This past year has been full of challenges, expansion and renewal across our district, and for those who live work and play here it’s made the journey somewhat more interesting than we’d have envisaged.
This past year has been full of challenges, expansion and renewal across our district, and for those who live work and play here it’s made the journey somewhat more interesting than we’d have envisaged.
Earlier in 2017, the Belconnen Community Council as part of its Belco50 program, created a competition in conjunction with the University of Canberra’s School of Design with the intention of generating ideas that could be used to benefit Belconnen.
The winner of the competition will be announced at theAugust BCC Public meeting by BCC Chair Elizabeth Hirst.
UC is a vital part of Belconnen and is seeking to improve its engagement with the broader community outside its campus. The BCC felt this was a good opportunity to assist students, strengthen UC ties with the community, and tap their students energy and enthusiasm for improving the built environment.
The BCC Committee decided to award a prize to a team of students enrolled in the Faculty of Arts and Design in a User-Centred Design course. This prize would be for a team that identified a problem through interaction and observation in Belconnen, articulated a design opportunity and prepared a brief outlining a solution that is pertinent to the Belconnen community.
The students were extremely keen to get out and explore Belconnen, with many being new to Canberra and Australia. Working in teams they came up with quite different solutions. In May the students presented their ideas to the BCC Committee and Dr Stephen Trathern of UC’s Faculty of Arts and Design.
As well as being used in their grading, and providing useful field research, the teams that place first and second will be awarded a cash prize, from the Belco50 funds provided by the ACT Government to celebrate Belconnens 50th Birthday.
We encourage the Belconnen public to attend our public meeting in August, view the different ideas, and applaud the teams that win the two prizes being awarded. They range from: improving Emu Bank, a tuk-tuk service, an improved bus interchange, and a Farmers market (there are more ideas!).
All the ideas the BCC Committee have examined are good, and each team has satisfied the brief. It will be very difficult to come up with a winner!
This is your last chance to see this building before demolition! The ACT Government through the Land Development Agency have agreed to let the Belconnen Community Council and the Belco50 committee host an open day prior to demolition.
There will be a sausage sizzle provided by the Lake Ginninderra Sea Scouts and face painting and a jumping castle to keep the kids amused. The Sea Scouts are also holding a regatta beforehand, and there is a jetty – so why not arrive by canoe!
Guided access to the building will be provided, including the upper level. Unfortunately, there is no disabled access to the upper level.
The AFP Museum has provided some historical documents related to the building that will also be on display.
This is it folks, in the days after this event the building will be prepared for demolition, ahead of the sale of the site.
Belconnens 50th Birthday 23 June 2016
All Belconnen residents are invited to the Official ceremony commemorating Belconnen’s 50th birthday.
The Belco50 Committee are planning a mid morning event at the Aranda Playing fields on 23 June 2016
Briefly, the ceremony will consist of a Welcome to Country, a short introduction from the Chair of the Belconnen Community Council, and an address by Minister Chris Bourke (representing the Chief Minister who will be overseas). Refreshments will be provided
The birthday celebration begins at 10.30AM. Displays of historic photos and a document to be signed for later placement in a time capsule will be available.
There will be cake!
The monthly public meeting of the Belconnen Community Council will take place at 7PM on June 21 2016 at the Community Room above the Belconnen Library.
This month we have the opportunity to engage in community consultation with three different organisations proposing development in the Belconnen Town Centre.
We will also discuss the Belco50 celebrations commencing on June 23.
Stewart Architecture on behalf of the Rock Development Group will present new plans to fill the giant hole in the ground at the Belconnen Markets, and seek feedback from the community. The proposed buildings will be 6 storeys high, between the Belconnen Markets and Belconnen Way, and have ground level retail space.
The Land Development Agency would like to discuss options for the old Water Police site on Lake Ginninderra. The site is small with room for a retail only building no higher than two storeys. Public access to the jetty and boat ramp must remain. No decisions or plan have been made yet, and public views are now being sought on options and ideas for this site.
Elton Consulting will present plans for the block behind the Belconnen Labor Club (Section 200). Canberra developer GEOCON purchased this block in 2015, and would like to present preliminary plans to the public ahead of lodging a DA. This site is proposed for a 27 storey mixed use building facing the lake.
A brief agenda is:
All residents of Belconnen are invited to attend.