Starting a new year

Although it is not within the Hawker group centre precinct, the Committee have, after much consideration, decided to appeal a development approval on Belconnen Way, Page.  Our appeal has been made to the ACT Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal on the basis that the development would set a precedent that could result in adverse consequences for residents and for access to the Hawker Centre.

Most of you will be aware of the flat-roofed house at the corner of Petterd Street and Belconnen Way, Page, that was demolished recently.  This house comprised a residence with attached flat and the block has been treated as multi-unit, meaning it is subject to densification limits different from those applying to neighbouring single-dwelling blocks.  As a multi-unit block, it has been approved for five dwellings covering 65% of the block.  A single-dwelling block of its size of 1,075 sq.m would be permitted to have only three dwellings covering 50% of the block.

It is not obvious that there are ten of these duplexes on the 45 blocks in the Page section of Belconnen Way between Coulter Drive and the underpass to the Hawker shops, five of them around the Springvale Drive intersection.  This is because, when constructed, they were required to retain the appearance of an ordinary residential house.  The blocks in question are random suburban blocks that were not specifically designated for medium-density development as were the two-storeyed duplexes at the Cook shops, for instance.

There have been three development applications for this property, all of which are detailed on our website along with the Notice of Decision for each one (see www.friendsofhawkervillage.com/DAs/Page.  We would welcome your comments either by email or on our website.

Letter to the Editor

Bad site for bins

Susan Swift’s concerns about charity bins (Letters, January 18) are shared by Friends of Hawker Village. We, too, have expressed our concerns to Shane Rattenbury over the past two years to no effect.

The eight bins at Hawker were moved from a site where trucks had easy access, to an entirely inappropriate and less accessible site.

The bins, together with their dumped goods, now sit adjacent to a grassed area (formerly used by tradesmen to have their lunch), between two other car parks and directly opposite residences. Trucks are often either prevented from accessing the bins due to occupied parking spaces or are forced to drive onto the grass to access the bins from the other side.

The new site was apparently chosen because it offered better surveillance that would discourage dumping. The end result: we now have bins in a problematic location, while dumping continues.

Published in the Canberra Times 22 January 2016