No. 3 
Record land releases to deliver 
more housing

The ACT Government is preparing for our growing city by releasing a record 17,000 dwelling sites over the next four years and investing over $70 million in capital and $15 million in recurrent funding through the 2010-11 ACT Budget to support the release of land. 

Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope, said the Budget provided for 10,000 dwelling sites to be released over the next two financial years, and a further 7,000 dwelling sites in the following two years.  

“The Government is preparing for the future housing needs of our growing city by releasing a record 17,000 new dwelling sites over the next four years,” Mr Stanhope said. 

“This significant release sets a record since the inception of self government and comes on top of more than 4,300 sites delivered in 2008-09 and the 4,000-plus sites that will be delivered in 2009-10.  This represents an increase of more than 4,200 sites or 33 per cent from last year’s program.

“Our land release program will be supported by almost $12 million over four years for necessary planning, scoping, environmental and feasibility studies to enhance and facilitate the accelerated release program. An extra $1.7 million will also be invested over four years to coordinate capital works for the land release program.”

The first land releases to commence in 2010-11 are planned for the new developments of Lawson and Coombs. Further releases are also planned at Wright, Bonner, Forde, Casey, Crace, Kingston, Ngunnawal, Harrison, Franklin, Bruce, Woden East and Phillip.

Of the sites to be released in 2010-11, more than 700 are expected to be urban infill. An extra 1,000 infill sites are expected to be developed by the private sector over each of the next four years.  

In addition to residential land, the Budget provides for around 220,000 square metres of industrial and commercial land to be released during each of the next four years.

“This will reinforce the reputation of Canberra as a place where businesses can have confidence to invest for the future,” Mr Stanhope said. 

Mr Stanhope said the Government would invest heavily in infrastructure to support the release of land in the Molonglo Valley over the next two years, including $55 million in capital works and $900,000 in recurrent funding for feasibility studies.

"The Government is moving forward with the first suburbs in the Molonglo Valley by investing in new roads, major intersection upgrades, two water quality control ponds and stormwater harvesting infrastructure to cater for this important new development front in the south," Mr Stanhope said.

Funding provided in the 2010-11 Budget for the Molonglo Valley development includes:

•	$17 million for two water quality control ponds in the new suburb of Coombs;
•	$14 million to upgrade three major intersections in North Weston; 
•	A further $11 million for John Gorton Drive (North-South Arterial Road);
•	$7.150 million to upgrade the Cotter Road between Yarra Glen and the Tuggeranong Parkway;
•	$5 million for a stormwater harvesting system from the North Weston pond; 
•	$450,000 over two years for ACTPLA to design the next stage of John Gorton Drive and a new East-West arterial road; and 
•	$450,000 for a feasibility study on future stormwater management in Molonglo.

Other Budget commitments to support the release of land include:

•	A further $5 million towards the extension of Sandford Street from Flemington Road to the Federal Highway. This project was announced in the 2009-10 Budget and will support future land release in the new suburb of Kenny;
•	$4 million to upgrade the intersection of Horse Park Drive and Gundaroo Drive to a four-way intersection, creating a new southern entry road to Forde;
•	$4 million for intersection upgrades at Gladstone Street, Fyshwick;
•	$2.5 million to upgrade the intersection of Ginninderra Drive and Aikman Drive to a four-way intersection;
•	$2.9 million for stormwater upgrades in Watson to support commercial land release;
•	$1 million for intersection upgrades at Darling Street, Barton;
•	$300,000 for ACTPLA to design a water quality pond in Lawson South;
•	$205,000 to assess traffic flows in Woden and Molonglo;
•	$150,000 to indentify land for future release; and
•	$130,000 for ACTPLA to undertake studies to support commercial land supply.

4 May 2010
Media Contact:		Jess Wurf	6205 0504 (w)	0411 722 700 (m)
			jess.wurf@act.gov.au