The Mr Fluffy asbestos legacy continues to be a matter of great interest and concern for residents of the inner south. The Inner South Canberra Community Council will hold a public forum on 5 March 2015, at which the ACT Government Asbestos Response Taskforce and other relevant agencies will brief the community and take questions on this important issue. The forum will be held at Eastlake Football Club, 3 Oxley Street, Griffith, from 7pm.
The Land Development Agency recently released its long-awaited revised plans for the proposed residential development adjacent to the Canberra Brickworks in Yarralumla. The new plans are far superior to those released in 2014, reflecting the significant community consultation that has occurred since then.
To enable you to learn more about what this means for Yarralumla, Deakin and the inner south generally, the Yarralumla Residents Association will be hosting a community meeting to review the proposal. It will be held at 2pm, 14 March 2015 at Yarralumla Primary School Hall.
The ISCCC is watching with interest the community debate about the fate of the old public housing units in Northbourne Avenue. We support the heritage listing of these important reminders of Canberra’s social history, which hopefully set a precedent for the retention of other heritage assets in other parts of the city, including the inner south.
We were disappointed with the Government’s failure to consult community groups about the Planning and Development (Capital Metro) Legislation Amendment Bill, which recently passed through the ACT Assembly. This legislation gives the Government unprecedented power to fast-track planning approvals for light-rail infrastructure at the expense of due process.
Should the light rail come to the inner south, the Government will be able to effect substantial changes to key heritage areas without the proper scrutiny we have every right to expect. We will be monitoring the impact of these retrograde reforms very carefully.
Gary Kent, Chair