A proposed Geocon apartment building in Kingston is inconsistent with master plans prepared for the suburb, which leads to a lack of community trust with the planning system, Greens Legislative Assembly member Shane Rattenbury has said.
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Mr Rattenbury said community mistrust and cynicism with the planning system grew when developer's proposals did not reflect master plans, which took time and effort to prepare."I feel this building is not appropriate in its current form," Mr Rattenbury said.
Mr Rattenbury, speaking at a community meeting called by the Kingston and Barton Residents Group on Wednesday to discuss the proposal for Giles Street, said he had met with the residents' group and Kingston Traders Group to discuss community concerns in June.
Liberal legislative member Candice Burch told the meeting Geocon's proposal was "pushing the envelope" but the plans showed the planning system was broken, which was the ACT government's fault rather than Geocon's.
She said the planning system needed to focus on community needs and should have stronger enforcement processes for rule breaches. "If they're worth having, they're worth enforcing," Ms Burch said.
It comes after Chief Minister Andrew Barr hit out at the proposal, saying he did not consider it sympathetic to the surrounding area.
The proposal did not preserve what makes Kingston a special place to live and visit, Mr Barr said.
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The Kingston and Barton Residents Group unanimously called on Geocon to submit a revised proposal and called on the ACT government to ensure any proposal for the site met all planning codes, rules and regulations while also addressing community concerns.
Stakeholders on Friday received an invitation to an online drop-in consultation session on Tuesday, July 28. Consultation had been slated to close on Friday.
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.
