Chisholm residents are rising up against an ACT Government plan to sell a large parcel of land in the suburb saying it has been a much-loved park for 30 years despite being zoned for commercial use.
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The 6272 square metre block on the corner of Deamer and Heagney crescents has become the latest battleground in the Government's ongoing challenge to encourage urban infill in established communities.
The land is due to be auctioned on June 5 and any future proposal would have to be subject to development approval, including further consultation.
The Government says the Territory Plan does not set specific limits for residential development on land zoned commercial but has indicated 22 units of up to two storeys could go on the block. An existing playground would be moved to the back of the site.
While residents outlined their objections or reservations about the sale of the land in consultation conducted by the Economic Development directorate, the report found the "consultation did not raise any impediment to sale of the subject site". It also says only 1 per cent of residents responded to letters seeking comment.
That has angered local residents who have questioned the value of the consultation and in the last day formed the Chisholm Community Park Committee, chaired by Wayne King who lives next door to the block.
His three-year-old grand-daughter Natasha is one of the many local children who use the area and its playground.
"It's the only large open space on this side of Chisholm where kids can kick a ball or fly a kite in safety and just the amount of people who use it is amazing," Mr King said.
"It's a valuable asset to the community as a park." One resident who did respond to the consultation report said the land was "a breath of fresh air in the middle of surburbia".
"But these 'in-fills' are being thrust upon us. We purchase our houses and do our best to truly improve them and then units are thrust in the middle of us," the respondent wrote.
Brindabella Liberal MLA Brendan Smyth, who lives in Gilmore, said people had told him they had either not received information about the consultation or felt their submission had been "treated with disdain by the government" including concerns about the impact of traffic from any future development.
Mr Smyth has written to Economic Development Minister Andrew Barr asking him for the sale of the land to be put on hold and some "proper consultation" to be held including a public meeting.
He said the original proposal for development on the land when he was in government was for a doctor's surgery or corner shop which "was totally different to losing over 6000 square metres of open space".
"It's a big area for the community and they think it's reasonable to have a discussion with the government with the view to keeping it," he said.
Land Development Agency chief executive David Dawes said the land had been zoned commercial since 1982 and the playground had been there for the same amount of time.
The land was first identified for future development and put on the land release program by the Carnell government in June 2000 and put in the Commercial and Community Land Release. A sign identifying this land for future development had been on the site since 2003.
Mr Dawes said consultation started in February when 3701 letters were sent to Chisholm homes, businesses and post office boxes asking residents for feedback on the proposed sale and subdivision of the site.
He said the information was contained in an envelope clearly marked as being from the ACT government and containing important information about the future land in the suburb.
"Less than 1 per cent of residents responded and not all of these were regarding the park – the government received 32 responses from the 3701 letters," he said.
However, Mr King said residents had reported not receiving a letter and a meeting of about 90 residents in the park last Sunday had voted unanimously in favour of keeping the open space.
