The proposed residential development near the Murrumbidgee River as part of plans for West Tuggeranong has local community and environmental groups confused and angry.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Tuggeranong Archery Club is one of a number of sporting clubs that will be affected by the proposal, despite promises from the ACT government ensuring their ranges are protected by being on public land.
The government announced plans to create a new suburb west of Tuggeranong last month that would include more than 80 hectares of space between Greenway and the river corridor.
The plans encompass a number of existing community facilities.
The archery club's representative, Stephen Caldicott, said the development places risks on the various sporting facilities already established in the area.
"If you put houses in there, not only is the river going to choke, but a lot of these activities aren't going to take place, such as archery and horse riding, because they are not sympathetic to domestic development, regardless of the density," he said.
Mr Caldicott is one of a number of Tuggeranong residents and groups to express concern since the announcement of the proposal.
He said the government had committed hundreds of thousands of dollars to remediate the existing damage caused by runoff.
"The river is very active in that area and a lot of the buffer area or the repairing zone around the river is going to be removed, which means hard surfaces such as roads will create a lot of runoff that currently soaks into the ground," he said.
"With all these hard surfaces the runoff is going to go straight in to the river, which means the river is going to be full of pollutants, runoffs, sedimentation and major erosion issues along the banks."
Matthew Frawley, a long-term Tuggeranong resident and environmental activist, is also concerned about the plans.
"I've been bird watching in that area for the past five years collecting bird observations, so I probably walk through that area more than anyone else in Canberra," he said.
Mr Frawley has started a community campaign and is meeting with many groups, including the Conversation Council and the Tuggeranong Community Council, "to ultimately prevent the proposal from going ahead."
"I don't see how you could develop there and not have negative impacts on the river," said Mr Frawley. "They haven't really done any environmental assessments yet."
ACT Planning Minister Mick Gentleman said tthe focus on the environmental sustainability would be significant.
"Any proposed development for the future would have to undergo a vigorous environmental impact study and of course the conservator for fauna and flora would have to be involved as well," he said.
Mr Gentleman said much of the concerns arising from the proposal come down to a lack of communication with the local groups and the simple fact the plan is still in its infancy.
"This is only very early stages yet and we have had some work provided," he said. "It's the opportunity to talk to the community before anything proceeds to see what they would like to see operate."
