Curtin Residents Association

Audit – Curtin Residents Assoc Inc 2021

minutes of AGM 2021 (Feb 19 2021)

Minutes from Curtin Residents Association

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Dated: 21 February 2021

 

Agenda:

• Welcome
• Reports
  • President
  • Treasurer
  • Membership
• Election of new committee
• Refreshments
• Guest Speakers:
  • Evan Mann will speak about the ‘My Home’ development.
  • Fiona Carrick on the need for infrastructure in Woden.
  • Ian Elsum will talk about the development of the new Curtin Diplomatic precinct.

President Chris Johnson introduced himself and opened the meeting by welcoming all members and guests. Chris then explained that the AGM had been deferred from November last year because of COVID 19.

Apologies

         Lynne Johnson

         Ivan Johnstone

         Max McGregor

         Pam Swaffield

         Peter Forster

         Louise Moran

Reports:

President’s Report (attached) Chris Johnson:

• Thanks to all members who have assisted during the year;
• The only event that was held was ‘Welcome to Spring’ (part of Floriade);
• Chris explained that the CRA is an umbrella organisation for groups such as the gardening club;
• The gardening club has been involved in:
  • Adopt a Park
  • Floriade
  • Permanent planting at the Fred Ward Aged Care Facility
• The building development at 41-44 Curtin Place continues. The number of public toiles will be two, down from the previous three, despite correspondence with the Ministers for Planning (Mick Gentleman) and for City Services (local member Chris Steel).The plans finally approved for development are not available to the public, which makes scrutiny of it meeting the conditions difficult.
• Nine CRA newsletters have been produced since the last AGM.

Treasurer’s Report (attached) Monica Pflaum:

• Monica stated that minor variations in the report are because of the timings in Grant issue;
• The books are in order and will be submitted with the auditor’s report to the ACT Government

 

Membership Report (attached) Ann Parkinson:

• Ann pointed out the decrease in membership
  • Committee is looking into ways to increase our membership and would appreciate any ideas from CRA members
• Event organisation (such as Autumn Fair, Midwinter Solstice, Jam Fest, Post to Plots) are under the CRA umbrella
• Ann thanked members who have been involved in these events for their time, skills, and organisational abilities. Specifically, Ann extended a big thank you to Liz Lester for all her hard work across all events
• Ann pointed out that we can only run events with the help of members, and has put out a big call for volunteers
  • We need members to lead these events (not just committee members)
• Feedback from members was requested by show of hands for two events to be held this year. These are:
  • Autumn Fair, and
  • Welcome to Spring

The reports were moved to be accepted by Joan ….. and seconded by Evan Mann.

 

Elections:

Chris invited Evan Mann (a long standing member of CRA) to officiate the election of a new committee. All positions were declared vacant.

Nominations for all positions were received:

President               Chris Johnson

Vice President        Ian Elsum

Treasurer              Monica Pflaum

Secretary               Anne Brown-Bryan

Ordinary Members   Robin Stanton

Ann Parkinson (Membership)

Julia Tresidder

 

The AGM paused for refreshments at 2.30pm, and guest speakers at 2.45pm.

The meeting closed at 4pm.

 

 

 

Annual General Meeting is called for 2-4pm Sunday 21 Feb

at St James Church hall, Gillies St

Details are in the latest newsletter sent to members on 7th Feb.

Nominations are called for officebearers and committee members: here is a nomination form.

It’s a small fair, rather than a full-blown festival – but we want to welcome spring! The Residents Association and the Curtin Garden Group have planted some of the bulbs that were destined for Floriade – the flower show is being opened with a small fair of eight stalls on Saturday morning 26th September. It’s socially spaced out, on the Carruthers St side of the shops.

The ACT Government has swapped some land in North Curtin that is now used for horse paddocks – between the Yarralumla Creek and Cotter Road, on both sides of McCulloch St and almost up to Yarra Glen – with the National Capital Authority, to use as sites for embassies. The ACT government in exchange gets 2 hectares of the edge and underwater in West Basin Lake Burley Griffin for residential development.

This is a surprise move to the public and there was no hint of it in the 2018 strategic plan for the ACT, no indication in the draft plan for the stops for light rail Civic to Woden, nor any other notice until it was announced as a completed deal in March 2020. The process of planning for the public, with the promised transparency and public consultation has been forgotten, again, despite ACT government pledges and stated intentions. The public deserves better – there must be consultation before change of land use.

In this map the creek (blue line) runs along the lower (southern) edge of the outlined area, Cotter Rd is to the north, Yarra Glen to the east, McCulloch St is the thinner black line running through the western half of the site. The red outline is the area being changed.

This land is grassy and treed open space, used for horse paddocks, open for kangaroos and the public to walk through (keeping dogs on leash, please) and for hundreds of birds to pass through, guided by the creek. The birds can land, feed and sometimes stay. The proposed change is to carve some large blocks from along Cotter Road down to the creek, reserved for diplomatic purposes, and also to change an area along Yarra Glen a couple of hundred metres deep from open to urban, to allow ACT government to create residential development along the proposed light rail route from Civic to Woden. The changes will remove amounts of green open space from the North Woden valley and risk an established wildlife area and connecting corridor. The land around the creek is valuable for wildlife and for community open space: this could have been developed as future parkland along the creek, satisfying birds and people alike.

Although it may be too late to head off the land swap, the use of the land for building rather than open space is not yet finalised. The NCA has opened up a website for public to make submissions and comments on the proposal to rezone this land from open space to embassy plots.

Submissions are sought by 7 July 2020. The NCA consultation process is provided here with some media articles.
https://www.nca.gov.au/consultation/national-capital-plan-draft-amendment-95-north-curtin-diplomatic-estate-and-urban-area

Canberra Times
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6766450/canberra-to-get-world-class-embassy-precinct-with-horse-paddock-rezoning/
Riot Act

NCA’s embassy ambitions will destroy important bird corridor, says Curtin resident

Rail corridor housing in mix for Curtin horse paddocks

Shock and outrage at West Basin land swap with Curtin horse paddocks

Rail corridor housing in mix for Curtin horse paddocks

NCA’s Curtin amendment paves way for residential development along light rail corridor

Richard Allen is a local resident and long term bird-observer. He writes:

The entire area adjoining Yarralumla Creek including the bike path and North Curtin Horse Paddock is being rezoned from broadacre to urban.

Many Canberra Ornithologists’ Group members will have fond memories of seeing unusual birds like Red-backed Kingfisher, Figbird or Diamond Dove and recently a pair of Cockatiels with two dependent young (probably the only breeding record for ACT). These sightings though exciting are only significant in that they demonstrate that a wildlife corridor exists here. Regular yearly counts of 100 species (overall 169 species including 14 vulnerable) speaks volumes for the diversity and value of the paddock and Yarralumla creek corridor. I have 85 records of Little Eagle, regular returning trillers, whistlers, Dusky Woodswallow, Flame and Scarlet Robin. As well as special records like Painted Button-quail, Diamond Firetail and Southern Whiteface. I was especially excited when two colour banded Superb Fairy-wrens dispersed 7km from Australian National Botanical Gardens where ANU researchers had banded the sisters at nest that spring.

Once rezoned as urban we must consider that this valuable lowland pasture and many of the above species will be lost from the Woden valley. It is a critical corridor linking the Molonglo River valley with Red Hill Nature Reserve and south through Woden valley.

Floriade in Commonwealth Park is cancelled, but the bulbs and seedlings have been made available to community groups for Floriade in the Suburbs.

Curtin Garden Group and the Curtin Residents Association got together and applied for a bunch of bulbs, we bought some containers and potting mix, and we planted them out on Carruthers St in front of the Red Brick Cafe, near the PO Boxes, and in Curtin Square against the black fence. Looking forward to September when we will have Floriade in Curtin. There are other plantings in Woden suburbs and throughout Canberra.

 

Saturday 28 September 9am-noon in Curtin Square

• Garden stalls and information
• meet the gardeners Q&A
• gardneing books stall
• children’s activities
• square dancing
• cactus group

Tree planting morning Saturday 3 August

in the loop park, Macalister Crescent / Collier St 9am-1pm. Curtin Garden Group

 

Curtin Supper Club Saturday 31 August

see Facebook www.facebook.com/CurtinSupperClub – tickets will appear on Eventbrite

 

Pots to Plots:Curtin Gardeners Market Saturday morning 28 September

see Curtin Village Life on meetup.com for updates

 

Curtin Vet 5th Birthday party 9am-1pm Saturday 26 October

contact the Curtin Vet for more information

The final version of the Curtin Group Centre Master Plan has been released by ACT government directorate for Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development.

The plan is here (PDF document, 12.4 MB)
https://www.planning.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/1286387/Curtin-Masterplan-Final-ACCESS.pdf

The plan contains a lot of the community interest and input from years of work by people in and around Curtin. The building heights around the small central square are set at maximum 1 storey or 5 metres around 3 sides, and a setback then up to 5 storeys on the fourth southern side. This should maintain much of the sunlight in the square through the year. There can be a 5 storey building at the southwestern corner which will unfortunately cast shadows in the afternoons in spring and autumn, when children and parents are in the square, but the plan keeps this building height back to the edge in line with the Coles building line (not its awning).  The plan shows the opportunities for developing business and accommodation around the centre, while keeping the heart of its community, urban village character at the centre.

Now this plan needs to be implemented as regulations and enforced in practice, because the square is so small that we cannot allow it to be nibbled away at the edges. The plan talks about improving waste management, service access, car parking and pedestrian access. It emphasises the idea of using the Radburn principles of openness and working with the green spaces for pedestrian and cycle access through the centre and into the neighbourhoods of Curtin. This is a successful place for living and working and playing, a good plan will keep this working and not need to make places from scratch.

There are opportunities for development around the centre. The plan shows ways of developing to 6 storeys on the existing hotel area in the southern side of the centre, at a good distance from the square. This is shown to allow good green areas and business frontages at the human scale for people to use the centre, encouraging access as walkers and cyclists, and being an attractive place for car users as they park cars and become local pedestrians.

The government must also follow up implementing its share of the plan, and make investment in managing services, maintaining and improving the infrastructure of roads and car-parking, green spaces and pathways in Curtin as for the good of everyone in Canberra. This plan is the start of showing where and how – it also needs to be implemented in actions.