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Red Hill working bees 2018

Download the dates for the 2018 working bees planned for Red Hill in 2018 here…

Deakin S66 development public information session 13 December 2017

Plans for the proposed multi storey apartment development at S66 Deakin (Kent Street/Carruthers St) will be displayed at a ‘consultation session‘ to be held on Wednesday 13 December 5.7.30 at Hughes Community Centre.
The above website includes reference to an Environment assessment and a traffic impact report.

Development blowback: Petition bolsters push for Red Hill Master Plan

From Riot Act 1 December 2017

Pressure is mounting on the ACT’s planning authority to devise a Master Plan for the Red Hill as opposition grows to two major development proposals on its south-western side. (more…)

Community Groups Red Hill petition tabled in the ACT Assembly

The ACT Greens have today (30 november 2017) tabled two petitions totalling some 3,112 signatures opposing inappropriate development in areas adjacent to the Red Hill Nature Reserve—the largest petition of this term of the Assembly. More…

The Minister for Planning, Mick Gentleman delivered a response on 2 February 2018 to the Assembly regarding this petition. More…

Red Hill community groups request a meeting with ACT Planning Minister

On 30 November 2017, a letter was sent to Planning Minister Gentleman and copied to all MLAs seeking a meeting to discuss a way forward for the development of an integrated plan for the Red Hill open space area. The letter stated:

“Given the level of public concern about proposed developments on Red Hill and the fact that the preparation of an integrated plan for the area involves a new process I urge you to consult with relevant interests about the manner in which the ACT Government intends to implement the Legislative Assembly motion.  I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and/or your officials to discuss the matter.  I am sure representatives of the other organisations that prepared the Community Panel Report would equally welcome the opportunity to be involved in such discussions.”

Read the letter here…

Meanwhile, WIN news interviewed concerned residents on 30 November 2017. More…

Red Hill Working Bee and AGM Sunday 3 December 2017

The Red Hill Regenerators invite you to their final working bee for 2017, which will be held on Sunday 3 December 2017 at 9am. It will be followed by the AGM at 11am.

This month we will continue to work on the woody weeds which are appearing along the Federal Golf Course access road. There are more than expected, mostly regrowth of Nettle trees which had been slashed by ACT Government workers and inadequately poisoned.

(more…)

Greens MLA supports Red Hill community over ad hoc developments

Greens MLA Carline LeCouteur reported on 23 November 2017 her support for the community over ad hoc residential developments located close to the Red Hill Nature Reserve. She stated:

Standing with the community in Red Hill

I was pleased to work across party lines to stop the Government from rezoning two sites next to the Red Hill Nature Reserve – the Federal Golf Course and a Telstra Exchange on Kent Street Deakin – until an integrated plan is developed in consultation with the community.  I strengthened Nicole Lawder’s motion, so that ACTPLA will now have to consider the joint impacts of the developments on traffic flow and residents’ amenity before approving any rezoning for either site.

I have been working with local community groups on the Federal Golf Course development proposal for many months, and have long-standing concerns about this issue as a former Garran resident of 17 years. The call for an integrated plan for developments in Red Hill originally came from the community, and I did my very best to represent your voices and the need to protect our environment in the Assembly.

Community groups submit independent report to FGC Community Panel

The ACT Government Community Panel, which was established in July 2017 to consider the proposed residential development on the Federal Golf Club concessional lease, concluded three meetings without an agreed outcome.  As a result, the community groups which were represented on the Community Panel have today submitted their own report to the ACT Government, together with a covering letter.

Federal Golf Club development public consultation starts December 6 2017

The attached letter dated 17 November 2017, from Bob Correll, Vice President of the Federal Golf Club has been sent to all ACT Legislative Assembly MLAs providing a project update in the context of the recent Assembly motion on the Red Hill Nature Reserve precinct and informing them of broader community consultation to be undertaken in early December.

 Attached also is a postcard invitation to attend 3 drop-in sessions on 6 and 7 December at the Hughes Community Centre that will commence distribution today to 8,000 residential and commercial premises within a 1.5km radius of the golf club.  There will also be print and social media notices.

 More information is available at the project website www.activeandconnected.com.au

A clarification  to the FGC letter was emailed from the Regenerators to Chief Minister Andrew Barr on 25 November. More…

Red Hill Butterfly walk, Sunday November 12 2017

It was a slow start to the morning’s butterfly walk on Red Hill, led by butterfly expert Dr Suzi Bond, but the sun came out and we soon started to accumulate species. It’s been a pretty quiet season so far, so we did well to get the species we did!

  • Dainty Swallowtail
  • Cabbage White
  • Australian Painted Lady
  • Yellow Admiral
  • Common Brown – this species was the highlight of the morning for me – wonderful to see the freshly eclosed male pump his wings up, and nice to get our first record in the ACT this season of a female Common Brown.
  • Amethyst Hairstreak – larvae only
  • Two-spotted Line-blue
  • Common Grass-blue

A couple of days later Rob Parnell took this great photo of a Meadow Argus, to add to our list of sightings