“The policy of the government, driven by the Greens, is to build future Canberra totally within the current footprint. Madness!’, writes political columnist MICHAEL MOORE.

Ideologically driven planning in Canberra will mean the loss of the special character and amenity that is our carefully planned city. 

The policy of the government, driven by the Greens, is to build future Canberra totally within the current footprint. Madness!

The proposed North Curtin development is a case in point. The Curtin Residents Association identified that the proposed development will be “three times as dense as Singapore”. If that is not bad enough, at this stage there is also no proposal for appropriate amenities to support the development.

The government’s Our CBR website argues that they are “progressing work to deliver more than 1300 townhouses and multi-unit dwellings” in the area. It boasts that “the existing North Curtin horse paddocks will welcome the new homes, close to transport, local services and places of employment”.

The “request to share thoughts” has raised the ire of the Residents Association, who argue the proposal “is as densely populated as the most densely populated areas of Sydney, London, Amsterdam or Stockholm”. A good reason for concern. 

The reaction of some will be to resort to name calling, using terms such as  NIMBY (not in my backyard). What an easy cop out to avoid answering key planning questions! 

Since before self-government, it has invariably been residents’ groups and academics who have questioned planning decisions and worked to hold governments accountable. 

Residents’ groups do understand the broader planning concerns – but expect sensible decisions and appropriate developments that have a direct impact on them.

The development of C5 in Campbell includes a significant number of medium-rise apartments. Why were there minimal objections? The government of the time was not greedy. There is a wide green space for recreation with trees and room for families, their children and dogs. This is surrounded by the apartments with convenience shops and restaurants as part of the complex.

Proposing 1300 units for North Curtin is hardly likely to be able to facilitate this sort of development. If it was able to do so, the government planners would have provided indications instead of weasel words such as, “the future residential neighbourhood is envisioned as high-quality, sustainable and vibrant with quality public streets and spaces”.

The government has called for community feedback. The North Curtin proposal will be a test for the recently appointed planning minister, Chris Steel. Will the consultation process be genuine, or will it be the usual façade of listening and then doing what was intended in the first place.

Steel took on the role just six months ago. Will he genuinely listen? Will he require his directorate to listen properly? Will he be willing to stand up to the Greens’ ideology of no further development beyond Canberra’s current footprint and much more density throughout the city?

“The major roads in the area – Yarra Glen/Adelaide Avenue, Cotter Road and McCulloch Street – are already very busy and congested with peak-hour traffic” according to Ian Elsum, the president of Curtin Residents Association. He added “schools in the area are full” and asked, “where are the children going to go to school?”

The residents are not bloody minded. They have acknowledged that North Curtin is an appropriate place for development. However, this sort of intensive development, while it might suit developers and the Greens’ agenda, undermines the sort of amenity that’s found in suburbs such as Curtin.

The government wants to move quickly. It argues “Canberra’s population is set to grow to 500,000 by 2027” and justifies this sort of half-baked development proposal with the need to enable “the supply of new homes, particularly focused on areas close to transport and services, as well as investing in the infrastructure to support them”.

Instead of rushing ahead, the Curtin Residents Association is asking the government “to pause the current consultation, extend the time for developing draft conditions of planning, design and development. They argue that this will provide the time for developing plans that address their concerns before a second round of public consultation.

It is appropriate that nearby residents, and Canberrans in general, should expect the area to be “planned in a holistic way” and that appropriate detail be shown to allow residents to understand the impact on those who will live there along with those in the nearby suburbs.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.