St Andrews Village

The ACT is in urgent need of an increase in the number of aged care beds. The Woden Valley Community Council recognises that this as the single most important issue for many older people in the territory. However we also recognise the broader community concerns that judicious land use planning should not, and need not, be compromised to achieve quick-fix siting solutions for proposed aged care facility developments.

The Council has been receiving community feedback on two proposed aged care facilities in the Woden Valley district. One of these involves a major land grant by the ACT Government involving land in Hughes bordering Yarra Glen which is presently designated “Open Space” under the Territory Plan. In contrast, the second is being proposed appropriately on land in Garran designated for “Community Use” which has been purchased from the government by the service providers.

The Hughes proposal would see a further extension of the St Andrew's Village into the Yarra Glen ‘green belt’. The project’s supporters can rightly claim that it is serving a worthy purpose. But the question remains, why isn’t such a facility being constructed on Community Use land rather than further depleting Woden’s stock of Open Space land? And why should such community assets be given away to the benefit of a select few at no charge? At the very least, Open Space land should not be converted to a private lease without overwhelming community support. Then if it were agreed that the lease be transferred to the developers, they should pay for the grant of open space land as they intend making money out of it.

There is a role for government in providing financial support for such developments. But in the interests of transparency and fairness, this should take the form of direct financial payments on a non-discriminatory basis. To compromise Canberra’s urban amenity and planning system by giving away Open Space land to selected aged care facility developers is not in the public interest.

John Kain

Secretary