The next Public Meeting of the Weston Creek Community Council will be held on Wednesday 29 May at the Weston Club at 7.30 pm. We have a fairly full Agenda with an update on Molonglo Development being provided by Ivo Matesic, Project Director – Molonglo, Land Development Agency and John Husband, Senior Project Manager, Capital Works Coordination, Economic Development Directorate (EDD). This will be followed by an update on the Molonglo/Weston Creek Aquatic Facility by David Jeffery also of the Economic Development Directorate. Finally, Architect Fred Kasparak will give a presentation on the proposed development of Block 1, Section 47, Wright.
Roadworks, roadworks and more roadworks. When are they likely to end? Not in the foreseeable future I am sad to say. It is almost chaotic to leave Weston Creek of a weekday morning and that is the major issue at the moment for residents in Weston Creek. We have the continuing work on the duplication of the Cotter Road from Yarralumla Creek to Dunrossil Drive. When this will be completed I am not sure but then we are likely to see Stage Two of this duplication occur from Yarralumla Creek to the Tuggeranong Parkway so one works will end and another start.
As well, we have the work on the Hilder/Heysen Streets intersection which being changed to a roundabout due to the new estate development by Defence Housing Australia. This is due for completion by the end of July. Further down this road we continue to have problems in morning peak rush with the Davenport / Launceston Streets roundabout in Lyons and finally we have the morning parking lot on Hindmarsh Drive waiting to get to the lights at the Hindmarsh Drive/Melrose Drive intersection. RoadsACT were conducting reviews of both of these matters last month but council has heard no outcome as yet.
To add to this, works will soon be starting on the changes to the Streeton Drive Cotter Road intersection and further works just up the road with the installation of traffic lights with the re-alignment of Dixon Drive and Unwin Place at Streeton Drive. Finally, we have the announcement in the Budget this week as part of the Nation Building Program of a project to implement “ramp metering on the Tuggeranong Parkway / Cotter Road interchange”. The ramp metering will control the timing of traffic entering the Tuggeranong Parkway using traffic signals located at controlled entry ramps. The project is expected to reduce the occurrence of flow breakdowns northbound on the Tuggeranong Parkway during the morning peak traffic in the vicinity of the Cotter Road on-ramp. These works will be at an estimated cost of $600,000 of which the Australian Government will contribute up to $300,000. There is no timing on when this is likely to occur and I am sure that many in our community will question the need for these works.
Our last meeting was a very good one with our Guest Speaker the Minister for Territory and Administrative Services, Mr Shane Rattenbury,. We had a lively question and answer session and the Minister clearly heard the issues important to residents of Weston Creek. As an added bonus, our Federal Member of the House of Representatives, Ms Gai Brodtmann, also attended and spoke and answered questions on matters important to residents. Two matters Ms Brodtmann spoke on were the need for a second petrol station for Weston Creek and Molonglo and the discussions she had held with the ACT Government on this matter as well as raising again with the ACT Government, the urgent need for a new Community Centre in Weston Creek. I wish to thank both for their willingness to speak and answer the questions on the issues raised by residents.
Information just to hand is that the Draft Master Plan for the Weston Group Centre is not likely to be released until sometime in July at the earliest so we will await this with interest.
I will be taking the next two months off as I travel with my wife in warmer climes. To keep up to date with all issues affecting Weston Creek please monitor the Weston Creek Community Council’s website at www.wccc.com.au .
Tom Anderson
Chair