Today, ACT Greens Leader Jo Clay will be introducing a motion in the Legislative Assembly demanding the ACT Labor Government commit to a fixed public housing target and guaranteed community infrastructure, as planning proceeds for the Thoroughbred Park precinct.
The precinct is expected to deliver 6,200 homes and house up to 16,400 people – one of the biggest urban redevelopments in Canberra’s history.
“There are over 3,600 Canberrans stuck on the public housing waitlist right now. As Canberra grows, Thoroughbred Park is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for government to lock in the public homes into a major infill development from day one, helping ensure more Canberrans can afford to live in the city they call home.
“If you’re building a suburb for 16,000 people, you need to build the public housing, parks, playgrounds and community spaces at the same time – not as an afterthought once developers have already banked their profits and moved on.
“And with many schools in the area already sitting above 90 per cent capacity, it would be incredibly poor planning to not set aside land for new schools today,” said Ms Clay.
Ms Clay’s motion will call on the Assembly to:
- Require developers to provide 10 per cent of homes in Thoroughbred Park precinct as rent-fixed public housing, plus additional community housing, salt-and-peppered throughout the precinct;
- Require developers to provide playgrounds, parks and community infrastructure as part of the development; and
- Ensure planning for the precinct sets aside land and accounts for future primary and high school capacity to support additional housing development in the inner north.
