MINUTES

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WODEN VALLEY COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING

Executive Committee Meeting
Wednesday 17 April 2002, 7.30 pm
Aegean Room, Hellenic Club

MINUTES

Present: David Menzel (Chair), Mike Reddy, Dolores Holmes, Warwick Pearson, John Kain

Apologies: Anne Walls, Barry Raison, Bill O’Brien
Visitor: Jonathon

Read and accepted. Moved David/ Seconded Mike. Carried.

Funding - progress report from John Kain

John reported that he had submitted our ABN application to the Tax Office and had been in touch with Peter Brady and Diana Evans from the Chief Minister’s Department updating them on progress on this matter; the Department required us to have an ABN before it could release our 2001-02 grant funds.

Community Council Forum Report
David reported that he and Barry Raison had attended the recent Forum meeting. The main item was the implications of the current escalation in public liability insurance cover costs for community associations. Peter Matthews from the ACT Insurance Authority addressed the meeting – there was no solution in sight although the Government was looking at options such as a collective cover arrangement for associations such as WVCC. David said that ultimately the Government should indemnify us as community councillors are effectively unpaid government employees.

In the interim, the Committee agreed that it should not convene public meetings on sites around the Plaza where there are doubts about indemnification; meetings are to be restricted to within Club premises (which were indemnified by the Club and so were not a worry). Mike proposed that we write to the Chief Minister’s Department seeking advice on where they were at and to

Clarify whether we should be obtaining cover pending them resolving the problem through the proposed collective arrangement. Moved Mike. Seconded David. Carried.

Chronicle- "Council Matters"

David advised that he had reached agreement with The Chronicle publishers for WVCC to have a fortnightly column alternating with the Weston Creek Community Council.

PACTT re constitution

David advised that we were still awaiting an update of the draft constitution.

3D Model of WTC and WVCC's WTC Submission to PALM
David advised that   there was no progress to report on either matter.

Short-term parking for Corinna St
Meeting noted that Dolores is to present a draft of our submission to PALM at the next Executive Committee meeting.

WVCC web page

The meeting took note of Gungahlin CC Web Page which John had circulated by email. Jonathon had helped design this site. He could assist us but needed from us a basic framework of headings and a ‘tree structure’ around which our site could be built. We would need a ‘ frontpage’ loaded on to a PC of our own. He said that Paul Hagie was a good person to approach for assistance with the mechanics of maintaining the site.

David reported that he had received representations from concerned local residents in the Storey St area where the Cancer Council’s proposed shop and office would be sited. The Committee endorsed David’s approach that WVCC should not take a position on such a localised issue but would welcome community feedback to WVCC for on-forwarding to government.

6. WVCC Submission re Development Application for new WTC Office Block

Proposal involves Blocks 57,61 and 60; Section 8 Phillip, off Bowes Place, WTC. Mike and David observed that there was considerable opposition to this proposal from affected staff in adjoining buildings. They also expressed concern that there had been some misrepresentation by the consultants to the proponents of the development of WVCC’s representatives position on the proposal. It was also a worry that the proposal was not flagged at all in any of the WTC Master Plan public seminars in February even though the consultant was in attendance at these seminars. The WVCC submission was raising strong concerns about the loss of winter sunshine and general amenity of the Woden Town Square precinct should the project proceed in its current form.

John reported on a 27 March 2002 public meeting convened at the Hotel Statesman by the proponents of the plan, Arko Pty Ltd and led by Mr Peter Conway, a spokesman for the company. He said that the meeting had generated a large response with around 200 people present. There was almost universal opposition to the scale and intensity of the proposed complex of a new hotel, flats, structured parking and new shops, with part of the plans envisaging a seven storey building. The Committee agreed that John draft up a letter for The Canberra Times putting the WVCC view that such large scale developments are more appropriate for town centres and are inconsistent with the role of Group Centres. The letter should also express concern at this form of “developer-led planning” in the absence of Neighbourhood Plans yet being developed for Curtin. It was also felt that it was inappropriate for PALM to have participated in the meeting as it gave the proposal and the proponent’s ‘consultation process’ an air of legitimacy which it didn’t deserve.

David reported that there was no exhibition material or a second PALM Newsletter at this stage due to delays with PALM’s consultants in Melbourne and Sydney.

9. Other Business

There was further discussion on WVCC’s position on office developments in Group Centres such as Curtin and Southlands and WVCC and support for revitalising Local Shopping Centres. The Committee considered that redevelopment and revitalisation was important to ensuring their viability and that much depended on the aspirations and motivation of local traders and residents. It observed that the fortunes of local neighbourhood shopping centres varied greatly across Canberra, with some reinventing themselves very successfully while others were in a very desperate situation.

David and Mike proposed that our next Public Meeting should focus on traffic and transport issues in the Woden Valley – such as traffic signal sequencing, inconsistent main road speed limits eg Melrose Drive, WVCC support/not support 50 kph limits, signage for road users and pedestrians around WTC, cycling and pedestrian access issues, public transport.


10. Next meeting

Confirmed -   Wednesday 15 May 2002, Public Meeting Aegean Room, Hellenic Club, Phillip.