Canberra Grammar car park development application rejected, but more to be done

The application for a 86-space bitumen car park to replace an existing gravel car park was rejected on the grounds that it did not meet the requirements for merit track applications detailed in the Planning and Development Act 2007.

The application characterised the development as "minor use", meaning it would be built for the use that the land it is upon was made for.

The car park would sit upon a PRZ1 zone, which are allocated to provide parks and open spaces contributing to the recreational needs of the community around them.

The Canberra Grammar School's proposed car park would not have been built on school grounds as it is split off by Monaro Crescent, and was considered by the planning and land authority to be better characterised as a car park alone.

"The authority's assessment [has] concluded that the proposed car park operates as a stand-alone development, and is not incidental to or acting as a minor accompaniment to the land where the development is proposed. Therefore, the development cannot be considered as 'minor use' or 'ancillary'," planning and land authority delegate Richard Davies wrote in the Notice of Decision.

The decision comes after backlash from the local community about the importance of open green space in the area.

The movement towards the closure of the car park was the result of a petition created by the Lyneham Community Association in collaboration with the Griffith Narrabundah Community Association, and the North Canberra Community Council to "Stop Private Car Parks on Protected Green Open Spaces".

What caused the petition's start was not the Canberra Grammar School's car park application, but rather a decade-long battle around another car park located along Brigalow Street in Lyneham, which is currently in use by Brindabella Christian College.

Trevor Vickers has been living in Lyneham for more than 30 years and said there is a little bit more hope that something might change after the rejection of the car park in Griffith.

But, with nothing happening in over 10 years and a lease lasting until 2029, he is being realistic with his expectations.

"The rejection of the other car park at Canberra Grammar School may create a possibility that this one will be looked into again. It's definitely a positive thing, and I think we can be a bit more hopeful as a result," he said.

"But the other side of it is, are we really in a different position to where we were before?

"The car park is still there, and exactly as it has been for all these years."

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The Lyneham Community Association has long said the car park is a significant risk, as it crosses a footpath regularly used for walking and cycling by school children and the community.

No development application has been submitted for the car park, and nothing has been done despite the decade-long backlash from the Lyneham community.

Lyneham Community Association committee member Kate Bradney said the rejection of the Canberra Grammar School car park is a step in the right direction.

"The association is ecstatic at the decision to reject the Canberra Grammar car park on protected public land, it's such a big win for the whole of the ACT, our environment and protected green open spaces," she said.

"It was a massive coordinated effort from groups and individuals all over the ACT, and community groups joined forces to make submissions and lodge the petition.

"It especially sends a clear message to other private institutions that it's not okay to encroach onto protected public green open spaces for the purpose of car parks, and that the community, and hopefully the ACT government, are strongly opposed and will stand up for our planning legislation, our protected public land, and our environment in the ACT."

The petition has over 680 signatures at the time of publication, since opening on February 16 this year.