Consultation over the future of the site has been ongoing since the decision was made to relocate students and staff at the Weston campus to the Bruce campus, with the site either to be provided as a new location for the Islamic School of Canberra or for a medium density residential development.

There were fears that the gardens might be lost following the decision to develop the site, however at a recent Weston Creek Community Council (WCCC) meeting, the director of strategic project facilitation in the Chief Minister's Department, Ross McKay, gave a commitment that the garden area would remain no matter what is developed at the campus.

WCCC chairman Tim Dalton welcomed this news and said the council looked forward to working with other community groups in developing a plan to maintain the site now that the horticulture students from the CIT would not be tending to it.

''Unlike other areas, Weston Creek has no public park and this would be an ideal area for the district,'' Mr Dalton said.

''This would be a little oasis for the community and could be a meeting point for residents.

''This is a great result and an opportunity for the residents to take ownership of a piece of their community.''