Mazin Madhloom, who lives in a historic workers' settlement in Canberra's east, welcomed a new plan to redevelop the precinct into an area up to six-storeys high.
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"It's going to create new buildings and new jobs. There should be more facilities for Canberra. It could be just like the airport with many shops - coffee shops, that sort of thing," Mr Madhloom said.
The latest plan for the East Lake area, released on Thursday, included upgrades to the Canberra railway station, a park and recreational area on the site of a former landfill on the edge of the Jerrabomberra Wetlands and an "innovation precinct" and business hub around Mildura Street.
Buildings up to eight storeys could be built around an upgraded transport hub, the plan said.
Kaitlyn Palmer, another resident in The Causeway who lives down the street from Mr Madhloom, said the redevelopment of the area represented a great opportunity for Canberra.
"I'm all for it. Knock down The Causeway," Ms Palmer said.
"It would be a great opportunity for Canberra, turning it into a transport hub. Lots of opportunities jobs wise, more apartments for people to live in. I'm all for it."
The Causeway, first settled in 1925, has long been earmarked for redevelopment, with the ACT government finally releasing an updated East Lake place plan on Thursday.
The president of the Kingston and Barton Residents' Group, Richard Johnston, said he was surprised the plan had been put out for public comment with no warning or opportunities to meet with the consultants or the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate.
Mr Johnston said he was also eager to have more information from the government on which areas would be developed first in the East Lake area.
"There's no discussion that I can see in the documents about the future housing of the current Causeway residents," Mr Johnston said.
"What's happening with them, we don't know?"
Planning Minister Mick Gentleman said the plan would help the government transform an underutilised area into a thriving, mixed-use precinct.
"We'd like to see work start fairly quickly. ... There is demand for housing right across Canberra, so the quicker we can deliver housing, the better for Canberra," Mr Gentleman said.
The Planning Minister said he wanted to see the renewal of public housing in The Causeway but said there would not necessarily be the same number of public housing dwellings in the same area.
"Certainly there'd be a real increase in the dwellings there and an opportunity for some community housing as well," he said.
Mr Gentleman said the Planning Directorate had already started some internal work to deliver the precinct.
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"This area will offer diverse housing choices, particularly in The Causeway area. In the longer term, it will look at the proposed mixed-use redevelopment of the railway station precinct as a transport hub," Mr Gentleman had earlier said in a statement.
"Excitingly, it will have sustainable, connected green links, opportunities for community facilities and spaces for play, rest, exercise, and event spaces."
The precinct would include medium density, social and community housing, along with a mixed-use precinct around the upgraded railway station that could become a future multi-modal transport hub.
The plan also forecast the area would become home to "young progressives" and others with "established lifestyles".
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Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
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.
