger for residential land forces developers right over the boundary with NSW.
The administrative problems thrown up by the territory’s first cross-border suburb, proposed in West Belconnen, are so thorny that bureaucrats were told to draw up plans to simply move the border.
Canberra developers. the Riverview Group. have approached the ACT Government and Yass Valley Council with a plan to build thousands of houses on agricultural land that straddles the ACT-NSW border just outside West Belconnen.
Whilst I find this interesting, I am wondering if we really need to expand beyond the existing borders just yet. I know more housing is required, but shoving people out in the middle of nowhere doesn’t really solve anything, unless employment is there as well. Otherwise we have a repeat of Gungahlin.
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Something doesn’t add up here. How can this Riverview group ‘own’ the land in the ACT. I didn’t see the property owners in Molonglo Valley selling their paddocks – the Government just resumed it.
I guess the land in West Mac is closer to services and the refurbished Belconnen mall than other outer suburbs in Gunners and Tuggies. Otherwise people wouldn’t look at developing it.
Good luck to them I say, just hope that the blocks are bigger than the usual postage stamps
More city expansion over agricultural land. Population growth is causing so many problems, and no solutions, and yet it continues.
I read this in the Crimes while waiting for a coffee. I find it pretty interesting development proposal actually. For a lot of reasons it makes a lot of sense. It is close to many things which will reduce costs/travel times:
Close to the sewerage treatment plant (LMWQCC or Poo City);
Close-ish to Belco and the services available; and
at the end of pretty good roads.
But there seems to be some pretty big stumbling blocks too. Like it being in the Yass council area. The developers must be trying to organise for the ACT Gov’t to agree to a pretty big guarantee of cost associated or Yass isn’t going to want to go for it. While it is pretty obvious that the developers are in cahoots with the Corkhills, I am interested to know what their neighbours think about this plan.
I also love the fact that the southern edge of the yellow shaded area on their map borders the previously mentioned Poo City. While it is actually a pretty world class facility, I still wouldn’t want to live next to it. But I guess we need to put “affordable” housing somewhere.
its an interesting proposal, but I can see it becoming a problem for people who may choose to live there.
As its a cross border proposal who will provide public transport ? Deanes and ACTION do not perform revenue services across the borders (Deanes do a few pickups in Civic and Russell).
Or will it mean that two cars or more per family will be required ?
I have spoken to the owners of properties out past Parkwood on the NSW side and they already have problems getting police to attend. Its in NSW so a QBN car has to traverse Canberra – if they attend at all. There is no access to this area, by road, from the Yass side.
There is also the issue of existing business and the chook farm out in Parkwood. Will the developer pressure these business to relocate ?
Im sure that all these issues can be resolved, but they need to be addressed BEFORE the developer starts to flog new homes of the plans.
Disclaimer – Im on the Commitee of the Belconnen Community Council (hey, check out our facebook page)
I have said it before here, if I was despot, I’d shift the ACT borders out to Yass and Bungendore. Then we’d have the entire geographical, social, and economical catchment in the one municipality. And connected to the #1 highway.
Bingo – sustainable budget. Without needing massive population growth as pined after by Catherine Carter et al.
and there was I thinking this was a story about the old borders store in the Canberra Centre.
Which, now its empty, could be used to house more than a few people in need of affordable housing. They wouldn’t need kitchens, cos the food court is outside, there’s toilets down the corridor, and an onsite gym, I see it as a big win. I reckon you could get easily 25+ studio apartments in there.
No windows might make them a tad dreary, but hey, cheer up, you live in a mall!
“Otherwise we have a repeat of Gungahlin.”
Erm, hasn’t the big G followed the path of Tuggeranong, Belconnen and Woden already? Why stop now?
Gungahlin Al said :
And for the people who live out of town to AVOID living in a city? (Thankfully even your plan would leave me out of the loop) There are alot of people who dont like living in lego land!
So why do we need to stretch north of the border, when there appears to be a big chunk of land to the south-west of the yellow shaded area, which is already in the ACT. Maybe the developers should look at developing around tharwa and to the south, where there are no border problems.
About 20 years ago, a map from the ACT Government found its way into the offices of a nearby LGA. Needless to say, the brown stuff hit the fan. The ACT Government was already very unpopular with its neighbours because of some rather unpleasant individuals (at a worker level rather than a politician level), and this discovery really stirred things up.
Paul who said the ACT Government were looking at it. If you read the article, in the bit you have quoted it clearly says “Canberra developers. the Riverview Group. have approached the ACT Government and Yass Valley Council with a plan to build thousands of houses on agricultural land that straddles the ACT-NSW border just outside West Belconnen.”
Just because the government has been approached doesn’t mean it is looking at it or it is gonna happen any time soon. Sounds more like wishful thinking from the developers and maybe the owners of the land in NSW (I think the bit proposed near Macgregor/Dunlop is part of the Jaramlee estate) looking to make a quick buck.
00davist said :
You’d live on unchanged except your rates would go to ACT instead of the local
council. And so would your taxes.
Gungahlin Al said :
I’d sure enjoy the price of ACT power as apparently the special NSW power costs about double. Not so sure I’d like my rego doubling in price.
However I’d love to sell my land (unimproved value $300k) in return for. 99yr lease (or whatever you get in ACT.
I’m sure by moving the border I would be a long way ahead financially by being in ACT.
Holden Caulfield said :
Not sure about Tuggers, but I am pretty sure that there were office buildings in Belco and Woden before there was any shopping / housing and I think this is what the OP was referring to. IE that Gungahlin (and to a lesser extent Tuggers) is a dormitory community of commuters and that this new West Belco development could follow that path unless there is employment nearby.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t all ACT land still belong to the Commonwealth? (hence the 99 year lease). And the current Legislative Assembly and local government are care takers so to speak? Also wouldn’t it take an act of Parliament both Federal and State to assume more land from New South Wales.? Not some council and developers.
Hope they fix the single lane on William Hovell Drive
Chop71 said :
Is it damaged?
Most local councils are desperate for income, rates income especially, so I’m not sure how keen Yass Shire would be to lose that money. Since the stupid (stupid) aggregation exercise NSW government inflicted on NSW shires, many of them are struggling.
Gungahlin Al said :
+1
And the motor vehicle rego as well. In fact it might be cheaper to transfer vehicle over to ACT rego (it was for me).
Jivrashia said :
Not having to take a vehicle over the pits every single year is a saving in itself (safety of vehicles on our roads being a separate thing entirely).
Thoroughly Smashed said :
I would say going from 2 lanes to one lane and then back to 2 lanes is damaged….. yes, it causes a bottleneck that could be easily removed.
the CSIRO have like 50 acres right next to Evatt just sitting there growing weeds on it.
Gungahlin Al said :
For how long? Eventually the urban sprawl would hit us, move the boundary’s sure, but not that far out, bungendore & yass need some margin between them and canberra’s possibility’s.
Rawhide Kid Part3 said :
That’s my understanding as well, all land in the ACT is owned by the Commonwealth.
gazket said :
Genetically modified weeds I’m sure
EvanJames this isn’t Mumbai or Lagos we’re talking about. If developers want the ACT border extended why shouldn’t they get their wish?
farnarkler said :
Why should developers get their wish? Where’s the public benefit?
farnarkler said :
You didn’t really understand what I wrote about population growth, did you?