Book launch for Curtin turns 50 at 4 pm, Thursday 8 December.
All are very welcome at the launch of the book Curtin turns 50: the story of a Canberra suburb 1964–2014. It is all about the history of your suburb. The book launch will be held in the square at Curtin shops. It is your chance to buy your own copy of this interesting and relevant book.
Meeting with the Planning Directorate of the ACT Government.
Following an exchange of letters with the Minister, and with the Minister’s encouragement, two Committee members from the Curtin Residents Association met with the Project Manager for the Curtin Group Centre Master Plan. The meeting was helpful in rounding out our understanding of the process by which a development proposal for 44 Curtin Place will be evaluated. As we understand the situation, the Government has yet to receive a proposal from the developer, although discussions between the Government and the developer are ongoing. Given the extensive planning and consultation captured in the Draft Master Plan, it would be appropriate if development proposals were to be evaluated against that Draft Plan. However, advice to the Committee is that, until the Plan is finalised, evaluation will be against the current, much less prescriptive, rules. Accordingly, we have written again to the Minister requesting that the Plan be finalised as soon as possible.
Plant and cake stall at the Curtin shops from 9 am to 12 noon, Saturday 26 November.
The Curtin Shops Garden Group is raising funds for the restoration of the John Curtin Garden, which is the garden at the shops on Carruthers St with the stone wall which names our suburb. Most of the plants are already in but the Garden Group now needs to pay for brickwork (steps, ramp and garden border) as well as preparing the surface and installing a seat.
The Garden Group will have a good selection of plants, cakes and other items for sale. There is also a raffle with prizes donated by Curtin businesses. Come along and buy raffle tickets, delicious cakes or locally grown plants—the group would appreciate your support. For more information contact Evan Mann on evan.mann@netspeed.com.au.
Curtin Residents Association Committee meetings.
Following the Association’s incorporation earlier this year, the inaugural Committee met weekly to build the membership, engage with immediate concerns such as the 44 Curtin Place proposal, and set up various back-office arrangements. At its meeting on 10 November, the Committee decided to hold meetings on the first Thursday of each month. Members are encouraged to put items on the agenda for that meeting by writing to the Secretary, Chris Johnson, at info@curtinresidents.asn.au.
The Association’s Annual General Meeting will be held in October.
The Woden Valley Community Council (WVCC) has supported the Curtin Residents Association with an annual subsidy along with a start-up grant. The Treasurer, Monica Pflaum, accepted the WVCC’s offer and thanked the Council on behalf of the Curtin Residents Association at their meeting on 2 November. The Association’s President, Robin Stanton, was elected to the WVCC at the same meeting.
The following email was sent to Candidates in the Electorate of Murrumbidgee about the Proposed Development of 44 Curtin Place (Curtin Shops)
We are writing to you as a candidate for the seat of Murrumbidgee in the upcoming ACT election.
The Curtin Residents Association (CRA) is a recently established community group intended to support the Curtin community to maintain and enhance the qualities of the suburb. The CRA has been involved in discussion among Curtin residents on the Master Plan for the Curtin Group Centre being developed by the ACT Government. I imagine you are aware that a draft Master Plan was released in November 2015 and that the final version is due to be approved after the election.
In recent months, the owners of one of the blocks of shops in the Curtin Centre (44 Curtin Place) have proposed replacing the existing single storey building with a multi-storey shopping and residential building.
The owners have undertaken consultations with Curtin residents including through a series of community meetings. The CRA appreciates this consultative approach and acknowledges the owners’ long association with the Curtin Group Centre.
However, the CRA has concerns about some aspects of the proposal which are inconsistent with the recommendations of the draft Curtin Group Centre Master Plan. There is also concern that the proposal may be lodged and assessed as a development application before the final Master Plan is issued and its key recommendations incorporated in the Territory Plan. The 44 Curtin Place website envisages that demolition could start by October 2017.
We are seeking advice of election candidates as to their views. The first of the two attached documents contains four questions on aspects of the proposal to develop 44 Curtin Place. The second contains more detailed background on the proposal and CRA’s position with respect to it; the results of public consultations conducted in connection with the Curtin Group Centre Master Planning process; relevant suggestions and recommendations of the draft Master Plan; and about CRA itself.
We hope you will be able to provide us with answers to the questions in a form that would allow us to place them on the CRA website for Curtin residents, and the public more generally. We think you will find answering the questions relatively easy. Please contact us, however, if you would like to discuss any of the questions before answering them or
if you have any concern about your response being placed on our website.
We aim to start putting answers on our website from the beginning of October and we would ask for your response no later than Friday 7 October.
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Chris Johnson Honorary Secretary, Curtin Residents Association m 0401 498 684 e info@curtinresidents.asn.au w www.curtinresidents.asn.au
Curtin Residents Association
Round Table Meeting
Invitation
2.30 pm to 4 pm Sunday, 28 August 2016
St James Hall, Uniting Church, 40 Gillies Street, Curtin
Curtin Residents Association members are invited to a round table meeting on Sunday, 28 August. Any other people interested in becoming members of the Curtin Residents Association are also invited to attend.
The Association is a community organisation run by a committee of volunteers elected at Annual General Meetings. In its current start-up phase, the Association has an Inaugural Committee. Members of that committee together with the Curtin Residents Association rules, purposes and objectives are set out at www.CurtinResidents.asn.au .
The work of the Curtin Residents Association is guided by the views and concerns of members relating to the Association’s purposes and objectives. Round table meetings will be held from time to time to discuss current issues and priority objectives.
This round table, the Curtin Residents Association’s first, is to provide members with information about the work of the Association and to seek members’ views on priorities. The format will be divided between presentations and discussions.
Agenda
Introduction
Objectives and Purposes of the Curtin Residents Association
Purposes and Objectives
Incorporation
Linking with ACT planning
Experiences from another Residents Association
Di Johnstone, Vice-President, Deakin Residents Association
ACT Planning
Overview of ACT Planning relevant to Curtin
Group Centre Master Plan
CRA Initial Priorities
Open floor on priorities
Afternoon tea will be available.
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Curtin Residents Association Inc.
PO Box 261 Curtin ACT 2605
info@CurtinResidents.asn.au
The proposal to demolish and rebuild on 44 Curtin Place led to the developer organising three information sessions, a week apart, in June. The sessions were well attended, particularly the third session as the word from the first two spread around the community. The developers invited comments under the heading of “seeing if a trade-off” can be found between their proposal and community concerns, as expressed from the floor at the information sessions. The CRA has emailed the developers with a list of concerns focussed on additional information and the level of assurances around solar access, height profiles of the proposed built form and public amenity issues such as parking and attention to public amenity. The (draft) Curtin Group Master Plan is a reference for many residents and has formed the platform for discussions with the ACT Government as well as with the developer. The outcome of these discussions will be posted on this site as various aspects are clarified.
Curtin Residents Association works to care for Curtin, organising community events and acting to make an even better place to live.
This is the CRA Home page. Scroll down for other recent information postings.
If you are a CRA member you can add a posting to the site by sending an email to info@curtinresidents.asn.au .
Curtin Residents Association ABN 69 953 291 646
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The CRA was incorporated on 27th June this year. The inaugural CRA Committee first met on 12th July. Members of the committee are listed under the “About the CRA” button in the header menu. To date the Committee has had three meetings focussed on developing the membership and on a number of concerns raised by Curtin residents during initial discussions about establishing the CRA; in particular the proposal to demolish and rebuild 44 Curtin Place has been front of mind for many residents.