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ISSUES - YARRALUMLA BRICKWORKS

More information about historical Yarralumla Brickworks redevelopment proposals

More information about the current Land Development Authority development proposal

• August 2010: On 19 August 2010, Chief Minister Jon Stanhope stated the following in response to questions without notice:

  • "My instinct is to support a fairly expansive future use for the brickworks, but I would expect that, depending on which of those options we accept—once again, if we were to accept option 4 in its entirety, then revenues from land sales would far exceed the $100 million that we would expend on the brickworks."

  • "It would be a nonsense to think about investing massively, say to the tune of $100 million, in the Yarralumla brickworks, the Canberra brickworks, without looking at how we might utilise the large areas of land that surround it."

• August 2010: The 'Third Community Conversation' was held on 17 August 2010 to enable residents to express their views and have the Brickworks and environs development options explained. A summary of issues and actions can be found here.

  The Land Development Agency (LDA) has conducted a telephone survey of Yarralumla, Deakin, Curtin and other suburbs. This has been followed up with two public consultation meetings with attendance of approximately 100 people from across Canberra at each meeting (19 May and 30 June). Public opinion from the first community conversation resulted in three major positions being supported by over 60 percent of attendees:

  • that green open space remain;

  • that the kilns (including the Staffordshire Kiln - the last of its kind in Australia and thought to be one of only a few left in world) be preserved; and

  • that traffic congestion and flow through Yarralumla not be increased.

  
  YRA Committee members are concerned that concept plans displayed at the second public consultation meeting indicate that the public position was not taken into consideration.

  
  Key issues
  Distribution of communications to residents from the LDA has been patchy. Despite an undertaking from LDA that every resident in Yarralumla would receive in their letterboxes all newsletters and invitations to community discussions - this has not been the case. In response to many complaints, YRA has advocated on your behalf and additional invitations to the meeting on the 30 June were letterboxed on 26 and 27 June. This is a clear breach of LDA's undertaking for public consultation.

The ACT government has made no commitment to fund any restoration or schemes undertaken by LDA in the brickworks. In fact any funding raised from sale of ACT land must be returned to Consolidated Revenue and cannot be put aside for preservation of the brickworks. YRA understands that at the next public consultation meeting, LDA will ask for comments on residential development of the green open space between Denman Street/Dudley Street to Dunrossil Drive and Adelaide Avenue as a funding trade off for any undertaking in the brickworks.

As the process unfolds it has now been stated that the agenda is not primarily about the heritage preservation of the brickworks. It is about supporting the ACT Government position of 'urban intensification' through intensive land development. While the YRA has always supported sensitive development to support heritage preservation of the brickworks, we are extremely concerned that we are at a crossroads in terms of losing forever the open green spaces which represent the essence of Canberra itself. We are also concerned about the sale of land surrounding the brickworks without water-tight planning restrictions to manage the development density and quality.

• June 2010: Canberra Brickworks and Environs Workshop Two
  
  Date: Wednesday, 30 June 2010
  Time: 5:45 pm for a 6:00 pm start until 8:30 pm.
  Venue: Zagreb Room, Deakin Football Club, 2 Grosse Street, Deakin ACT
  RSVP by Tuesday, 29 June to brickworks@act.gov.au or phone 62050600.
  
  The YRA Committee has two representatives on the Canberra Brickworks Reference Group. These representatives have become increasingly concerned about a number of issues, which may influence your decision to attend the meeting and target your questioning and participation:
  
  1. It was not made clear in Community Conversation One and related correspondence that this agenda is broader than the heritage protection of the Canberra Brickworks site. The ACT Govt has a policy agenda of "urban intensification", which includes Yarralumla. While communications on this project have focused on heritage protection of the brickworks, it has become clear that the agenda includes considerable development outside of the brickworks site, which would impact considerably on the suburb, particularly traffic congestion and loss of green space. Increasing loss of green open spaces across the inner south means that the quality of life and bush capital ambience are under threat.
  
  2. The first community conversation asked for ideas on development of the brickworks and presented an optimistic view of the possibilities without presenting the trade-off consequences in terms of the level of development required to pay for it. Please note that the ACT Government is not looking to invest in the heritage of the site.
  
  3. The planning work to date, which has been presented to the Reference Group, has not been sufficiently responsive to the feedback provided by the community at the first community conversation - particularly with regard to limited appropriate development in order to support heritage preservation of the brickworks site and increasing traffic flow issues in the suburb.
  
  Following release of initial planning to the June meeting of the Reference Group, the YRA and Uniting Church representatives expressed grave concerns about the planning to date and argued that it was not responsive to the community comment provided at the first Community Conversation and did not provide sufficient options. As a result the ACT Government have returned to the "drawing board" to rework plans. However, your participation at these Community Conversation meetings is critical to informing the process. Please be aware that this is a package deal and that whatever is requested for the development of the brickworks will result in corresponding levels of development, which will impact on the nature of and congestion in our unique suburb.
  
  

• April 2010: Old Canberra Brickworks and Environs Planning Strategy

You are invited to a 'Community conversation' workshop on 19 May 2010 from 6.30pm to 9.30pm. Register your interest by 14 May at brickworks@act.gov.au or Ph 6205 0600

View larger image here

The Chief Minister Jon Stanhope announced in a media release that the community will be consulted on the future of the Brickworks and its environs. In the media release Mr Stanhope invited the YRA to join the Project Reference Group to provide advice, support and guidance to the LDA and the project team. To constitute the group, the LDA is inviting representatives from: the Yarralumla Residents Association (YRA); Deakin Residents' Association; Yarralumla Primary School P&C; Walter Burley Griffin Society; Pedal Power ACT; Canberra Pedestrians Forum; National Trust; ACT Institute of Architects; PIA - ACT Division; Royal Canberra Golf Club; and other residential and business representatives.

The consultation process will be the responsibility of the Government's Land development Authority. More information about the Authority and this project can be found here.

The Authority was established by the ACT Government to "...sell and develop land on behalf of the ACT Government" and to "...act commercially". It does not have specific experience in dealing with the sensitive heritage issues which will be part of this project. It should be noted that in the Terms of Reference of the Project Reference Group, one of the Terms is to assess "...the scope for any residential development in the precinct." The Precinct defined in the study includes the Brickworks site but also extends to Cotter Road, Denman Street and all the woodland between these roads, the Brickworks and the Uniting Church.

• February 2010

In response to a YRA enquiry, the Land Development Agency has advised:

"The LDA has commissioned a leading heritage conservation firm to prepare a new Conservation Management Plan for the Brickworks. As part of this work a detailed survey is being undertaken.

This work will provide an important input to further community consultation and government decision making about the future of the Brickworks. The LDA is keen to engage with the YRA and will be in contact at the beginning of any process to discuss the future of the Brickworks."

• June 2009

The Land Development Agency has decided not to go ahead to the tender stage of the Expressions of Interest (EOI) process with the Yarralumla Brickworks.

In the second half of 2009 the LDA will draw up a consultation management plan to extensively include public consultation, contamination, heritage, traffic, developers, ideas and planning.

The Yarralumla Residents Association look forward to this new process to ensure that any development proposals are acceptable to the community and that the brickworks are preserved in some form respectful of the heritage value of the brickworks site.

• July 2008

The Land Development Agency is expected to proceed to the next stage in the redevelopment of the Yarralumla Brickworks project in July 2008. The Evaluation Panel’s report on the various Expressions of Interest has been considered, and the LDA advises that Respondents should be told by mid-July whether they have been selected for Stage 2 of the process.

It is understood that a short list of about three proposals will be selected and developers asked to tender for their particular development. These proposals will then go to the community for comment. When this occurs, the YRA will call a public meeting to discuss the projects and obtain residents’ views. We will also letterbox the suburb to inform people of the date, time and place of the meeting. Keep an eye on our noticeboard in the First Choice dry cleaners at the Yarralumla shops.

YRA SUBMISSION. The YRA committee made a submission to the LDA, acknowledging the significance of the preservation, conservation and maintenance of the Brickworks, and stating that a satisfactory resolution to the long-term use of the increasingly dangerous site was long overdue.

The committee believed that the project should be based on three general principles:

1 Heritage. The Brickworks’ heritage is important, both the land and buildings. Provided heritage aspects of the Brickworks are preserved, the YRA would not object to a small development within the Brickworks.

2 Open space. Section 94, Block 3 should be retained as a recreational area. This reflects the strong preference of those residents who responded to our circular. The area is a public amenity used by a large number of local and out-of-suburb residents, including clubs, on a daily basis for walking, running, cycling, riding, the recreation of local children and the exercise of pets. Many much-used walking tracks crisscross the area.
The open area incorporates a large number of mature trees, which provide habitat for a considerable diversity of wild life, in particular native birds. This green belt acts as a windbreak and as a visual, auditory and aesthetic buffer between Woden Valley and the inner city suburbs. Moreover, retaining trees supports the ACT Government’s policy on climate change, including the scientific consensus amongst the international community that carbon emissions must be reduced. Maintaining green open space in Yarralumla is important and is increasing in significance due to the amount of development and redevelopment that has occurred, and is expected to continue, in Yarralumla.

3 Traffic. No new development should exacerbate the traffic congestion that currently exists in the suburb. Yarralumla is already under pressure from peak traffic diverting from Adelaide Avenue and Cotter Road through the suburb. Future proposed development in areas around Yarralumla will add further stress to existing peak hour traffic problems in Yarralumla.
We believe at least two new traffic studies are needed, firstly on current traffic flows and secondly on the projected traffic impact of all proposed developments in Yarralumla and surrounding suburbs. It is important that pedestrian and cyclist requirements be included in these studies. Increased traffic will also impact on existing parking and pedestrian access difficulties, especially for the many elderly residents, at the Yarralumla shopping and services precinct.

CONCLUSION. The YRA will ‘argue strongly for the preservation, conservation and maintenance of the heritage listed buildings in the Brickworks, together with any heritage landscape features. Of paramount importance is the concern that residential or other development proposals will exacerbate the existing traffic congestion and parking problems in the suburb. Finally, the YRA support residents’ strong preference that Section 94, Block 3 be retained as a recreational area. The YRA requests both active engagement and extensive public consultation in all aspects of the development process, together with a timeline.’

• March 2008

With the Land Development Agency now calling for Expressions of Interest 'to acquire, conserve and redevelop' the Brickworks, the extent of the possible development on surrounding land is becoming clearer to residents.

The site covers about 24.6 hectares (see ACTPLA map) includes not only the heritage-listed buildings within the Brickworks itself (Blocks 1, 7 and 20 of Section 102), but also the whole of the Urban Open Space and Restricted Access Recreation land in Block 3 of Section 94. This Block extends from the Brickworks to Dudley Street near the Cotter Road traffic lights, along Denman Street and Kintore Crescent, and behind the Uniting Church to the bike path beside Novar Street. It is an area used by many residents for recreation.

OPEN SPACE
No guidelines seem to have been given to developers as to how much, if any, of Block 3 Section 94 is to be retained as Urban Open Space or Restricted Access Recreation land. In response to questions on notice about this, the LDA says only that 'The assessment, use and relevance of the land to the project objectives is a matter for each Respondent.' Nor has any limit apparently been set on the amount of residential development permitted for the site. The LDA says only that 'Respondents should rely upon their own enquiries and use their commercial judgement in determining the proposed land uses across the Site.'

Suggestions that a maximum of 25 dwellings are involved appear to be based on a review of 2005 by Susan Conroy & Muns Sly architects, and do not necessarily apply to the present project. The LDA advertisement in The Canberra Times was certainly headed 'Prime Residential Development Opportunity.'

Any change of land use will require an amendment to the Territory Plan; but with a new Plan due to be released soon, perhaps by 1 April 2008, it is not at this stage known if existing land uses will remain. The actual Brickworks site (Section 102) is currently zoned for Accommodation, Entertainment and Leisure.

CLOSING DATES
While it is clear the inclusion of Block 3 Section 94 is designed to encourage companies to tender for the conservation and development of the Brickworks ('flexibility' is the word used by LDA), public discussion at this stage is naturally rather vague. Expressions of Interest for the project close on 11 April 2008. The ACT Government will then assess them, and short-listed respondents may be invited to submit tenders. At this point, substantive proposals will become available for public scrutiny, and there will be a round of community consultation.

OBJECTIVES
The ACT Government has set four broad objectives for the project. They are:
- the long-term preservation of the heritage and natural landform features of the site;
- to provide appropriate levels of development that respond to the site's unique characteristics and location;
- to provide quality urban design and environmental outcomes; and
- to implement innovative project delivery arrangements.

The successful tenderer will also be required to prepare a Conservation Management Plan for the Brickworks site.

YRA POSITION
The YRA will make a submission on the general principles we believe should be adopted by the project, but individual residents are also urged to make their voices heard.

At an Industry Briefing on 13 February, participants were told that 'Yarralumla residents do not seem to have problems with doing something with the Brickworks.' For the record, YRA restate the position as outlined in our December 2007 newsletter where news of the redevelopment was first made known. It is this:

The YRA would welcome a satisfactory resolution for the long-term use of this increasingly dangerous site, 30 years after the Brickworks closed. But we will argue strongly for the safety and heritage values of listed buildings; important landscape, public open space and environmental features; and the interests of residents affected by traffic and noise from whatever residential or other development may be proposed.

• February 2008

The ACT government Land Development Agency on 1 February 2008 called for expressions of interest from companies interested in redeveloping the historic Yarralumla Brickworks (Supplementary Information to be read in conjunction to the EOI was released on 3 March 2008 and is available here (PDF 1.6Mb) ).

Chief minister Jon Stanhope said they were interested in "creative proposals" to conserve and re-develop the site.

“The Brickworks is an important piece of Canberra’s history and heritage and it is crucial to breathe new life into the precinct,” he said.

“We have seen just last year, with the transformation of the historic Kingston Powerhouse into a major cultural facility, what is possible when we think laterally about how to best protect and enhance important cultural heritage sites."

"The Yarralumla Brickworks presents another such opportunity to think really creatively about the future and the past.”

The government also wanted to promote "quality urban design" and environmentally sustainable outcomes, Mr Stanhope said

A heritage assessment must be done on the Yarralumla Brickworks site before any re-development proposals are put together, the ACT opposition said on 11 February 2008.

Shadow heritage minister Vicki Dunne said there were already known safety issues with the site that could affect a re-development.

"The site has been closed to the public since the ACT Fire Brigade expressed concerns about the safety of the chimney stack in about 1997," she said.

"We need to know if there is anything else that presents a safety hazard and whether the safety issues can be rectified before we look at redevelopment."

Up-to-date information was needed on the buildings before the site became an eyesore and a safety hazard, and money was wasted on re-development proposals that would not work, she said.

"Several proposals have foundered in the past because they were not economic," she said.

"People putting forward ideas need to have current information on the state of the buildings before they can make proper proposals for the future of the site."

Expressions of interest closes on 11 April 2008

• December 2007

The redevelopment of the Yarralumla Brickworks is once again on the public agenda. The YRA understands the ACT Government will call for expressions of interest in early February for the conservation, redevelopment and sale of the Brickworks (Section 102), currently zoned for Entertainment, Accommodation and Leisure use.

The proposal is also likely to include Block 3 of Section 94, in Denman Street, currently zoned as Restricted Access Recreation land. Developers will have 10 weeks to submit ideas, after which there will be public consultation including possible rezoning.

The YRA would welcome a satisfactory resolution for the long-term use of this increasingly dangerous site, 30 years after the Brickworks closed. But the YRA will argue strongly for the safety and heritage values of listed buildings; important landscape, public open space and environmental features; and the interests of residents affected by traffic and noise from whatever residential or other development may be proposed.