The ACT Audit office has delivered a stinging rebuke to the government over its handling of proposed cross-border expansion plans, criticising the "lack of public and community reporting" on the delivery of services for the Parkwood development.
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Parkwood, which is part of the long-term Ginninderry development to the north-west of Canberra stretching from Holt and Macgregor across the ACT-NSW border, is seen as the important pilot project for any future cross-border territory spread.
It is a residential development which currently falls within the Yass Yalley Council area and is bounded by the Murrumbidgee River and Ginninderra Creek.
Ginninderry's four suburbs are expected to provide 11,500 dwellings and Parkwood an additional 5000, with a combined, projected population of around 43,000 people.
Under the terms of the West Belconnen Joint Venture Agreement, the ACT contributed around 60 per cent of the Ginninderry-Parkwood land, and 40 per cent was contributed by the other privately-owned signatories, namely Reid and Stevens Pty Ltd, Riverview Developments and Corkhill Bros Pty Ltd.
Any commercial return from the development is to be broadly distributed to the participants in line with their land contribution.
The staging of the Ginninderry development is already in progress with the rollout of the Straithnairn and Macnamara subdivisions, with the Parkwood expansion not due to span the NSW border until 2032.
However, in its report on the progress of the governance arrangements, forums and planning arrangements for the cross-border development, the ACT Audit office has been uncomplimentary and critical of progress by the government in achieving what is described as a "shared commitment to achieve a connected, borderless Canberra region".
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As-yet-unresolved elements to the development are those of cross-border service delivery such as health, water supply, sewage, transport, policing and emergency services.
The report stated that there was a "common expectation that the residents of Parkwood experience the same quality of services as residents in neighbouring ACT suburbs, and other areas of the Yass Valley Council and NSW".
While an overarching framework existed, the auditor was sharply critical of the lack of progress reports and consultation.
"There is one report on the overall progress of the Ginninderry development and this is several years old," the report stated.
"There is a lack of public and community reporting with respect to the ACT Government's activities for the Parkwood cross-border development," it added.
Flowing from its report, two recommendations were made by the Audit office.
The first was for the ACT Chief Minister's department "to re-convene the Parkwood Steering Committee and work with the members to agree and deliver a work program each year", documenting the "priority tasks and timelines for the committee to effectively deliver on its objectives".
The second was for the Chief Minister's department to review and "endorse and/or revise" the service delivery options documented in a 2017 planning report for proposed services and infrastructure.
In a statement, David Maxwell, the managing-director of Riverview Developments which is rolling out Ginninderry and Parkwood, said his company supported the ACT Audit office recommendations.
"In particular, Riverview Developments supports an annual work program in advance of development activity reaching the NSW border in approximately 2033 and the endorsement of, or update to, the service delivery options," he said.
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