Future of Weston Gardens secure
Article posted on Friday 20 November 2009 | 1 comment »
The most significant open space area in Weston Creek, the CIT gardens, will be maintained despite the probable transformation of the campus to a school.
Consultation over the future of the site has been ongoing since since the decision was made to relocate students and staff at the Weston campus to the Bruce campus, with the site either to be provided as a new location for the Islamic School of Canberra or for a medium density residential development.
Article continues »...There were fears that the gardens might be lost following the decision to develop the site, however as a recent Weston Creek Community Council (WCCC) meeting, the director of strategic project facilitation in the Chief Minister's department, Ross McKay, gave commitment that the garden area would remain no matter what is developed at the campus.
WCCC chairman Tim Dalton welcome this news and said the council looked forward to working with other community groups in developing a plan to maintain the site now that the horticultural students from the CIT would no longer be tending it.
"Unlike other areas, Weston Creek has no public park and this would be an ideal area for the district," Mr Dalton said.
"This is a great result and an opportunity for the residents to take ownership of a piece of their community".
While encouraged by the news that the gardens would be retained, residents at the WCCC meeting were less than enthusiastic about the consultation process regarding the possibility of the Islamic School being located at the site.
Members of the council unanimously voted that they were unsatisfied with the community consultation regarding the future of the site.
Resident David Edwards said the community information night was farcical and questioned the legitimacy of the process given that he, and other residents who attended the night, could not access any information regarding the plans due to the overwhelming number of people at the meeting, particular from the Muslim community.
Gregory O'Regan said he found the night a very uncomfortable experience and was questioned by several people as to what he was doing there.
Purdon Associates was commissioned by the government to carry out t5he community consultation, an director Christine Purdon said she was sorry that a number of people had this experience, but the Muslim community had every right to attend the information night.
She said that the majority of respondents to a survey released earlier this year indicated that the majority of residents in Weston were not opposed to the establishment of the school.
A report on the consultation would be forwarded to the ACT Cabinet members in the near future, with a decision on which way to proceed with the site, either the Islamic school or residential development, expected before the end of the year.
By Peter Reynolds
SouthSide Chronicle
17 November 2009
1 comment
1. The dissatisfaction with the consultation process was so strong that it would be correct to say that the consultants, Purdons, were condemned for their incompetence. The Chief Minister was also strongly criticised for skewing the consultation from the start by saying he had in mind gifting the land to the Islamic school. As in previous “consultations” the Chief Minister had once again indicated what his decision would be before the consultation was under way. The representative from the Chief Minister’s Department was unable to counter this criticism effectively. Indeed his stonewalling annoyed many attending the meeting.
2. The report makes no mention of the several suggestions that were made for alternative uses for the CIT site – swimming facilities, and arts and community centre, community gardens, public housing, an alternative vocational school for students at risk and there may be others if the chance for proposing alternatives had been put to Canberrans as a whole. For example, could the site be made a permanent site for Floriade or for floral and agricultural or similar fairs? Its amphitheatre shape may be of advantage for other purposes.
3. The elephant in the room is locating a school of Islamic persuasion on the CIT site. I can almost see the members of the WCCC shudder at the possibility of publicly stating opposition to the Islamic school. The natural inclination of Australians is to live and let live and to do so generously. However is such generosity of spirit prudent given the record of Islam is one of violent antagonism to the West including Australia and that Islamic schools are the places where the propagation of hatred of the West is inculcated? The question is whether the WCCC has the courage to oppose the establishment of an Islamic school, point this out to the ACT government?
4. I thought some mention was made that WCCC would widen the consultation by writing to the other Community Councils in Canberra not only to alert them to the full issues but also to obtain their views, as the future use of this valuable public asset should be of wider interest than of Weston Creek residents alone.
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