Officials within the Transport Canberra and City Services directorate suggested building a temporary car park behind a group of Weston Creek townhouses and applying to have the land use changed later to allow the development to stay more permanently would be "the best option for us".
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A development application for the car park has been lodged after it was scaled back from 108 car spaces to 63, but local residents - with support from the Weston Creek Community Council - have petitioned the ACT government to have the plan scrapped.
Watling Place residents, who live in townhouses which back onto the reserve close to the Cooleman Court shopping centre, say increased noise levels, light pollution and the impact on the urban heat island made the project unacceptable.
"The development of the car park will increase reliance on private vehicles; negatively impact opportunities for social interactions, as pedestrians, cyclists and other uses of the path are discouraged from using it; [and it will] increase the heat island effect and negatively impact the microclimate," the residents wrote in a submission to the development application.
The car park would be built on land zoned for community facilities use, which prohibits a car park unless it is temporary.
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Documents released under freedom of information show officials within the Transport Canberra and City Services directorate in early December 2019 discussed applying to have the land use status changed if the car park was needed for more than two years.
"It may be that we can build a temp ([less than two-year]) carpark and not need to change the land use status or if we think it is going to be there for longer than that then we will need to seek the land use change. If we got the temp option we can then seek a land use change post the construction which may be the best option for us given we don't know the timing of the Molonglo Centre," the email said.
The car park has been designed to alleviate pressure on Cooleman Court while the growing Molonglo Valley suburbs wait for a shopping centre.
But the Weston Creek Community Council has suggested changes to current parking restrictions could free up ample space.
An ACT Legislative Assembly petition against the car park, sponsored by Greens member Caroline Le Couteur, has attracted more than 900 signatures.
Weston Creek Community Council chair Tom Anderson said the council now opposed the plan and green space was being eaten up in the ACT like in a game of Pac-Man. "They're chewing up green space all over the place," Mr Anderson said.
A spokeswoman for Mr Steel said in March the car park would be removed once the site was released for community facilities use or it was no longer needed.
"At that time it will be reinstated to its former condition," she said.
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
