Every Canberran would be guaranteed a well-maintained park or oval within a 10-minute walk of their home if the Canberra Liberals win this year's ACT election.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Opposition Leader Alistair Coe will on Friday announce the party's "green space guarantee", which will form part of a package of environmental policies the Liberals will take to the October 17 ballot.
Mr Coe said while the bush capital was blessed with numerous parks and reserves within a short driving distance, there was a lack of local parks and ovals - particularly in the Belconnen, Gungahlin and Woden town centres.
He said the provision of publicly accessible green spaces was particularly important for people living in Canberra's ever-increasing number of apartments.
"I think some parts of the city are severely lacking [in green space]," he said.
"Take the Gungahlin town centre, for instance. You are hard pressed to find any green space in the town centre.
"The benefits and simplicity of grass where people can kick a soccer ball and lay out the picnic rug I think is important for Canberra families. And as we have more families moving into apartments, I think we owe it to everybody's mental health to make sure that we have places to relax."
READ MORE:
Asked how the Liberals would deliver on the promise if they were in government, Mr Coe said the party would start by making sure that appropriate amounts of land were set aside in new suburbs for parks and green space.
A Liberal government would also be on the lookout for opportunities to create new green spaces in existing suburbs, particularly those filled with high-density housing.
"A park shouldn't just be a concrete structure," he said. "We don't need to over-engineer our parks."
Mr Coe couldn't put a dollar figure on the proposal. He foreshadowed announcements on specific green space projects would be made ahead of polling day.
He was also tight-lipped about what other environmental policies the party would take to the election, but said it would be focused on delivering "very tangible improvements to Canberra's environment".
"They should not only serve as good broader environmental policies, but also have a meaningful impact on the quality of life of Canberrans," he said.
The Liberals have already promised to freeze residential rates in their first term of government and start abolishing payroll tax if they win this year's election.