Well Station Drive realignment ordered

Written by Alan Kerlin Friday, 20 November 2009 10:58

Residents of the eastern end of Well Station in Harrison have had a win in their campaign to have the proposed extension of Well Station Drive realigned to move it away from their street.

The ACT Assembly has carried a resolution calling on the ACT ALP Government to redesign the northern end of the raod to intersect with Horse Park Drive further east, putting it on the eastern side of the small hill in that area rather than on the western side of it, and right in front of their street.

This road will be built next year as a two-lane arterial road, but is planned to grow to four lanes in the future as the next suburbs of Kenny and Throsby get built.

Credit goes to local resident Uday Kazar for leading an effective and dogged campaign.

It's not over yet. The ALP may yet ignore the direction and wishes of the Assembly, although this would be most unwise of them.

I have discussed our concerns about the road and support for the residents' campaign with Planning Minister Andrew Barr's senior advisor, and invited Andrew to physically walk the site with me to see it first hand rather than from a map - it's an eye-opener.

View Gungahlin locations in a larger map

An extract from Hansard of the (quite lengthy) debate follows:

Wells Station Drive extension

MR COE (Ginninderra) (11.24):

I move:

That this Assembly:

(1) recognises that:

(a) the current proposed alignment of Wells Station Drive Extension will create problems of noise pollution, road safety and loss of urban amenity for residents in Harrison;

(b) the consultation that preceded residents living in the vicinity of the Wells Station Drive Extension was inadequate; and

(2) calls on the Government to:

(a) abandon the current proposed alignment of Wells Station Drive Extension; and

(b) redesign the Wells Station Drive Extension to an eastern alignment.

The proposed extension will cause some significant issues for residents in the vicinity of the area and for road users. I have been contacted, along with my Assembly colleague Caroline Le Couteur, by a significant number of residents who are concerned about the alignment of the road and who do not feel that the government and, in particular, the ACT Planning and Land Authority, have given their concerns due consideration.

Both Ms Le Couteur and I have been to visit the area and have had the issues explained to us. These issues could be alleviated by an alignment of the Wells Station Drive extension to the east of a small hill opposite Carpentaria Street. This alignment would ensure there is a natural barrier between the road and the houses. The realignment would not be of any hindrance to anyone; it is a vacant area.

I will now go into a number of the problems in more detail: firstly, noise pollution.

Realigning the road along the east of the small hill opposite Carpentaria Street will alleviate most of the noise pollution problems. If a sound barrier were to be built on the current proposed alignment, it would detract from the urban amenity of the area and prevent many of the children from using the area as a playground.

The construction of such a barrier would be an extravagance and not as effective as a natural barrier would be, such as a hill which already exists. In the future, in all likelihood, Horse Park Drive will be duplicated. However, given the Gungahlin Drive extension experience, I think it is quite possible that we will have to wait quite a while for that and after a real ordeal as well. However, a duplicated Horse Park Drive would increase the noise impact of an intersection if it were located on the current alignment close to Carpentaria Street.

In addition to noise pollution problems, there are general safety issues. The proposed junction of Wells Station Drive and Horse Park Drive extension will not be as safe as it could be under the realignment. The eastern alignment would allow better visibility, because at the other alignment there is poor visibility due to the hill and the shape of the road.

In addition to these problems, there are issues of consultation. Some of the consultation on this very issue, in fact, preceded residents even living in the vicinity of the proposed road. We have heard of sham consultations in the past, but now this government is consulting communities before they even exist. The recent round of consultation was just about looking good. The community was asked for its views, a report was put together, and then it was shelved when no action was taken. In this consultation period, there was even a mistake as to the email address, and for nine out of 10 days, the consultation had little or no chance of actually working because of that incorrect email address. Despite this, between about 30 and 40 residents were able to make submissions.

Earlier this year, I signed a letter with Caroline Le Couteur to ask the government what it would do to respond to constituents’ concerns. We asked the government to:

… re-examine this issue and seek to re-align the road to ensure the continued urban amenity of Harrison residents, and the highest possible safety of road users in this area. This should be done as soon as possible …

In tried and true fashion, the answer from the government was, of course, nothing. The response was nothing more than simply, “This is what we are doing, and we don’t care.” We have no justification from the government in their response to our letter. They simply argue that they need a road, the road has been planned on this alignment, they are undertaking consultation, the design meets Australian standards for road safety, and the open space area is not a formal play area. Well, we do not disagree with the fact that there is a need for a road. Even if it had been planned on that alignment in the past, the community is there now, and they have expressed their concerns. The consultation, as all consultation is with this government, was simply not genuine. Whilst I understand the Australian design standards for road safety had been met by the current alignment, it does not mean that a better option cannot be found. As for the government’s rejection that it is not a formal play area, the children and families of this community strongly disagree. In actual fact, some of the best play areas in Canberra are the ones that have developed organically rather than having been defined by a government.

When it comes down to it, this government is hiding behind bureaucratic language at the expense of what the community actually wants. Community feeling is united and strong. Some 40 or so residents within Carpentaria Street and the surrounding streets have signed a petition indicating their support for the realignment of the road.

I would now like to pay tribute to Uday Kaza, who is in the gallery today and who has done a great deal of work on behalf of his community to help ensure that their urban amenity is not adversely impacted upon by this road. Rather than roll over and simply accept a poor planning decision, Mr Kaza has stood up for best practice, for his family and his neighbours and has tried to protect his community. I commend him and his neighbours for their great work.

This year we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Legislative Assembly. In the context of this motion about planning, it is important that we remember the rationale behind the establishment of this place—that is, it was unsatisfactory that our local planning decisions and other local government decisions were being made by a bureaucracy that was not directly accountable to the people of the ACT. There was, and still is, a desire for a local say in local decision making. Before Mr Barr chimes in with his usual mantra about taking politics out of planning, what I am saying is that elected members should be responsible for long-term infrastructure planning and the framework in which this city operates. The concerned reservation for the Wells Station road is in the territory plan and, therefore, falls within the scope of elected officials to adjudicate.

I call upon the Chief Minister and the Minister for Planning to hear the community’s concerns, both directly and through the Legislative Assembly. For the government to stand in front of this community now and say their concerns will not be listened to is typical of this government and an indication of why some in the community argue that the Assembly is not doing its job properly. Two parties in the Assembly have brought this matter to the attention of the government. The community wants this matter addressed. If this matter is not addressed, it will be another failure of the government to live up to its rhetoric and a failure of this government to respect the will of thecommunity as expressed through this Assembly.

The Land Development Agency’s catchcry of country living in the city within a natural environment will be made a mockery if this road goes ahead as proposed. I commend the motion to the house and look forward to the government hearing and responding to the concerns of the community and constructing the road on the eastern alignment.

MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Planning, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation and Minister for Gaming and Racing) (11.32):

I thank Mr Coe for bringing this matter forward today. The alignment of Well Station Drive extension separating the suburbs of Harrison and Kenny in Gungahlin is, indeed, an important matter. I think just for the record and for Mr Coe’s benefit, the road in question is actually known as Well Station Drive and not Wells Station Drive. It is not particularly important in terms of the context of the debate, but, nonetheless, for the formal record, it would probably be worth while that the correct title of the road in question is recorded.

I am aware of this matter. I have met with some residents in Harrison who have expressed their concerns about the alignment of Well Station Drive. Indeed, a petition on the issue has been received by the Assembly. This government and previous governments have strived to keep the community fully informed about decisions on planning of new areas to ensure that misinformation and community concerns, such as those in relation to this road alignment, are avoided or minimised as much as possible.

As Mr Coe would appreciate, the most appropriate tool which this government and previous governments have utilised to do that is the territory plan and its associated map, which is administered by the ACT Planning and Land Authority. The territory plan sets out planning intentions, principles and policies for new suburbs, and it graphically represents this information on a map as well as including locations of community facilities and residential, commercial and higher density areas et cetera.

Importantly, the map also identifies the location of current and future arterial roads. The territory plan is updated regularly, and the community does, indeed, find this a valuable source of factual information. Specifically in relation to Well Station Drive, the territory plan map has clearly indicated the road’s alignment since at least late 2003, which was well before any land was made available for sale in the nearby areas of Harrison. The territory plan map also identified that the future suburbs of Kenny and Throsby will be adjacent to Harrison and Well Station Drive. When fully developed, these adjacent suburbs will accommodate approximately 8,000 dwellings and a population of 20,000 people, as well as commercial retail centres, schools and areas of open space, including nature reserves. As all Gungahlin residents appreciate, Well Station Drive is an important component of Gungahlin’s arterial road network and, when completed, will link Horse Park Drive to Flemington Road and to Gungahlin Drive.

Another important fact is that arterial roads are deliberately located in this city between suburbs rather than through suburbs to ensure that local amenity is preserved and that traffic management issues can be handled appropriately. To this end, it is clear in the territory plan that the Well Station Drive extension separates Harrison and Kenny. I am advised that the Land Development Agency sales documentation for Harrison 2 estate stage 4A-2—the area bounded by the future Well Station Drive extension, Horse Park Drive and Well Station homestead—clearly indicated the proposed road alignment and the location of its intersection with Horse Park Drive. I think we can draw from that that the government’s intention to build this road in its current location has been clearly documented since 2003.

Coming to the point that Mr Coe raised about the role this place has in setting planning policy and setting those guidelines, in mid-2004 ACTPLA released for public consultation a draft variation to the territory plan No 231, east Gungahlin, which proposed a number of zoning changes for Kenny and Throsby as well as establishing—I always have trouble with this, but I will try—Goorooyarroo nature reserve. I think that is how you say it. The draft variation also included south Harrison, the undeveloped area south of Well Station homestead and Well Station Drive extension.

It should be noted that during this variation no change to the road alignment was proposed, and the variation, including the road alignment, was subsequently approved by this place in 2006. Accordingly, based on all the freely available current and documented information on Well Station Drive extension and the proposed development in adjacent areas, all prospective purchasers were able to make fully informed decisions about the purchase of their properties.

I acknowledge residents’ concerns over noise and traffic safety and understand that these matters are receiving thorough consideration in the current road detail design. I have been advised that the road design will ensure that any adverse impacts on nearby residents from traffic and noise not only in Harrison but, importantly, for the future residents of Kenny are appropriately minimised to meet required standards. This road and its intersections with Horse Park Drive and Nullarbor Avenue will also need to meet all relevant design and safety standards. In this context, landscaping will be an important component, and it is incorporated into the design.

Furthermore, the intersection of Well Station Drive and Horse Park Drive will, in the future, be extended into the new suburb of Throsby. This will permit a centrally located major collector road into the eastern side of Throsby. The resultant four-way intersection will be signalised and provide the best traffic and transport outcome for motorists and, importantly, for public transport. The number of intersections with Horse Park Drive needs to be limited to ensure efficient traffic movement along that road.

The government announced the construction of the Well Station Drive extension road as part of the 2009-10 capital works budget with an estimated cost of $7 million over two years. This is part of a $52 million investment over two years in Gungahlin’s arterial road network. This is clearly a very high priority for Gungahlin residents. The Planning and Land Authority is responsible for progressing the road design to final document-ready stage, which will be used for the development application and for calling of construction tenders. Roads ACT within Territory and Municipal Services will then take responsibility for constructing the road.

The road is not only required to complete a critical missing component of the Gungahlin arterial road network but also to facilitate the release of more affordable housing as part of the Harrison 4 residential estate between Well Station homestead and Well Station Drive extension. This estate will be released in 2010-11, consistent with the government’s residential land release program.

Having considered all of these matters, the government believes that there is no justifiable reason to change the alignment of Well Station Drive extension, as it will not only incur additional costs for the taxpayer but also undermine the integrity of the arterial road network and the orderly and integrated planning for east Gungahlin. There is more to consider than just the residents of Harrison; we also must consider the future residents in Kenny and Throsby. I recognise that this creates an unfortunate tension, and, of course, it would be the easy solution to seek to solve a current problem now. But, as Ms Porter will go into in some detail in her contribution, that will not necessarily solve all of the problems and, in fact, may create more significant issues in the longer term.

On balance, whilst I acknowledge the concerns of Harrison residents and acknowledge that this is a difficult issue, I believe it can effectively be resolved in the road design and that there are other means with which the concerns of Harrison residents can be addressed without changing the road alignment.

I think it is also important to acknowledge that this place has considered this matter over a number of years. To suggest that the decisions were made without the authority of the Legislative Assembly is an unfortunate accusation to make, because it is clearly not the case. This Assembly passed that draft variation and that very road alignment, and it did so in the knowledge that it was balancing a range of needs and interests and, most particularly, taking a view of the bigger picture and the longer term—that is, to also meet the needs of Kenny and Throsby residents.

In this context, whilst I acknowledge it would be politically easy and it would be the convenient way through this particular issue, the government will not be supporting this motion today. On balance, as I say, in weighing up all the competing interests, the government believes that the current road alignment is appropriate but recognises the need in the road design to ensure that the issues that were raised by Harrison residents are appropriately addressed.

MS LE COUTEUR (Molonglo) (11.42):

I thank Mr Coe for raising this issue today.

I would also like to acknowledge the presence in the gallery of some Harrison residents, in particular Mr Uday Kaza, whose persistence has been instrumental in bringing this matter to the Assembly’s attention today and in the past.

The current proposed alignment of the Well Station Road extension joining to Horse Park Drive has been of concern to the residents of Harrison for some time now. I understand that the residents are not opposed to Well Station Drive being extended but really all they want is a realignment of the road. The Greens agree that there are a range of issues that need to be addressed in regard to this road; so we will be supporting Mr Coe’s motion today.

Mr Coe has already covered the main points in relation to the actual road building proposal and we agree with the points that he has made; so I will not go through them at great length. My comments will be more about the process and the consultation. I think it is a real shame that this motion needed to be brought to the Assembly today. As Mr Coe has said, this is not the place for the politics of planning. The politics of planning should be about the long-term objectives, the big picture; it should not be about the Assembly trying to be a traffic engineer and working out the consultation issues of places that are just not working for the community. It is not the first planning issue which we have debated in this place this year and, given the current level of government consultation, it is probably unlikely to be the last.

As people may be aware, one of the issues in the Labor-Greens agreement was better neighbourhood planning. We have recently written to the Minister for Planning about a way forward on that issue and proposed a precinct planning process which will be triggered when local planning issues such as this arise, which would lead to a community planning process which would mean that all relevant stakeholders could be involved and hopefully reach a shared understanding and conclusion.

In this case, the government do say they carried out consultation. But as Mr Coe points out in his motion, this was actually before there were residents in the area. The closest neighbours were residents of suburbs far away who would not be affected by the alignment in either direction. They were the residents of Ngunnawal, Palmerston, Amaroo and of course the kangaroos who did not, unfortunately, comment. The government has said the prospective residents were able to make fully informed decisions about the purchase of property in Harrison and about the proposed road. Although this information may, in fact, have been available, if real estate agents did not point it out, the potential residents would not know because not all potential residents actually know all about the intricacies of the territory plan.

Mr Barr and the government claim that the Land Development Agency’s sales conditions and documentation for Harrison 2 estate 4A-2 indicated the proposed road alignment and the location of its intersection with Horse Park Drive. However, residents have told us that the LDA sale document included a map, in very large scale, which showed it straight, and Elders, the LDA’s marketing agent during December 2005, we are told, had the response simply that the road was a future Well Station Drive, which undoubtedly is true, and that the details had not yet been worked out, which would not lead people to think that the whole thing was done and dusted and that there was no consultation to happen. So it really appears that there was no possibility that the residents could make an informed decision before buying their houses. The information they had was that it was a straight line, with no details.

We do note, of course, that there has been consultation recently but, had the residents not been so active in drawing the attention of the Greens and the Liberal Party to this issue, we suspect there probably would not have been as much consultation. There have been issues with this consultation. As Mr Coe has pointed out, the incorrect email address was provided for most of this consultation time. Unfortunately, it is things like this that make residents understandably very cynical about the government’s aims in consultation, that they cannot even provide a working email address. I do appreciate the government is in a hurry to build the roads around Harrison 4 because they want land release in the next year—and we all agree that affordable housing is a significant issue in this territory—but it is important to make sure that what we do is the best possible outcome for the long term and does not create safety and traffic problems for the future. As Mr Coe has said, the road is not ideally placed from the point of view of safety and we believe that a movement of the road could make it safer. Horse Park Drive is a busy road; it has a lot of traffic; so safety is important.

When I visited the site in January, I was quite surprised to find that an arterial road was proposed so close to existing housing. I had the same idea, as Mr Barr actually said in his speech, that arterial roads were meant to be at the outskirts of suburbs. And I believe that is the understanding that the residents also had. This road is not at the outskirts of Harrison. It is one hill in from the outskirts of Harrison. That seems to be at the heart of the issue. If the hill had been on the other side of the road, the hill would have provided a natural noise and safety barrier between the road and the existing developments.

Well Station Road is going to be a dual carriageway, with an expected traffic volume of 20,000 vehicles per day, at 20 metres from the residential Carpentaria Street. At the beginning, it will have a give way sign, we believe, but not traffic lights until later on. The local residents, of course, are very concerned that it is going to be a high-accident zone and they will unfortunately be witnessing a large number of accidents and possibly even deaths on their front doorstep.

Given all of this, we think there is merit in re-evaluating the current proposed alignment of the Well Station Drive extension and, in particular, consulting the community to redesign this to most likely an eastern alignment. As it is an arterial road, it should not be through the suburb. While Harrison 4 is currently in the design phase, this is the time to sort the problem out. While we have got the bit of Harrison which is next to it still to be sorted out, it would seem an ideal time to finally fix this problem.

While we are considering the road, I understand that there is a bike path planned for Well Station Drive. I also think we need one for Horse Park Drive. There is a shoulder on the road which is marked as a cycle path on the cycle ways map but the cars really do fly along that road which is why, of course, the residents are concerned. But also from a cycling point of view, an off-road path would be preferable.

Another thing to note in terms of looking at the alignment of the road is that, since it was proposed, the footprint of the suburb of Throsby has been reduced; so potentially the alignment of the road could be altered. Throsby will have a lot fewer houses than the original proposal. And we do not believe that it is vital that the Well Station Drive intersect with the Throsby arterial road. Looking at Horse Park Drive, the access roads from Forde and Amaroo do not actually meet on Horse Park Drive; so there is precedent for this.

The Throsby realignment has meant that Well Station Drive and its relationship in particular to the Kenny shops, which have now moved, should be re-evaluated. Possibilities would include crossing over Sullivans Creek earlier. This would bring the road closer to Kenny shops, which would make it easier for Harrison, Kenny and Franklin residents to use it to access the Kenny shopping centre. It probably would make more sense, given the other changes, to move the plans for Well Station Drive to join Horse Park Drive closer to the Kenny group centre.

This would have an effect on Harrison 4 which, as I mentioned earlier, is currently being worked on. So this would appear to be a good time and possibly the last real opportunity to move the road to suit the present and future residents of the area. This is a $7 million project; so it is really important to ensure that we get it right rather than have to try to tinker with it afterwards. I am aware that the road design has already been put out to tender but I do not think, given the current progress on that, it would be too late to adjust the route.

My understanding is that ACTPLA has engaged Cardno Young to design the extension of Well Station Drive between Turtle Rock Road and Horse Park Drive, which is going to provide the additional access to the new suburbs of Kenny and Harrison 4. I understand that, under the current government timetable, the design process was expected—I suppose “could have been expected”—to be completed in October 2009. I imagine this has not happened, as I understand more consultation has been undertaken recently between ACTPLA and TAMS and I understand that the consultants are meeting with Gungahlin Community Council tonight. So I am very hopeful that in this meeting there can be an agreement for realignment or at least a way forward on this issue.

In addition, I would also point out that the road extension would require planning approval and that a development application will have to be lodged and publicly notified, and this is another time when the community has an opportunity to comment on the proposed extension. However, given the government’s attitude, as Mr Barr has expressed it, it is hard to see how, if the Assembly does nothing, the community will actually have a chance to have their views heard as part of the DA process. I understand that the construction is currently expected to start in April 2010.

In conclusion, I would like to say it is really a shame that the community needs to constantly ask to have their concerns addressed, and this is the third such incidence that we have had brought to the floor of the Assembly during my term. There has been Hawker; there has been Nicholls; now there is Harrison. I was contacted about this issue shortly after my election and went out and saw it in January. So I wrote to Mr Barr and Mr Stanhope about the road and both ministers replied, basically saying: “Sorry, it is just too late to listen to the community again.

We have already listened to the community.” And that, of course, was before the community was there to express their opinion. However, I would like to note that, due to our persistence and even more due to the persistence of the residents, ACTPLA have increased their offers of noise abatement measures and are looking at what they can do to finetune the existing alignment. I do thank ACPTLA for that but note that that, without the persistence of the residents and members of the Assembly, this probably would not have happened. This would not have happened—Mr Coe would not be moving this motion and the Greens would not be supporting it—if the government was prepared to listen more to local communities.

On that note, I move the amendment which has been circulated in my name:

In paragraph 2(b), after “alignment”, add “in consultation with the local

community”.

I will not talk more on that because that is really what I have been talking about in my whole speech. I understand that the Liberals will be supporting this amendment. I commend it to the Assembly.

MR HANSON (Molonglo) (11.55):

I would firstly like to congratulate Mr Coe on bringing this motion into the Assembly today. These are the sorts of motions that certainly gain less media attention than the previous motion we saw in the Assembly

but they are very important to the lives of people who are affected by these sorts of decisions being made by the government. I think Mr Coe is well regarded and well recognised by all sides of politics for the amount of work he does for the community in the north of Canberra, particularly the grassroots campaigns that he runs that address, I guess, the voice of the local communities in making sure that their needs and issues are addressed.

I would also like to acknowledge the contribution made by Ms Le Couteur in this regard and thank her for the support she is providing to Mr Coe’s motion and her useful contribution as well as her amendment. I would also like to acknowledge the members of the community who are in the gallery today and the work that they have done to raise this issue not only on their behalf but on behalf of other members of the Harrison community and I commend them for the work that they have done to date.

The substance of this issue is one that will impact significantly on the residents of Harrison and will affect their standard of living and their quality of life. We have been approached, both the Liberals and the Greens, by a significant number of people in the community who are concerned about what is currently proposed for the Well Station Drive alignment. I note that both the opposition and the Greens have previously raised this issue with the government but as yet there has been no resolution of the concerns that have been raised.

As outlined by Mr Coe and Ms Le Couteur, the issue is a simple one, and that is that the proposed alignment of this drive will pose noise problems and road safety problems and reduce the amenity in the area. As we have members of the community here today, I would like to read from the petition that they put to the government in their words to express, I think, quite eloquently what their concerns are so that it is very clear for members of the Assembly:

Residents of the eastern portion of the Wells Station Estate at Harrison would like to bring to your urgent attention the matter of the proposed road extension for Wells Station Drive to join Horse Park Drive with a connection to Nullabor Avenue and its adverse impact on the residents.

The road had been planned to extend around the Wells Station Heights and the small hill. It has now come to our attention that the proposed route has been amended to cut back between the two hills along the Carpentaria Street bringing the proposed road in very close proximity to the existing residential properties.

These properties had been proudly marketed by the Land Development Agency … as being “Country living in the city within a natural environment”.

The residents have the following concerns which we would like to bring to your immediate attention:

1. The natural sound barrier of the hill will not be utilised and in effect will channel the sound & vehicle pollution from the proposed road back into the houses of Wells Station Estate.

2. The Easterly & Southerly winds will further carry the noise and pollution back into the Wells Station Estate.

3. The proposed change does not, in the minds of the residents, make an effective use of taxpayers’ money due to the following reasons:

a. a significant amount of dollars would be required for building the sound barrier which once built will totally ruin the natural landscaping of the area.

b. the area currently has a creek running through the centre of the proposed road

c. the deviation of the road seems to indicate a lengthening of the road

4. The proposed road junction of Wells Station Drive and Horse Park Drive will be in an area that will be obscured by the existing hill with very high chances of road accidents.

5. The proposed road junction of Wells Station Drive and Nullabor Avenue will be in an area with reduced visibility due to the Wells Station Heights blocking the effective view and once again increasing the chance of road accidents.

6. The majority of households have young children who regularly play in the current nature reserve opposite Carpentaria Street where the proposed Wells Station Drive Extension will run.

During the sale of blocks by the LDA, the residents were provided with an estate development plan which clearly indicated that the proposed Wells Station Drive extension would run to the East of the small hill opposite Carpentaria Street, running straight from the Flemington Road and our decision for buying into this area was based on this development plan.

Thus, we the residents of Wells Station - Harrison urge the Honourable Minister, to reconsider the proposed Wells Station Drive extension. The above stated concerns can be better understood and appreciated through a site visit.

There are numerous signatures provided on that petition.

The solution that is being sought by the Liberal opposition and by the Greens today is simple and straightforward, and the community, as I have just outlined, have clearly articulated their concerns with the proposed amendments. And they have voiced their preference for where they would like the alignment of the drive to go. The government’s response to the community concerns today has been underwhelming, to say the least, and the local residents, as I understand, feel that their views have not been taken into account throughout the consultation process; and if they had been then we would not have found ourselves where we are today.

The issues that have been raised by Mr Coe are on behalf of the concerned residents, and they are certainly not frivolous. I note that Mr Coe and Caroline Le Couteur, as I understand, have visited the site—and I commend them for doing that—and that they remain committed to the concerns of the community.

My understanding also is that the project is in its final design stage and that the opportunity to ensure a good outcome for the residents of Harrison and residents in the north of Canberra is fast disappearing. The government has the ability to resolve this issue by supporting Mr Coe’s motion and by addressing the community concerns, by going back to the drawing board and redesigning the road. I urge the minister to do so.

MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (12.02):

Mr Coe’s motion and Ms Le Couteur’s amendment show an ignorance of the exhaustive processes that are followed before road alignments are decided. Arterial roads in the ACT are positioned after a thorough investigation process to ensure that they are placed in the most effective locations.

Although I understand that Mr Coe left school not too long ago, I doubt that he has since qualified as a town planner and a road engineer. He is a member for Ginninderra. Obviously he thinks that by questioning the decisions of the people who do know what they are talking about—that is, town planners and road engineers—he can undermine the government, that it is as simple as that.

Obviously the road positioning in this instance takes into account the surrounding landform, ground suitability and the provision for efficient connectivity between adjacent suburbs. In fact, the alignment of Well Station Drive has been determined by two planning feasibility and design studies. The outcomes of these studies resulted in the establishment of the current road alignment and reserve for Well Station Drive that was subsequently documented in the territory plan in 2003, as Mr Barr has outlined. Of course, roads need to be planned very early in the planning process in developing new suburbs; this will inevitably mean that people have not moved into the new suburbs.

The constraints in moving the route to the east mostly involve the proximity of Sullivans Creek. They are as follows. Sullivans Creek passes under Horse Park Drive on the same alignment that the alternative approach road would have to take.

Constructing a road on the same alignment as the creek is not possible. Constructing the road on either side of Sullivans Creek is also not feasible as the formation next to the creek is not suitable for road construction. Water levels from Sullivans Creek during flood periods would inundate the road unless it was constructed at a high level. Again this would involve significant costs in construction.

There are other reasons why the location of this intersection of Well Station Drive and Horse Park Drive has been chosen. These are as follows. The current intersection location will align with the proposed collector road into Throsby. Moving the collector road into Throsby further to the east to align with the alternative intersection location would place the road close to—I am going to have a go at saying this now, Mr Barr—Goorooyarroo nature reserve.

Mr Barr: Probably better than my effort.

MS PORTER: I think Mr Stanhope is the only person that can say that in an eloquent

way.

However, this is likely to have environmental impacts and reduce the overall effectiveness of the collector road. The alternative of having two T intersections in close proximity along Horse Park Drive in a staggered T formation is not desirable either, as once the suburbs are fully developed they will be signalised, as Mr Barr said, and the subsequent inconvenience to motorists would defeat the purpose of the Horse Park Drive arterial road. I constantly have people talking to me about signalised roads and how much of a nuisance it is if, for some reason—maybe because we have altered roads temporarily, such as around the town centre in Belconnen at the moment—the traffic lights are too close together. It does frustrate drivers enormously.

Mr Hanson says that this issue is simple. He could not possibly have listened to Mr Barr or he would realise that this is not simple. The issue of noise generated by traffic has been the subject of a noise impact assessment that was undertaken by a specialist acoustic consultant. Mr Barr has addressed this issue. Mr Coe believes that the realignment of the planned road will avoid the cost of noise abatement measures; he does not take into account the considerable cost his suggestion of realignment will involve.

The noise assessment uses three-dimensional modelling based on projected traffic volumes in 2031 and was undertaken in accordance with the national and ACT noise management guidelines. The noise impact assessment found that, with the installation of earthen sound mounds between the road and adjacent residences, traffic noise levels will readily meet the required standard. The earthen mounds will also be landscaped with suitable plantings to improve visual amenity.

There have been no specific safety issues identified with the current suggested alignment of the road, and sight distances for motorists entering Horse Park Drive meet the required specification. Well Station Drive has been designed in accordance with the national and ACT road design standards; as an ultimate check, the final design will be subject to an independent safety audit.

The Well Station Road extension project will facilitate urban development in the future suburbs of Kenny and Throsby as well as complete the arterial road network in this area of Gungahlin. It is unrealistic to believe that urban development will cease at the edge of existing suburbs, particularly when these adjacent areas have been identified as future suburbs in the territory plan. Providing infrastructure for the supply of land for residential purposes is part of the urbanisation process of developing new suburbs.

The assertion that the government did not respond to residents’ concerns is incorrect. The public consultation that has occurred as part of the final design process has been thorough. It has entailed the delivery of an information newsletter to residents in south Harrison, particularly those adjacent to Well Station Drive; the provision of a dedicated feedback email address, which allowed residents to make submissions and comments on the project; the receipt of 17 submissions covering 11 areas of concern; a personal response email from the Director of ACTPLA’s Planning Services Branch on each of the submissions received, providing a written response to concerns raised; a meeting of residents with Roads ACT and ACTPLA staff; and the provision of further personal response emails to residents regarding their specific concerns. And the Minister for Planning personally met a number of residents at the highly successful cabinet in the community held in Gungahlin earlier this year.

This alignment has been investigated thoroughly. It provides the most cost-effective delivery of this important piece of road infrastructure and provides the best outcome to the residents of Gungahlin as a whole. As I said before, I doubt very much whether Mr Coe is a qualified town planner and road engineer. I do not support Mr Coe’s motion.

MR COE (Ginninderra) (12.09): In concluding this debate, I think there are a number of things that are worth reflecting on in what we have heard over the last half hour or so from the government. It is pretty disappointing that here you have a minister and someone from the backbench acting like Sir Humphrey. They are so determined to follow process and so stubborn that they will not accept that what is in the territory plan may not be best for people in Canberra. They are so stubborn that they cannot possibly fathom that what is written in that plan could actually be improved. If we fail to make improvements, if we fail to make developments, we will not be getting very far at all.

I found Ms Porter’s contribution to the discussion to be particularly interesting, especially the beginning of it. She had a go at me for my contribution, having a go at me for bringing this motion and having a go at me about my age. It must be pretty demoralising for someone like Ms Porter to have a go at someone such as me when I got 50 per cent more votes than she did at the last election. That, too, must be pretty demoralising for her. But it really is an insult to the people of Gungahlin and to all the people of Canberra who have planning issues to have a member of the Assembly who says that this is a trivial issue, who says that this issue does not matter. This is core business for elected representatives. We have a government. We have discharged responsibilities to the government to act on a day-to-day basis in our best interests. The point of this chamber, the point of the Legislative Assembly, is to oversee the government and make sure that it is doing the things that we want it to do. In this instance, the government is not. That is what we are saying.

We have roughly two-thirds of this Assembly telling the government that they are not doing the right thing here. The community has spoken and would like the government to respond. Instead, we have a planning minister who is too stubborn to admit that they are wrong and that there could be a better way of going about their business.

Ms Porter says that the minister received members of the community on this issue at the community cabinet. That is very good; it is very good that they have a community cabinet. But it does not mean much if you do not actually respond. It does not mean much if you do not actually take action. Anybody can listen; anybody can receive letters. It takes a stronger person—it takes a stronger man—to actually admit that there is a better way, that there are mistakes and that they can go forward.

At the start of Mr Barr’s speech, he had a bit of a go at me for saying “Wells Station Drive”. It is very interesting that he should do that when his own planning chief executive, the Chief Planning Executive of ACTPLA, on 31 August this year, signed a notifiable instrument which talked about Wells Station Drive. If you go to the minister’s website, to actpla.act.gov.au or to the much talked about placename search and type in “Well Station Drive”, what do you find? Nothing—nothing at all. Well Station Drive does not exist in the ACT placename register. If you type in “Wells Station Drive”, guess what appears: the very street in question—the very street. Here we have Minister Barr trying to tell us that he is the authority—the all-knowledgeable authority—on this issue, yet he cannot even get consistency between what he is saying and what is on his department website. If you look a bit further on, you will notice that in 2006 they did formally change the name from Wells Station Drive to Well Station Drive. Technically, the actual name of the street as gazetted is Well Station Drive. However, that is inconsistent with Google maps, inconsistent with his website and inconsistent with a notifiable instrument signed by the Chief Planning Executive just a few months ago. Minister, I suggest that you fix those anomalies as quickly as possible.

What this is about is what I believe we are all here to do—improve the lives of Canberrans. It is very simple. It is all about making sure that we as an Assembly are directing the government to bring about improvements in people’s lives and make the lives of people in Canberra as good as possible. We are very clearly giving the government an indication, a direction, on what we would like to see them do on this issue. I urge the minister to listen to the call of two-thirds of the Assembly, listen to the call of the community and not stand on ceremony or be stubborn but accept what Canberrans are saying regarding this road.

Mr Barr: It is Well Station Road. I have got the page open if you want to have a look at the placename search.

MR SPEAKER: Gentlemen, I will invite you to take that one up in the lunch break.

Mr Barr: I do not think I can table my laptop.

MR COE: I will happily table mine in response.

Mr Barr: If Mr Coe has misled the Assembly, I am sure he will withdraw later.

MR COE: What are you saying?

Mr Barr: I am saying that if you have misled the Assembly—

MR COE: What are you saying?

Mr Barr: I am saying I have got the page open at “Well”, with a double L.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Gentlemen, take it up in the lunch break.

Amendment agreed to.

Motion, as amended, agreed to.