28 October 2019

Yass Council backs Parkwood border development with rezoning decision

| Ian Bushnell
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Parkwood development

The proposed Parkwood development on the NSW side of the border, from the masterplan.

Yass Valley Shire Council has backed the proposed Parkwood residential development on the border with the ACT, recommending at its October meeting that rezoning of the land be approved.

Parkwood is the NSW component of Riverview Developments’ proposed Ginninderry cross-border development being delivered in conjunction with the ACT Government, and will eventually hold 5000 dwellings.

The 600-hectare Parkwood site includes 213 hectares being set aside within a Conservation Corridor adjacent to the Murrumbidgee River and Ginninderra Creek, downstream from the Ginninderra Falls.

The Council says will be rezoned from RU1 Primary Production and E3 Environmental Management to R1 General Residential, E2 Environmental Conservation and E3 Environmental Management, subject to state planning approval.

Yass Valley Council General Manager Chris Berry said that Council had undertaken a significant amount of work on cross-border service delivery and governance in relation to the ‘large and complex’ proposal.

“This was a decision that required a large degree of input and cooperation between local, state and territory governments,” he said.

“Comprehensive Aboriginal, ecological, bushfire, flooding and land and water assessments were undertaken over a period of five years, the final area available for urban development is based on extremely strong evidence,” Mr Berry said.

Ginninderry Master Plan

During the community consultation process, a petition with 140 signatures, as well as 54 separate submissions and 12 postcards were received. Variations have been recommended in response to the issues raised by the community and state agencies.

The first subdivision in Parkwood (NSW) is not expected to occur until 2032, with the project continuing for 35 to 40 years.

Council’s recommendation for the Parkwood rezoning to be approved will now go to the NSW Department of Planning, Industry & Environment Department for review and finalisation.

Ginninderry will extend across the ACT/NSW border to the west of Belconnen and is being developed by the ACT Government in a joint venture with the Corkhill family’s Riverview Developments Pty Ltd. The community will eventually have around 11,500 homes, of which 6500 will be in the ACT.

ACT Housing Minister Yvette Berry officially opened the 16-site Ginninderry Display Village on Friday.

The GX-Ginninderry Experience will showcase 16 homes, sustainability initiatives, a local arts trail, turf and environmental controls and the ‘Mini-G’ tiny house.

The first suburb within Ginninderry, Strathnairn, is set to have about 1500 dwellings with a mix of larger blocks for families and compact, easy to maintain blocks and dwellings for those wanting a smaller scale lifestyle.

Planned facilities for Strathnairn include new school, shops and new community infrastructure, such as halls, childcare centres and medical centres.

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George Watling12:22 pm 28 Jul 20

As long the design is not miro blocks and nature strips with massive-houses, narrow roads, no space for gardens and shade trees like you find in the Molonglo. In those types of developments buyers find themselves paying more for less and stuck with a lack of privacy, unbelievable surface temperatures in summer , higher air conditioning costs, high levels of noise and light pollution, and congestion on their roads.

The chances of that are zero. Not just here but in the vast majority of new developments in all the capital cities and many larger regional cities.

Hopefully, Parkwood can have its own aesthetic instead of being a colonialist style extension of the ACT into NSW.

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