Riverview Developments is a Corkhill family business. Specialising in property development, the company aims to create communities of modern commerce and living that are at the forefront of international design and sustainability. Riverview provides various equity investment, development management and project management services under the leadership of Directors David Maxwell and Tom Corkhill.

Riverview Projects (ACT) Pty Ltd and Riverview Sales and Marketing Pty Ltd are also Corkhill family businesses, providing development management and realty services for the Ginninderry Joint Venture.

The Corkhill family settled in Canberra in 1880 and has a long history of farming and engagement in the Canberra region. The Corkhill family owns much of the NSW land that is part of the NSW component of Ginninderry.

Visit the Riverview website for more information: https://riverviewgroup.com.au/

The Suburban Land Agency (SLA) was established as a statutory authority under the City Renewal Authority and Suburban Land Agency Act 2017 (CRASLA Act). The SLA commenced on 1 July 2017.

As a statutory authority within the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (EPSDD) portfolio, the SLA is responsible for delivering people-focused neighbourhoods on behalf of the ACT Government.

The Ginninderry project will provide a sustainable way to manage the growing population in the region. The development will build on and enhance existing infrastructure. It will lead to improvements of roads and the revitalisation of shopping centres and schools and be a catalyst for growth and employment. It will effectively ‘complete’ Belconnen.

The Ginninderry project is also important because it will help ensure demand for housing can be met and provide for housing diversity and options for affordable housing that may not otherwise be available in existing suburbs.

Research undertaken by the University of Canberra revealed that there is total regional demand (ACT and surrounding six local government areas) for 131,554 new dwellings between 2011 and 2041, or an average of 4385 new dwellings per year. Approximately 100,000 of these (3,300 per annum) will be in the ACT.

The ACT Government has promoted a housing policy stimulating urban renewal where appropriate and sustainable. The Government is committed to delivering up to 70% of new housing within our existing urban footprint, with the balance of 30% being in greenfield estates. Available greenfield development fronts in the ACT are Gungahlin, Molonglo Valley and Ginninderry. These estates will need to accommodate 30% of ACT demand between them.

The ACT Government determines the timeline for development through the Indicative Land Release Program: https://www.planning.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1870422/2021-22-TO-2025-26-Indicative-Land-Release-Program_FA2_access.pdf

Construction of The Link, Ginninderry’s community and information centre, was completed in March 2017. Construction of the first blocks of land commenced on Stockdill Drive (the eastern boundary of the site) in April 2018 and will extend westward in stages. The ultimate duration of the project will vary based on a range of factors, including the timing of approvals and demand for housing. Still, we currently anticipate the overall development duration to be 30 years, with an estimated completion of 2050.

1. Market Centre – the hub of economic and social activity, this precinct will be the interface between the residential activities. It will include a town square and multi-functional spaces and places designed to be an active and vibrant area. Multi-storey apartment buildings of 6 storeys or more will be located in the Market Centre precinct (subject to further planning approvals).
2. Urban Village – located near the Market Centre and bus routes. It will typically be mixed-use, high-density residential and will include compatible non-residential uses such as cafes and restaurants, health services, education, etc. Building types will consist of apartments, terrace homes, mews, and single dwellings. Heights will range from one to six storeys. Urban village precincts will include pocket parks, playgrounds, and other community meeting places.
3. Village Link – generally adjoins or is near Urban Village precincts and/or bus routes. It will provide urban living opportunities but usually at a lower density to the Urban Village. It will provide opportunities for modest detached homes (cottages) on compact lots, as well as townhouses and sections of semi-detached and attached houses commonly referred to as semis or terraces. The higher density housing in this precinct will usually be adjacent to an area of parkland or other high-value urban amenity at one storey to four storeys in height. Pocket parks and playgrounds will be included in this precinct.
4. Traditional – adjoining the Village Link, this precinct will provide a more traditional suburban lifestyle characterised by detached one and two storey homes on larger blocks, generally on more undulating land. Distinct small sub-precincts of Village Link type dwellings may be located in this precinct, but only where the land is reasonably flat and where the dwellings are immediately adjacent to open space and other urban amenities.
5. Conservation Edge – having a direct interface with the Conservation Corridor, Conservation Edge precincts will have more informal streets, building materials and colour pallets to complement the natural elements of the corridor. Roads fronting the Corridor will be one-sided and integrated with pedestrian, cycle and potentially equestrian trails.

There is currently no formal agreement to move the border. Rezoning of the NSW Land has been approved by the NSW Government by way of the Yass Valley Local Environmental Plan (Parkwood) 2020 being gazetted and published on 17 July 2020.

Should the border remain as it is, Governance and service levels agreements will be developed under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Regional Collaboration through the Parkwood Urban Release Area Governance Framework – an agreement between the ACT Government and NSW Government.

Infrastructure requirements have been calculated based on the combined population of the NSW and ACT components of Ginninderry, which will be approximately 30,000 people when the development is complete.

There are a range of options currently being investigated and considered for delivering services into this area. Given the eventual size of the population, all services could be delivered by Yass Valley Council, the NSW Government, and the private and non-government sectors. Alternatively, services could be delivered by the ACT Government, the private sector and non-government organisations. In some cases, e.g. policing, there are opportunities for innovations. The Yass Valley Council will be the ultimate decision-maker on service-delivery issues.

There are a range of mechanisms to fund services depending on what the service is. For municipal or local government services, these are typically funded through rates. Many ‘state’ level or higher order services such as health and education can be funded via the Grants Commission processes for allocations to states and territories. Other services such as water and childcare are user pays funded.

Detailed heritage assessment has been conducted over the entire site. Matters of European Heritage have been found, many related to the boundary of Charles Sturt’s 1837 land grant, the ACT border alignment, and parts of Parkwood Road.

Heritage items will be incorporated where feasible in the design of the project site. Parkwood Road, for example, will become the principal “main street” of the development. The Sturt Property Boundary is recognised with road and open space alignments, as is the alignment of the road to Parkwood Farm. The house and stockyards will be further investigated.

The Belconnen Farm Precinct (an area of approximately 7.4ha) has been included on the ACT Heritage registers, and steps are being taken to regenerate the site as a separate land parcel. Ultimately it will be an integral part of the urban development with potential to provide for a range of community-based activities in keeping with its overarching heritage significance. A heritage conservation plan has been prepared and approved.

The Belconnen Farm heritage precinct has been included on the ACT heritage register and steps are now being taken to create the site as a separate land parcel. Ultimately it will be an integral component of the urban development with potential to provide for a range of community-based activities in keeping with its overarching heritage significance.

Strathnairn will remain as an art centre and will benefit from the development at Ginninderry through the addition of extra facilities. A multipurpose facility has been developed at Strathnairn that provides spaces for community use as well as house a temporary sales office. The facility will eventually become a permanent community facility.

The development does not propose to change the use of Ginninderry Homestead.

The conservation corridor encompasses habitat areas for the endangered Pink Tail Worm Lizard and Yellow Box Red Gum woodland. The corridor adjoins both the Murrumbidgee River and Ginninderra Creek and includes a total area of 596ha across ACT and NSW.

The corridor includes about 6km of Murrumbidgee River frontage and the length of the Ginninderra Creek from the suburb of West Macgregor to its confluence with the Murrumbidgee – including the Ginninderra Falls and Gorge.

The creation of this reserve means that the Ginninderra Creek corridor, which commences at Mulligans Flat in Gungahlin and extends through Gungahlin and Belconnen, is now linked to the Murrumbidgee River, which in turn connects to the Molonglo and upstream Murrumbidgee corridors.

The Ginninderry Conservation Corridor is managed as a single unit (ACT and NSW components), which is logical given that it is essentially a single landscape unit. The Ginninderry Conservation Trust is an independently funded community trust. The Ginninderry Conservation Trust Board includes community and relevant Government agency representatives. This arrangement is an alternative to the ‘business as usual’ approach where the relevant ACT Government agencies would be directly responsible for the management of the ACT component of the Corridor, with a specialist trust being responsible for the NSW component.

For more information about the Trust, visit https://www.ginninderry.org/

The landscape and open space strategy prepared for Ginninderry proposes access and track facilities that will allow general recreation access to the corridor for picnicking, walking, bike riding and the like.

Extensive research over five years was undertaken into the potential impacts of the development on local flora and fauna. Note was taken of the likelihood of threatened and other significant species as listed in NSW and/or the ACT. The findings are as follows:

Yellow Box Red Gum woodland

This is listed as an endangered ecological community under the EPBC and the Nature Conservation Act (ACT) and in NSW. The area of this community that meets the minimum criteria in both jurisdictions is 70.7ha. This includes 11.7ha inside and 59ha outside the pre-existing definition of the river corridor. The woodland is almost completely adjacent to the river corridor and the habitat of the Pink-tailed Worm-lizard. The entire area identified as woodland with minor boundary adjustments to facilitate land management is proposed for inclusion in the conservation corridor.

The woodland is relatively degraded, and the conservation corridor management plan will include provisions for rehabilitation.

Pink-tailed Worm-lizard

The Pink-tailed Worm-lizard (Aprasia parapulchella) is listed as vulnerable to extinction under the EPBC and the Nature Conservation Act (ACT) and endangered in NSW. Most of the larger rock outcrops in the western section of the project area and within the pre-existing river corridor contain the Pink-tailed Worm-lizard. Small, isolated rock outcrop habitat located in pasture improved paddocks do not support the Lizard.

The conservation corridor has a total of 596ha across ACT and NSW, of which 128.6ha or 35% of the ACT component is lizard habitat, the great bulk of which is rated as high quality. 16.1ha of the NSW component has been identified as lizard habitat.

Little Eagle

The Little Eagle is a species native to Australia that utilises a wide variety of habitats, including open woodland, grassland, urban areas, and arid regions. It is listed as vulnerable under the ACT Nature Conservation Act 1980 and a vulnerable species in NSW. The species is not listed under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

In 2016, there was evidence of a breeding pair in the vicinity of Ginninderry’s first suburb, Strathnairn. Ultimately, the pair abandoned the nest and moved to a new nest nearby (approximately 2.5km to the east). Their nest subsequently deteriorated and was then destroyed by the 2019 and 2020 storms. A research group led by the ACT Government Conservation Research Unit in partnership with the ANU, University of Canberra, CSIRO and Ginninderry provided research results to the Conservator of Fauna and Flora, who has concluded that future development in the Clearance Zone will not have any significant impact on the conservation of the Little Eagle. Ginninderry will continue working with the ACT Government, Universities, CSIRO, and Ginninderry Conservation Trust to conserve flora and fauna in the immediate and surrounding area.

Aquatic species

The Murrumbidgee River directly below the project area is habitat for the threatened Murray Cod, Macquarie Perch and Murray Crayfish. It may also be habitat of the Trout Cod and Silver Perch. Care will need to be taken to ensure that unsustainable recreational fishing and adverse changes in water quality do not result from the development.

Fishing and other recreational pressures can also directly impact non-target species such as the platypus or degrade the general riparian habitat. Protection of riparian habitats will be an important consideration of management planning within the riparian corridor.

Water sensitive urban design principles, including the need to ensure that discharge (e.g. stormwater runoff) is managed and, wherever possible, mimics pre-development hydrology of the site, have been considered during the master planning of the development. More investigations will be undertaken at the detailed design phase of each estate development plan.

The approved rezoning of Ginninderry offers an opportunity for Ginninderra Falls to be reopened to the public. The Ginninderry Joint Venture does not currently control the land adjoining Ginninderra Falls. Considerable work will be required to ensure safe access ways (pathways) and lookout infrastructure as well as car parks and commercial facilities such as a visitor centre and café.

Since 2010, Eco Logical Australia has provided expert bushfire advice to our team. They have ensured that our bushfire management plan has met the satisfaction of the ACT and NSW emergency services; the concurrence of these agencies is a necessary pre-condition for rezoning in both NSW and the ACT. We will continue to ensure that our project not only meets but surpasses standards for bushfire protection.

Because of their location in the environmental buffer zone near Parkwood Eggs, some of the horse agistment paddocks will not be developed for at least 10 – 20 years. In anticipation of the future need to find suitable alternative paddocks in the local region, the project is assisting the ACT Government (TCCS) to investigate new site options for horse agistment.

In the interim, the ACT Government (TCCS) is undertaking a strategic review of horse agistment across the ACT. This strategic review will resolve the long-term future of horse agistment in the ACT and at Belconnen.

Ginninderry has been awarded a Six Star Green Star – Communities rating by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). Representing World Leadership, Ginninderry was originally certified in August 2016 and recertified to the same standard in 2021. This is the highest rating possible under this program and is a first for any community in the ACT and capital region. The Green Star – Communities rating tool is an independent, transparent, and holistic rating that assesses the planning, design and construction of a community across five key categories. These categories include governance, liveability, economic prosperity, environment, and innovation. An internationally recognised certification, this demonstrates world excellence in sustainability and is a testament to the liveable, environmental, and people-centric development of Ginninderry.

As part of the energy efficiency, site management, energy package and sustainability vision for Ginninderry, several requirements around electrical and water appliances have been mandated. These inclusions will help residents save money on their home’s ongoing energy and water costs and make your home a more liveable place.

All homes at Ginninderry are required to comply with the Ginninderry Housing Development Requirements that include requirements for the provision of energy-efficient appliances, rooftop solar and demand management systems. We are continuing to investigate options for further improving energy efficiency at Ginninderry.

We have examined a range of options related to water use at Ginninderry. Ranging from base compliance with the ACT Water Sensitive Urban Design Code all the way through to stretch targets towards water neutrality.

Our investigations have focussed on:

• minimising potable water demand and wastewater discharges into the Murrumbidgee River
• mimicking pre-development hydrology of the site to protect the ephemeral creek lines
• possible use of stormwater as an alternative water source
• using the landscape for stormwater treatment, maintaining soil and vegetation health and contributing to more liveable urban environments
• reducing and managing pollution to waterways and repairing riparian corridors.

The current proposal for the first neighbourhood of Strathnairn is to irrigate most open space areas with recycled stormwater to achieve beneficial water cycle outcomes and help protect the Murrumbidgee River Corridor from additional Urban Excess flows.

The project has also established a research partnership with the University of Canberra Centre for Applied Water Science to monitor and measure the effectiveness of water quality control measures.

Ginninderry has been looking into the issue of waste management in terms of both construction waste and household waste.

The project partners with Rowles Site Solution (RSS) to provide a centralised construction waste management service for construction waste. RSS will be providing free waste management services for approximately 100 homes in the second stage of the development, and subject to successful delivery the project may seek to extend this initiative for future stages of the development to manage construction waste more sustainably with an aim to achieve landfill diversion rates of over 80%. Investigations into a centralised recycling facility as a long-term solution to repurposing all building waste are ongoing.

The standard recycling services (paper, plastic, aluminium etc.) provided by the ACT Government are also available. All Ginninderry residents can also register for the ACT Government’s Green waste bin program. Visit: https://www.cityservices.act.gov.au/recycling-and-waste/collection/green-waste-bin-program

Southern Cross Drive and Drake Brockman Drive are the two main entrance and exit points. In addition, it is proposed to extend Ginninderra Drive into the development.

It is anticipated that Ginninderra Drive will be extended into the Ginninderry project area. This will ensure better access to Charnwood and beyond to east Belconnen, Gungahlin and Civic. One of the key advantages of good access to Charnwood is reduced travel times from the emergency services centre in Charnwood to new housing and services in Ginninderry.

Ginninderry is being planned as a place where residents have good public transport options and less reliance on driving cars.

To ensure that patterns of public transport use are established early and to provide residents with suitable transport options from the outset, the project purchased 2 shuttle buses that are driven by Transport Canberra bus drivers and connect into the Transport Canberra bus network. The 2 buses operate on a 15-minute loop in peak times between Ginninderry and Kippax-bus interchange and outside peak time on a 30-minute loop to mimic what is expected of the ultimate Transport Canberra bus service.

A copy of the timetable can be found here: https://www.transport.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/1485116/19468_TC_A4_tt_903-Gin-timetable.pdf

It is anticipated that a full-size Transport Canberra bus will not be feasible until the population of Ginninderry exceeds 2,000 people (885 residents as of March 2022).

An active transport plan has been prepared to provide a basis for future detailed planning. The proposed active transport movement network combines shared off-road and segregated on-road cycling lanes, combined with a permeable pedestrian network (lots of short links, numerous intersections, and minimal dead-ends). Secondary routes will be based on a street-by-street design.

Some of the features of Ginninderry’s plan to encourage recreational active transport and commuting by active forms of transport include:

• Creation of stimulating and attractive routes
• Linking walking and cycling routes to local destinations, such as employment and retail centres, schools, parks, residential areas, and public transport stops via the most direct and convenient routes possible.
• Provision of cycle parking at key destinations.
• High-quality lighting along routes where night use is expected.
• Provision of clear, legible and safe connections using signage, landscaping, lighting and active edge treatments.
• Shade and shelter at rest stops.
• Footpaths on both sides of the street.
• Reduced vehicle speeds in residential areas, shopping streets and around schools.

The introduction of development to the west of Belconnen will result in increased traffic on the three arterial roads that serve the area: Southern Cross Drive, Drake Brockman Drive and Ginninderra Drive.

In addition to traffic modelling, the noise impacts on all residential dwellings near the arterial roads have been assessed for various levels of development, including full development (nominally, 2041). In the cases of Ginninderra Drive and Drake Brockman Drive, the research has found that the predicted noise levels are either within current ACT Government planning criteria or that appropriate mitigation to achieve this is readily possible and recommended for implementation.

The timescale of the development, which will extend over a period of up to 30 years, means that traffic volume growth, and consequent noise impacts, will occur over a long period.

Ginninderry’s 2014 master plan identified three proposed stages of improvements for the DBD road corridor.

1. Completed in 2019, this consisted of local area traffic management and active travel improvements, including marked cycle lanes through intersections and new pedestrian refuge crossings.
2. Earmarked for completion between 2025 and 2026, upgrades will occur between Pro Hart Avenue and Macnaughton Street. The upgrades will include: three (3) new signalised intersections at Spofforth Street, Trickett Street and Macnaughton Street; a new service road to access properties fronting DBD; improved pedestrian and cycle facilities; and a widened road corridor to accommodate the future duplication of DBD.
3. Earmarked for completion post-2031, this includes full duplication of DBD between Pro Hart Avenue and Kingsford Smith Drive.

Once Stage 3 works are complete, DBD will consist of:

• Two traffic lanes in each direction with up to three lanes at certain points to accommodate turn lanes at intersections;
• Upgrades to the northern verge, including on-road cycle lanes, off-road cycle path and a pedestrian path;
• Upgrades to the southern verge, including on-road cycle lanes, off-road recreation path alongside the existing equestrian trail;
• Service road for property access on the north side of the corridor;
• Landscaped central median;
• Three new signalised intersections and four new priority-controlled intersections;
• Improved bus stops.

Yes. The DBD upgrades will include new on-road cycle lanes and off-road cycle and pedestrian paths.

The Ginninderry Joint Venture works closely with ACT Government’s Transport Canberra and City Services and will coordinate works to minimise impacts on the local community where the projects interact. Ginninderry will provide regular communication to the community to ensure everyone is informed.

For more information on WHD works, click the link following: https://www.cityservices.act.gov.au/Infrastructure-Projects/woden-weston-creek-and-molonglo/william-hovell-duplication

Ginninderry facilitates a working group with Drake Brockman Drive Residents, which everyone is welcome to join. This group meets regularly to receive updates on DBD and Ginninderry more broadly. In addition, the community will be able to participate in the formal consultation activities that will form part of the Development Application process for each of the road upgrades.

The ACT Government has provision for Childcare and Early Education facilities in Ginninderry’s first school located in Strathnairn (see above). The school is expected to be ready for school year 2025. In the interim, there is a range of existing childcare facilities in the West Belconnen area, which include:

• Holt – Kingsford Smith School Age Care Program YMCA Early Learning Centre
• Latham – Latham Primary School Year-Round Care Centre
• Macgregor – Macgregor Outside School Hours Care

Residents have public transport with a shuttle bus doing drop-offs to Kingsford Smith School and Kippax Fair Terminal.

Up to seven GP Medical centres are likely to be required in the development.

In the first years of the development, Kippax is likely to benefit from food and grocery spending by new residents from Ginninderry.

As the new development grows, a new market centre will be developed on Parkwood Road. By 2050, when the development is complete, the market centre would include a full-line supermarket of around 3,500m2 and a second smaller supermarket of approximately 1,500m2, 650m2 mini-major and approximately 2,700m2 specialty floorspace.

Specialty floorspace would comprise a mix of:

• Food retail (e.g. delicatessen, butcher, bakery)
• Food catering (e.g. café / takeaway)
• General retail (e.g. pharmacy, florist)
• Retail services (e.g. optometrist)

The market centre could also include a range of non-retail specialty uses such as banks, insurance and real estate offices, post office, bar/hotel, and small office suites.

The future population of Ginninderry, estimated to be about 30,000 on completion, will be large enough to sustain a range of local neighbourhood facilities and potentially some higher-order facilities which will also serve the existing West Belconnen population. These facilities include:

• retail and commercial services such as banks
• spaces for informal meeting and gathering, such as cafes
• indoor spaces for community activities, programs and services such as community halls
• medical services such as GP’s
• childcare and some family support services
• pre-schools, several primary schools and a high school
• local leisure and entertainment facilities, such as restaurants
• places of worship.
• sporting and recreation facilities
• larger areas of open space for active and passive recreation.

Civil infrastructure will be provided and funded in the normal way by the developers (namely the Joint Venture between the ACT Government and Riverview Developments), along with the other NSW landowners in NSW.

Facilities and services will be funded by various means depending on the service. For example, user-pays charges will apply for services such as water. Garbage collection will be funded through rates; the Government will fund public schools, while the provider will fund private childcare facilities.

The SPARK Training and Employment initiative aims to improve the education, social and economic outcomes of residents in the local area over the life of the Ginninderry development.

It is a unique training and employment initiative that will use infrastructure works and commercial land sales to generate economic opportunities for local people.

1. Procurement – Social inclusion clauses will be written into all Ginninderry contracts for capital works and commercial land sales. These clauses oblige contracts to provide work experience and/or new paid employment positions for residents in the local area. These positions are in addition to the contractor’s existing workforces.
2. Engagement, Training and Employment programs – Programs are facilitated in partnership with Non-Government Organisations and Registered Training Organisations to deliver initiatives targeted towards key disadvantaged groups (youth, aboriginal, mature aged, long term unemployed and culturally and linguistically diverse) disconnected from the labour market. Initiatives will enable these cohorts to take the next steps from engagement to training and employment. This includes traineeships and apprenticeships.
3. Live Training Sites – Utilisation of infrastructure works and other smaller-scale projects with local stakeholders which deliver vital “hands-on” skills which enable participants to connect to accredited and non-accredited vocational pathways.

The Ginninderry Joint Venture has employed a full-time resource to deliver the initiative. The Head of Community, Training and Employment is responsible for maintaining the high level of community endorsement the project has achieved to date and for planning, management and implementation of the program.

Find out more: https://ginninderry.com/spark-training-and-employment/

Studies have been undertaken to access the potential tourism opportunities within the project, including an assessment of current tourism and supporting infrastructure assets.

It is envisaged that ultimately Ginninderry will be a very special part of the ACT, a location that draws residents and visitors to the National Capital seeking to enjoy its many features and attractions. Its natural beauty and modern infrastructure will be a magnet for those seeking a quality nature-based dining or adventure experience.

Plans for education, eco and indigenous tourism experiences will allow visitors to explore and understand both the indigenous stories and the nature experiences of the precinct.

The Territory Plan currently requires clearance zone (or “buffer”) around the landfill waste boundaries, where development of any kind is not permitted. The clearance zones will remain in place until such time that a reduction or removal has been certified by an independent environmental auditor and the ACT Environment Protection Authority.

The Precinct and the adjoining land (within any Environmental Clearance Zone) will be required to meet the highest level of ongoing scrutiny and risk assessment processes by the Office of the Environment Protection Authority and other departments within the ACT Government and will be subject to ongoing oversight, review and management by independent experts, the Land Use Suitability Auditor and Landfill Rehabilitation Auditor to ensure the Precinct is sustainable and safe over its lifetime.

The West Belconnen development area was rezoned several years ago. Since then, the Territory Government and Ginninderry Joint Venture have been working with all affected landowners and, where appropriate, investigating viable alternatives to retain their operations within the West Belconnen region.

As of January 2022, Transport Canberra and City Services announced it had identified a suitable site on Stockdill Drive and is in the pre-development application consultation period. The proposed site is located at least 1 kilometre from a residential premises.

In relation to future use of the West Belconnen Resource Recovery Area where Canberra Sand and Gravel operate the existing Green Waste facility, the Joint Venture’s desire is that the site is re-purposed with uses that are complementary with the future residential development. What can be developed within the site itself is still subject to further investigations. The Joint Venture will be working closely with relevant authorities to satisfy all environmental protection requirements.

The site is traversed by several 330kV transmission lines feeding to the Canberra Sub Station located on Parkwood Road. There are restrictions on land uses within 60m of the powerlines. The restrictions apply to houses and other uses sensitive to electromagnetic radiation.

The draft Landscape masterplan shows the potential for the areas under the power lines to be utilised for a range of activities, including urban agriculture and off-road movement systems (bike paths, riding trails).

In recent times, some scientists and members of the community have expressed concern that electric and magnetic fields (EMF) may be responsible for certain long-term health hazards, especially cancer.

The World Health Organization advocates using precautionary measures to reduce the individual’s exposure to magnetic fields consistent with the way other ‘possibly carcinogenic’ substances are managed.

At Ginninderry, exposure is minimised with the 60m easement (or buffer) and restrictions on the type of uses allowed under the powerlines.

For further information, see link to TransGrid Fact Sheet: https://www.transgrid.com.au/media/1nrfxwtf/emf-fact-sheet.pdf

The Parkwood Egg Farm is located on Parkwood Road, close to the NSW border. The farm is a “barn” egg farm consisting of seven enclosed sheds with capacity for three more. The total chicken population is up to 300,000 at full capacity.

Poultry farms are known to emit odours that constrain residential and similar development. The poultry farm currently sits within a 750m radius clearance zone incorporated in the Territory Plan. Within this buffer, residential or community use is not permitted.

While the poultry farm is still operational, the 750m buffer will remain.

The Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre (LMWQCC) is protected by a statutory 2.45km radius clearance zone incorporated into the Territory Plan. Within this zone, residential and other sensitive uses are prohibited. Works are underway to investigate odour mitigation measures that would allow a reduction in the current clearance zone. However, the current Clearance zone will remain in place until mitigation works are implemented and verified without appropriate environmental approvals.

Plans for a Telstra Mobile Phone Tower on Stockdill Drive (just south of Yoornie Way) are being finalised. The Telstra Mobile Phone Tower will be approximately 35m tall and will provide coverage for the suburb of Strathnairn. The site will also include a small compound and shelter for associated equipment. Click here for a map of the expected area of coverage enhancement.

ServiceStream has completed the construction of the tower; however, Telstra has now advised that there are further delays due to issues with cable runs between the tower and Drake-Brockman Drive. This process will need to go through ACT Government approvals, and Telstra are unable to give us any ETA for the works.

For further information, please contact:

Kulchain Cheema
Project Manager – Telstra Mobile Comms
0487 721 533
kulchain.cheema@servicestream.com.au

Rezoning of the NSW Land has been approved by the NSW Government by way of the Yass Valley Local Environmental Plan (Parkwood) 2020 being gazetted and published on 17 July 2020.

Governance and service levels agreements will now be developed under a triparted ‘Parkwood Urban Release Area Governance Framework’ agreement between the Territory, NSW and YVC.

You can return to the Ginninderry website on a regular basis or follow us on Facebook to stay informed. Alternatively, you can subscribe to our mailing list: https://ginninderry.com/subscribe/

There are many ways in which you can have your say or have your questions answered:

• Send us an email at enquiries@ginninderry.com
• Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Ginninderry/
• Visit The Link, Ginninderry’s Community and Information Centre: 1 McClymont Way, Strathnairn. Open Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm, Saturday & Sunday 10am – 4pm
• Call us on 1800 316 900