The June 2009 Community Forum will be held at:

7.30pm, Tuesday 16 June 2009
Community Room, upstairs Belconnen Library, Chandler Street:

Topics to be discussed are:

Meeting the Challenges of Student Behaviour in Our Schools; and

Belconnen Town Centre Improvements – project update

The Principal of the Kingsford Smith School and the Acting Manager of Student Support (ACT) will be present to inform the meeting of the policies they have implemented. The question and answer session is an opportunity for residents to have an input into future policy initiatives related to student behaviour.

Representatives from Roads ACT and ACTION will provide an update on the Belconnen Town Centre improvements project being implemented by the ACT Government in partnership with Westfield. They will discuss upcoming works in the program together with any queries from Belconnen residents on the current progress of the works.

The May 2009 Community Forum will be held at:

7.30pm, Tuesday 19 May 2009
Community Room above the Chandler Street Belconnen Library

The Belconnen Community Council invites Belconnen residents and interested citizens to a public meeting with the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services and Territory and Municipal Services (TAMS). The presentations are about the progress to date of the creation of new regional COMMUNITY CENTRES at the former HOLT and COOK school sites. TAMS are creating Community Parks and Playgrounds on those sites and are conducting community consultations on their plans for these sites.

A proposal for the development of a cemetery in southen Canberra has been made by Mr Robert Smeaton, Chairman of the ACT Public Cemeteries Authority.
Belconnen residents are encouraged to provide feedback on the issue during this first consultation process which ends on the 22nd May 2009.

For more details please click here.

The surveys and fact sheets are also available at all ACT Public Libraries and Canberra Connect Shop fronts.

The ACT Government and the Little Company of Mary have been in discussion about the possible sale of the Calvary Public Hospital from the Little Company of Mary to the ACT Government.

How will this affect the people of Belconnen?

The 250-bed hospital is currently owned and managed by the Little Company of Mary Health Care and is 95% funded by ACT Health.

The Little Company of Mary also owns and runs a 95-bed private hospital and health-care complex co-located with Calvary Public Hospital.

The ACT Government has stated that having Canberra’s two public hospitals owned and managed by two separate entities is untenable in the long run. The ACT Government has offered to buy the hospital for approximately $80 million – its present valuation - and take over its management. It would also be open to the Little Company of Mary to become full owner of Clare Holland House which they now manage on a short-term contract.

The April 2009 Community Forum will be held at:

7.30pm, Tuesday 21 April 2009
Community Room above the Chandler Street Belconnen Library

Topics to be discussed include: the Lawson South Planning Study; and the community consultation for Increasing the Number of Dwellings for the Northern Area of the Macgregor West Residential Estate. Representatives of the ACT Planning and Land Authority (ACTPLA) will be present to provide information.

Consultants are conducting an environmental, planning and development study for part of the future suburb of Lawson. The study area is bounded by the suburbs of McKellar, Giralang, Kaleen and Bruce.

The Belconnen Community Council invites Belconnen residents and interested citizens to a public meeting to have their questions or concerns answered by ACTPLA officials about any aspect of these proposed developments.

To whom it may concern,

I am working with Susan Conroy as part of a team that have been engaged to undertake a consultation and design process regarding the refurbishment of the Scullin Shops.

Next Sat 4th April we will be holding a drop-in consultation at the Scullin shops. Attached is an information flyer about the drop-in.

This information was provided to the Belconnen Community Council by Sandy Scott. If you have any comments they can be forwarded to us at belcouncil@yahoo.com.au.

Over the next two years, a $124 million facelift will be made to the Belconnen Town Centre giving people better access to the shopping mall, simpler bus routes and easier pedestrian access to the town centre.

Over the next 18 months, significant construction in Belconnen Town Centre will create:

• New shops and car parking fronting Lathlain Street. Westfield Belconnen’s extension also includes a new bus station that connects directly to the cinema and other entertainment, shops and services in level three of the Mall.
• Temporary bus stations will be located on Cohen Street, Lathlain Street and Cameron Avenue. These bus stations will provide connections to all bus routes passing through the Belconnen Town Centre.
  

ACTPLA and its consultants, SGS Economics and Planning, briefed Shirley Gourgaud and Brian Rhynehart of the BCC together with Peter Nolan from the Giralang Residents Action Group on the North-East Belconnen Retail Strategy on 14 January 2009 at their Dickson Office. Shirley requested that retail space for Dunlop and some issues of interest regarding the proposed new suburb of Lawson also be discussed. The minutes of this meeting are attached.

Belconnen Community Council announces its new executive following the October 2008 Annual General Meeting.

The office holders for the next 12 months are as follows:

President: Shirley Gourgaud

Vice President: Damien Haas

Secretary: Mathew Watts

Returning Officer: Brian Rhynehart

Committee Members: (to be announced)

ACT Light Rail, a collective of individuals interested in stimulating renewed debate for exploring Light Rail options for the Capital Region will be hosting a public meeting this coming Wednesday 12th September.

The group is hoping to reenergize the public transport debate before the upcoming Federal and 2008 Territory Election. The meeting will be held at:

Wednesday 12 September, 7:30pm
Griffin Centre, Genge Street, Civic

Visit the ACT Light Rail website for more information.

The ACT Government has released discussion papers on climate change and energy policy in the ACT. They can be read online at the following locations:

Discussion paper on ACT Energy Policy
Discussion paper on ACT Climate Change Strategy

Submissions on the papers are welcomed, but must be received by April 26. Please visit the ACT Government Sustainability Office at http://www.sustainability.act.gov.au for further details.