Chris Wallace: Contrary to popular belief, there is already plenty of land zoned for community use. Photo: Supplied.
New research has identified over 960 hectares of under-utilised land in Canberra that could be used for community facilities such as childcare centres, cultural hubs, theatres and playing fields.
A report by the Centre For A Better Canberra at the University of Canberra (UC) has cast the spotlight on the ACT’s community facility zoned land, which is set aside by government for non-commercial use by community groups.
While this type of land is considered scarce in Canberra, there’s a lot of it out there that isn’t being used to its potential, says Professor Chris Wallace, the academic director of the centre.
“It’s not uncommon to see a large block of land that’s a bit overgrown with one small building on it and a car park, maybe an old church, that’s not being properly used,” she said.
“If that land can be shared out to other community groups, it would be a win all-round.
“There’s about 980 hectares of land that’s already allocated to existing community groups that’s not being used or under-utilised … if we developed just 50 per cent of the footprint of each block, it would unlock an area the size of O’Connor for community use.”
Professor Wallace is concerned about the lack of genuine community spaces in Canberra.
“If you’re young, virtually the only social space left is the mall and the Internet, and if you’re old, it’s just the mall … we need we need to find spaces for people to interact without having to fork out $5 for a cappuccino,” she said.
“There are massive forces for commercialisation and privatisation everywhere. The number of community spaces will disappear unless we understand the value of the land.”
Contrary to popular belief, there is already plenty of land zoned for community use, Professor Wallace said.
“It’s an invisible issue. We had no idea where we were doing this research that all the land that’s under-utilised would add up to such a big area,” she said
“You see so many blocks where there’s an old church where 95 per cent of the land is under-utilised… yet you might have a new community who needs a space for a temple but can’t get it because this type of land is so scarce.
“A problem we have is there is no mechanism for bringing these two types of groups together – those who already have land that they’re under-utilising with those who need land for community use,
“There is a role for government in bringing parties together in a persuasive and creative way.”
The centre identified key recommendations to better utilise community land, such as the ACT public service playing an active role in facilitating partnerships between leaseholders and not-for-profits and reviewing tax settings and incentives around land.
Practical examples of what could happen might be converting a long-derelict building in Ainslie into a ‘community front room’ and establishing a ‘social mixed-use precinct’ at the Salvation Army site in Braddon.
“Through adjustments to policy settings, [a number of] lands could host new and better facilities and cater to a broader range of users,” Professor Wallace said.
The full report, Thriving Canberra 2024: Better and Fairer Utilisation of Community Facility Zoned (CFZ) Land in Canberra, is available from the University of Canberra.
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