Council invites the Weston Creek Community to the 26 May 2022 public meeting which will focus on updating us on the new Landcare and Parkcare groups that have been formed in the Weston Creek area recently. We know there is a lot of community interest out there in Landcaring. Our guest speaker will be Martine Franco, Executive Officer of the Southern ACT Catchment Group, who will be supported by their Urban Water Officer. This might just be the presentation we need to drag us away from the seemingly never-ending election campaign and subsequent post-mortems.
We look forward to many members of the Weston Creek Community attending.
EVENT: 25 MAY PUBLIC MEETING.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, 25 MAY 2022. TIME: 7:30 PM
LOCATION: WESTON CREEK COMMUNITY CENTRE, off PARKINSON STREET
The meeting will be webcast live via our Facebook pages, and the video recording will remain available for viewing later. We will try to have questions that we receive presented to the speakers. Please let us know your questions via email in advance (info@westoncreek.org.au) or through the comments field on the Facebook pages. We request that people asking questions during the meeting identify themselves and use one of the available microphones to ensure people viewing meeting remotely can understand the full context of discussions.
It is that time of year when Council thinks about the conduct of the Annual General Meeting. The background work required includes finalising the accounts, preparing statutory reporting and organising the agenda for the meeting and arranging an independent chair should an election be required. The process is quite streamlined because we are a small organisation, but important to complete correctly.
A most important part of the AGM planning is calling for nominations to fill the Committee positions. If you can contribute a little bit of your time to assisting the community, taking up a committee position can be very rewarding. Feel free to contact myself of any Committee member should you wish to become involved.
CHAIR’S REPORT
Since our last newsletter, a lot has sure happened. I continue to see the community getting out a lot more and families enjoying the freedom in our many parks. The Government seems to have also emerged from Covid and is providing us plenty of opportunity to provide feedback on initiatives. While the threat of Covid is still with us, we are also being warned of a nasty influenza season ahead, so the queues are building up at the local vaccination centres. Have you been vaccinated yet?
Yes, the consultation on the revised Planning Laws continues. The Government is still seeking input from the community via the Your Say facility. The documents can be accessed at https://www.planning.act.gov.au/planning-our-city/act-planning-system-review-and-reform.
The opportunity to comment closes on 15 June 2022.
www.westoncreek.org.au info@westoncreek.org.au PO Box 3701 Weston Creek ACT 2611 Telephone 0458 756 034
Council encourages all residents to make their views known. A response can be as simple as a one-line note, saying you agree, disagree or feel it needs to be better explained. Council does continue representing you at various meetings organised to discuss aspects of the proposed laws. Yes, the laws need to be simpler and easier to understand. But this does not mean good decision-making criteria should be abandoned or complex concepts buried in a morass of regulation, that is far from citizen friendly. As I said last month, while the Government is keen to have the new legislation operating from January 2023, my analysis of legislative timelines suggests this to be overly ambitious if they really want to deliver a quality product.
I will take this opportunity to comment that one member of our local media commenting almost solely on planning matters has not reported the complete range of views being expressed about this law. For example, I represented Council at the forum organised by the Inner South Community Council on 10 May. The views I expressed on the day differed on some significant points from the views expressed by the two invited speakers. My views were not reported. I will think twice about collecting future editions of the publication in question.
The Brierly Street upgrade project is the subject of consultations. Council representatives have been attending meetings with the design team. Our previously expressed views that the project budget is insufficient to satisfy the aspirations of the Community, and we will be suggesting the next Territory Budget needs to provide sensible additional investment to ensure a worthy upgrade for such a busy precinct.
Representations on the Village Building Company Development Application for the former AFP site on Streeton Drive closed on 20 May 2022. We had a further constructive electronic meeting with Village on 5 May 2022. Council has lodged a representation, that reflects the Community view. We are also very pleased to note that the development has been named “Fetherston”, a very appropriate tribute to a significant man.
Council is also working on submissions for the Territory’s 2023 Budget and the Urban Tree Bill. The closing date for the Budget input is 27 May 2022, and the Urban Tree Bill is 2 June 2022. Council again encourages you to make brief submissions or provide us with your thoughts, perhaps at the Public Meeting.
Over recent months, I have been speaking about “Fix my Street”. Council continues to hear about matters that remain unaddressed, often because the Government’s internal workload management and tracking tools are not “fit for purpose” or the Government’s staff are not sufficiently resourced or empowered to take appropriate action. We encourage residents to continue reporting their concerns via fix my street, and if they not resolved to report the issue to your preferred local MLA. We note MLAs, Mr Hanson and Dr Paterson have both stated they accept such representations.
The Development Application seeking to remove the concessional status of the lease at 1 Brierly St Weston (The Weston Raiders Club) has been lodged and is available for viewing here
If you have any comments on the “Raiders’ DA” you can lodge them with EPSSDD, or provide them to Council for incorporation in a summary submission. At this stage, Council’s main concern is the likely loss of valuable community space, and no information about any future plans for the site. Council is also very interested in the financial calculations behind the proposal. Comments close on 6 June 2012.
CELEBRATING WORKING TOGETHER AND ACHIEVING.
The Weston Creek Community Council (WCCC) continues to be a forum for residents to meet, share ideas and to convey concerns to government. We are non-partisan, advocating for the best services and facilities for the people of Weston Creek.