The Conservation Council has provided feedback to the ACT Government on the Draft Southern Gateway Planning and Design Framework.
The Framework is a long-term plan that sets out the Government’s vision for how the Southern Gateway corridor (extending from Parliament House to Farrer) could develop over the coming decades (up to 2050 and beyond).
The Conservation Council broadly supports the intended vision for the Framework’s focus on transit-oriented development, higher density housing and active travel routes. Compact, well-connected and climate-resilient infill development in the Southern Gateway corridor will help to reduce Canberra’s emissions and avoid the need for greenfield urban sprawl in ecological sensitive areas such as the Western Edge.
With transport emissions constituting 61% of the ACT’s total emissions, planning for the future of the Southern Gateway gives the ACT Government a significant opportunity to provide safe and accessible walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure needed to enable mode shift away from private vehicles and to reduce emissions.
The Conservation Council’s submission makes the following recommendations:
- Amend the vision statement to acknowledge the importance of cycling and access to nature
- Deliver safe and accessible walking and cycling pathways and connections throughout the Southern Gateway corridor
- Invest in a protected cycleway from Woden to Civic
- Deliver public transport connections across and throughout the Southern Gateway
- Include a light rail stop at North Curtin
- Prioritise protection and restoration of natural spaces
- Prioritise the renaturalisation of Yarralumla Creek
- Require the use of water-sensitive urban design approaches
You can read our full submission here.
Image: Impression of Adelaide Avenue with light rail – ACT Government.