28 May 2019

DA lodged for Yarralumla Brickworks estate access road

| Ian Bushnell
Join the conversation
8
Yarralumla Brickworks access road

Aerial image of the Yarralumla Brickworks access road: Supplied.

The ACT Government is moving ahead with providing an access road to DOMA Group’s Yarralumla Brickworks residential development, with Transport Canberra and City Services lodging a development application.

TCCS is planning a new 130-metre access road from a new roundabout on Dudley Street, near the Cotter Road lights, to provide an entry to the proposed Canberra Brickworks Precinct development site.

The project will also include formalising the crossing of the recreational Uriarra Track, off-road shared paths, a median, shared trench for service utilities, streetlights, signage and landscaping.

Dudley Street also needs upgrading but that work comes under the National Capital Authority, which is assessing a separate Works Approval application submitted in February. Consultation closed in April.

The entire project is estimated to cost $7.7 million, with the portion on national land amounting to $5.3 million and the ACT section, the subject of this DA, $2.4 million. It will take 12 months to complete.

The new road is part of the sale and development deal with DOMA, which in 2017 won the right to develop the 16-hectare site and plans to build about 380 dwellings and repurpose the historic brickworks.

About nine protected trees will make way for the road and the area is home to a critically endangered species; the golden sun moth, and a threatened ecological community; natural temperate grassland, but the project does not require an Environmental Impact Statement after Environment Minister Mick Gentleman, who is also the Planning and Land Management Minister, granted an exemption in April.

The traffic report says Dudley Street, as a major collector road, will need to be widened to 10 metres and have kerbing, as well as bus stops, cycle lanes and paths.

A digitally altered photo from the DA showing what the project will look like when completed. Image: Supplied.

It already carries 8100 vehicles per day, according to a 2017 study, and the new estate is likely to generate 3000 additional vehicles per day when fully developed.

About 80 per cent of this new traffic or 2400 vehicles per day would access the estate via Dudley Street, Cotter Road or Novar Street. Even more traffic is expected from further development and growth in Yarralumla, Deakin and Molonglo.

A pine log fence is proposed to stop cars crossing the verge to access the Yarralumla Uniting Church from Dudley Street.

The traffic report says Dudley Street would remain open to traffic at all times with lane switchovers and diversions in place as part of a Construction Traffic Management Plan, that will also ensure Cotter Road is not disrupted by nearby works.

The project involves a number of shared paths including one 2.5 metres wide on the eastern side of the new access road to the roundabout and continuing along the northern verge of Dudley Street connecting to the shared path at Novar Street.

A 1.5-metre-wide shared path on the western verge of the access road would continue past the roundabout on the southern verge of Dudley Street to the bus stop, connecting with the existing on-road cycle lanes on Cotter Road.

An off-road shared path along Denman Street is to be provided as part of the Canberra Brickworks Precinct development works, connecting with the off-road system in Kintore Crescent.

The Uriarra Track crossing has been moved closer to the Canberra Brickworks Precinct development and would include a pedestrian refuge.

Join the conversation

8
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

I thought it worthwhile repeating our comments from 2018

The YRA believes a number of issues need to be addressed before this project or a modified version thereof can proceed.
Read our full submission at:
http://www.yarralumlaresidents.org.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/YRA-CBP-Access-Road-Dudley-Street-Upgrade-Submission-October-2018.pdf

The proposed Dudley Street upgrade is a short-term traffic measure. The real issue is that, to manage the new, heavier traffic from Molongolo – and the Brickworks development, we need a Mint Interchange. If the Mint Interchange is fast tracked, we won’t need a Dudley Street upgrade.
The dangerous issue is the congested roundabout at Dudley Street and Novar Street. The proposed Dudley Street upgrade does nothing to solve this.
[AECOM was commissioned by the ACT Government and issued a Concept Design Report for the Novar Street/Kent Street intersection in November 2017. The report has not been made public and fixing up the congestion is not part of the aim of the current DA.]
With this upgrade, we lose two critically endangered species – the natural temperate grasslands and the Golden Sun Moth. The idea is to spend money on the North Mitchell Grasslands as an alternative habitat – but the North Mitchell Grasslands is contaminated, and has a poor history of managing the Golden Sun Moth and natural temperate grasslands, so this is hardly ‘conservation’.
People love walking and cycling along the Uriarra Track. Why can’t we have a safe crossing for them where the Uriarra Track meets the Brickworks Access Road?
The commissioned traffic studies for this project use data very selectively: people living locally know exactly how the traffic flows and the routes that drivers will use. The National Capital Authority needs to take a much closer look at the traffic flows

Another Golden Sun Moth reserve gone (the Barton one has been removed recently by the Feds). I bet the offset area – IF required at all – is useless. Hope it is not the offset area dumping ground at Hall.

Good on you mick.
Now Sighn off that awesome plane tree holding up the development of Manuka cinemas.
No moths no grasslands no nothing.
Just a abomination of a building.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.