West Belconnen needs infrastructure before housing expansion

mrs1948 said :

Further to Genie’s comments, in actual fact the pool/gym/squash courts closed because the owner of the complex refused to maintain the building. The owner, a very wealthy woman with properties and businesses in Canberra, was leasing the complex to someone who was really trying to make the business succeed. Pigeons got into the roof of the pool area and their droppings ended up in the pool – the pool was closed by the Government, due to the health concerns. From memory, the owner still refused to do any maintenance as she wanted to pull the building down and redevelop it – the Government refused to rezone the land and the complex closed and went into further decline. Many years later the land was rezoned; the building was demolished; and apartments were built on the land.

Whilst your right the centre was shutdown due to maintenance issues, but the rot with lack of patronage set in well before the 2001 closure. The centre had its heyday in its first 10 years, read the 80’s and started to go down hill from about 1990 onwards. Maybe the lack of patronage had an impact on the level of maintenance the owner was prepared to make.

Further to Genie’s comments, in actual fact the pool/gym/squash courts closed because the owner of the complex refused to maintain the building. The owner, a very wealthy woman with properties and businesses in Canberra, was leasing the complex to someone who was really trying to make the business succeed. Pigeons got into the roof of the pool area and their droppings ended up in the pool – the pool was closed by the Government, due to the health concerns. From memory, the owner still refused to do any maintenance as she wanted to pull the building down and redevelop it – the Government refused to rezone the land and the complex closed and went into further decline. Many years later the land was rezoned; the building was demolished; and apartments were built on the land.

Up until a few years ago I lived near Kippax for 25 years. My parents even ran a family business there until they sold up shop back in 1999. My mother still lives nearby and I frequent Kippax at least once a week.

Kippax used to have a swimming pool – no one used it so they closed down and now I belive it’s either Aldi or the apartments were built on the site.

I have no issues with Aldi or Woolworths. They’re never overly busy I can always duck in and out quite quickly, I don’t see any need for another supermarket when Charnwood is just as close.

As for the doctors, until recently I was a patient at the West Belconnen Co-Op. I never waited more than a day to get an appointment, usually at Kippax. If not Charnwood was only 5 mins up the road, or a 10 minute drive to Evatt. Or you could try Florey Medical Centre (although they don’t bulk bill) or head to Belconnen to the Ginninderra Medical Centre if you don’t want to pay.

The only thing Kippax needs is better parking (seriously can the ACT government PLEASE repaint the lines and add a few more disabled spots down near Magpies) and some road improvements.

What concerns me most about the West Belconnen area is the traffic congestion on Coulter Drive. Travelling into Civic/Woden/Tuggeranong in the early morning, from the outer suburbs is an absolute nightmare. I’m retired, and when I need to go to an appointment in Woden, I need to leave very early in the morning to get there, as the traffic is very congested early in the morning. As I drive along, all I can think of is the poor people who have to travel this road EVERY day – they must get so frustrated. Now the ACT Government has announced that they want to open up the area around Ginninderra Falls for housing – I can’t imagine what that’s going to do to travel time in the morning for the poor folks who use it every day.

wildturkeycanoe said :

JC said :

Vanessa Jones said :

@gazget
The pool at Macgregor is only for learn to swim classes, it is not a publicly available pool.

An area the size of that around Kippax even with 10,000 extra people does not require a swimming pool when there is a perfectly good one in the town centre. You don’t see Weston Creek with one do you?

As for your other wish list items like supermarkets and doctors they are all privatly build facilities that will come if business deems there is demand and zoning allows it. At present what is at Kippax is sufficient even with extra growth.

Did you read the article completely? “as I understand that the medical centre at Kippax usually has a long waiting time.” This and the fact the Ginninderra bulk billed clinic has awfully long wait times means there is indeed a need for more out west. It isn’t sufficient now and will be worse after another 22,000 show up.

I did actually but it doesn’t change the fact that the ACT government does not provide GP services. They are private businesses. If business deemed there was suffice to demand to open or expand practices they would.

Ps I have lived in the area since 1978 save for 7 years through this period where I have been interstate or overseas. My GP is in the area and have no issues getting in even on same day, but then again I don’t expect my GP to be free which is what I suspect the core issue is. But again not a local government issue except for providing land and zoning to enable a practice to open.

JC said :

Vanessa Jones said :

@gazget
The pool at Macgregor is only for learn to swim classes, it is not a publicly available pool.

An area the size of that around Kippax even with 10,000 extra people does not require a swimming pool when there is a perfectly good one in the town centre. You don’t see Weston Creek with one do you?

As for your other wish list items like supermarkets and doctors they are all privatly build facilities that will come if business deems there is demand and zoning allows it. At present what is at Kippax is sufficient even with extra growth.

Did you read the article completely? “as I understand that the medical centre at Kippax usually has a long waiting time.” This and the fact the Ginninderra bulk billed clinic has awfully long wait times means there is indeed a need for more out west. It isn’t sufficient now and will be worse after another 22,000 show up.

Vanessa Jones said :

@gazget
The pool at Macgregor is only for learn to swim classes, it is not a publicly available pool.

An area the size of that around Kippax even with 10,000 extra people does not require a swimming pool when there is a perfectly good one in the town centre. You don’t see Weston Creek with one do you?

As for your other wish list items like supermarkets and doctors they are all privatly build facilities that will come if business deems there is demand and zoning allows it. At present what is at Kippax is sufficient even with extra growth.

@gazget
The pool at Macgregor is only for learn to swim classes, it is not a publicly available pool.

a pool really…..is there not a pool at Macgregor ?

West Belconnen is run down and hasn’t got too much in the way of infrastructure I don’t think a token 50m indoor pool is needed .

Just how much money did the government pour into the Canberra International Sports & Aquatic Centre?

Every time I pass that place I take off my hat and place it over my heart in memory of the dear departed Palm Trees sent to their deaths in Canberra, planted in the shade of a typically badly oriented building.