Volunteers working together to promote the interests of the Woden Valley community
… for our social, cultural, economic and environmental well-being.
SUNDAY 20 JULY
Workshopping submissions for the Legislative Assembly Inquiry into the Role and Future of the Woden Town Centre
in the context of a compact city.
New: next step: we will have a listening table in the Southside market at Canberra College campus Launceston St on Sunday 20 July, 9am-12noon.
We held a WVCC workshop 10am to noon Sunday 6 July - not in Woden Library as intended (our access did not work) but in Woden Plaza.
We’ve had the whiteboard out and started talking to hear what the community of Woden would like to see for the town centre. This will form the basis of our submission to the Assembly which is due on 22 August.
You can find out more about the inquiry at
AGM and Special meeting 2 July 2025
The Annual General Meeting for the Woden Valley Community Council was held online at 7pm on Wednesday 2 July.
After the president and treasurer reports (the will be posted later) we elected new office bearers and committee:
president: Nelson Tang
vice president: Caroline le Couteur
treasurer: Rachel Thompson
secretary: Chris Johnson
committee members: Rollo Brett, Julie Hamilton, Jenny Tyrell
The Special Meeting that followed adopted a revised constitution for the council.
Other topics
We discussed Legislative Assembly and government consultation that the Council is planning to write submissions for. They are
The missing middle housing planning reforms https://yoursayconversations.act.gov.au/missing-middle-housing-reforms
Submissions by Tuesday 5 August 2025Inquiry into the Role and Future of the Woden Town Centre in the context of a compact city
Submissions due 22 August 2025.We are planning to hold a workshop about this Sunday 6 July at the meeting room in the Woden library, followed by a stall at the Southside market on Sunday 13 July - see below.
We noted two other current inquiries without any more discussion
Inquiry into the effectiveness of Fix My Street
Submissions due 22 August 2025Inquiry into community sports https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/parliamentary-business/in-committees/committees-11th-assembly/economics,-industry-and-recreation/business-item-template-10th-assembly
Submissions due 26 September 2025
June 2025
Woden Village development consultation
The proposed Woden Village development for the car-parking block between the Hellenic Club and Grand Central Towers is nearly at the stage of their draft development application, and is asking for public consultation.
You can read recent details of the design and the project concepts at https://www.wodenvillage.com.au
Missing Middle - the current big planning issue
The Missing Middle is the planners’ term for residential buildings that are neither single houses or apartment blocks. It includes granny flats, small apartments, townhouses and villas. Canberra has a shortage of housing, particularly in the missing middle category.
The ACT Government is proposing major planning changes to enable more development of this kind. More details at https://yoursayconversations.act.gov.au/missing-middle-housing-reforms
We had an introductory discussion at our June and July meetings.
The Missing Middle project held information and consultation sessions in June.
What do we do
The Woden Valley Community Council (WVCC) is a volunteer, independent not-for-profit community association representing the diverse views and interests of the residents of the Woden Valley district.
Our goal is to help our community thrive and to be a strong voice on local issues.
- we believe that good facilities, services and public spaces are central to ensuring quality of life for community members
- we support local community groups , hold events and provide a regular forum for community members to be informed and engage on issues that affect them.
Note: local government services are provided by the ACT Government, not by the Council. You can contact the ACT Government services through Access Canberra.
PAST EVENTS
March 2025
This was an in person meeting at the Woden Library, with a zoom option. We reviewed our draft submissions on strata management and insurance.
NOVEMBER 2024 General Meeting and AGM
Wednesday 6 NOVEMBER 7pm online
7.00 - 7.15pm MyWay+
Transport Canberra presentation on the MyWay+ new public transport ticketing system about to be activated.
7.15 - 7.45pm Affordable housing and Supported Housing project, Curtin
Presentation and discussion on the Wesley Mission and Woden Uniting Church project for affordable housing and supported housing at The Block, on the empty site at the corner of Carruthers St, Theodore St, Martin St (across the road from Curtin shops, Block 1 Section 15)
7.45 - 8.15pm AGM
1. Welcome to members and acknowledgement of country
2. President's report
3. Treasurer's report
The Chair and Treasurer’s report on acquittal of the grant for 2023-24 is here.
4. Election of committee, including office-bearers:
President, Secretary, Treasurer,
and ordinary members
8.15pm MLAs
We invited the five MLAs who will represent the Murrumbidgee electorate for the next four years. Only one attended, Fiona Carrick, independent (our past chair of WVCC)
OCTOBER 2024
WVCC 2024 Election Candidates Forum
Wednesday 2 October
Canberra College Theatre, Launceston Street, Phillip
Our host was Professor Chris Wallace from University of Canberra.
Representatives from each political party and announced independent candidates for the seat of Murrumbidgee were invited to speak to their vision for Woden Valley, and to respond to the priorities identified through our Election Priorities survey.
Candidates then answered questions from the audience and chatted informally after the session.
We had a good turnout of candidates and residents.
SEPTEMBER 2024
Wednesday 4 September
Online
We were joined by:
- Asthma Australia to discuss the effects of wood heater smoke on people with asthma and other health conditions
- Hellenic Club to discuss their plans for Phillip section 7 (Woden Village)
We also shared some key points from our Election Priorities Survey.
JULY 2024
Wednesday 3 July
We were joined online by Catherine Prosser from Tender Funerals Canberra, a non-profit provider of funeral services that aims to provide access affordable, customisable funeral services to people in financial need.
Catherine spoke on the topic:
Burial, Cremation and Beyond - How should I dispose of my body? Do I have to have a coffin? Do I want a memorial marker?
APRIL 2024
How can we make South Canberra transport work better?
Light rail is many years away, what are our options?
The forum was about transport for South Canberra for the next 4 to 8 years, which is the next one or two terms of the Legislative Assembly. The speakers are:
ACT Government Transport - (about bus, not light rail)
Pedal Power - Dr Simon Copland (executive director Pedal Power) on active transport, bikes and pedestrians
Dr Michael de Percy - UC Political science, on financial and technical options
Milad Ghasri - Senior Lecturer in Transport Modelling UNSW, on demand transport modelling
The meeting was also livestreamed by Zoom and recorded [mp4 video link]
Media Release
New President Announced
The Woden Valley Community Council (WVCC) is delighted to announce their new President, Ms Caroline Le Couteur.
Ms Le Couteur served two terms as a member of the ACT Legislative Assembly, representing Woden residents on both occasions. She has been an advocate for community involvement and consistently attended Community Council meetings across her electorate.
Her time in the Assembly has given her a strong understanding of ACT Government processes and of the Woden Valley community. Since retiring from the Assembly, she has been a committee member of the WVCC and convenor of the Friends of Mawson Ponds. She has brought the community together to create a wildlife corridor and increase the local biodiversity for around 1 km between Power Street and Bernnachi Street Mawson.
The Council would like to thank outgoing President, Ms Fiona Carrick, and acknowledge her significant contribution to the community.
Ms Carrick said “It has been a privilege to serve as the President of Woden Valley Community Council for the past 7 years. I am particularly pleased that we have been able to host many community events such as Woden’s 60th, Music by the Ponds, Carols on the Square and the Creative Woden Art Exhibition. We have held around sixty public meetings to hear the views of the community and written over sixty submissions to the ACT Government.”
Ms Le Couteur said “I first met Ms Carrick in her role as President of the Woden Valley Community Council in 2016. She has done an amazing job in advocating for better planning to improve the social and economic development of Woden, particularly for community facilities. Her passion for the people in the Southside of Canberra and her knowledge of the issues facing them is outstanding.”
Media Contact – Ms Carrick – 0420 533 809
Ms Le Couteur – 0405 221 587
The vision for the heart of Woden should be more inspiring. We can create a great destination in the heart of Woden with art, music and outdoor dining if there is political will.
Unfortunately, the ACT Government is joining Bradley St with Bowes St with a new road that will unnecessarily push traffic through the core of Woden.
Linked Hands for YES - 11.45am - 26 August 2023
The WVCC is supporting our local community to deliver this event.
You are invited to participate in this unique event to celebrate the invitation from our First Nations people to walk together for a better future for all Australians.
Bring your friends and family to the block opposite the Curtin shops where the community will come together to form a circle and link hands to show support for YES to the Voice.
The community will move our special message stick along Carruthers St from the ancient Red Gum at the base of Red Hill to the Curtin shops. The message stick has been sculptured by Myron of the Hughes Community Shed with the message “From our hearts to yours, YES”
Everyone is then invited to the vacant block next to the Curtin shops for food, music, crafts and short speeches. Participants will be encouraged to sign a large banner with the Uluru Statement From the Heart at its centre to re-affirm their commitment to voting YES in the upcoming referendum. During the event we will enjoy the talents of our local musicians:
Alinta Barlow
A Chorus of Women
Video link - https://youtu.be/cD1_wZz27PY
Urban Open space Informal (dryland) ovals
Informal (dryland) use ovals are large flat areas of non-irrigated open dryland grass used for informal sports and recreation, which forms their prime management purpose. During the drought in the 1990s, a number of irrigated ovals were converted to dryland (nonirrigated) ovals to reduce the amount of water required to maintain sports fields.
In Woden the school ovals - Lyons, Chifley, Torrens and Farrer were no longer irrigated. Chifley Primary should be re-opened and the oval reinstated as a school oval.
The appearance of informal use ovals is dependent on rainfall. Like other non-irrigated open space areas, they will appear green when rainfall is sufficient but will brown off in dry times. Informal use ovals are mown on the same cycle as other suburban mowing, that is around six times per year depending on the season. The surface is also inspected periodically to ensure it is in a safe condition.
Unlike irrigated sportsgrounds, these informal ovals are not suitable for organised, formal sporting use. They don’t have facilities such as pavilions, toilets, change rooms, canteen facilities or match play lighting, however they are great spaces for informal recreation and play for the local community.
Some of these ovals may act as land bank for future reinstatement as irrigated ovals to meet an increase in demand for formal ovals to accommodate organised sporting activities. A review of these ovals will determine potential future recreational uses of these ovals, noting that any proposed changes should be consistent with the management objectives outlined in Table 2 and that the community should be consulted on any proposed changes to the recreational use/s of an informal use oval.
Other potential uses of informal use ovals include community-led activities through grants programs such as Adopt-a-Park, which supports community groups to undertake activities such as weed and woody weed control, shrub and tree plantings; community events (e.g. fetes, markets); and nature play spaces. These ovals may also be candidate sites (entirely or in part) for re wilding initiatives, community gardens or micro forest initiatives.
The following factors need to be considered when contemplating other uses for these ovals:
Viability of the oval as an irrigated sportsgrounds in the future
Long-term maintenance responsibilities
Other potential users
Alternative uses
Adjacent land uses; and
Community needs.
Lovett Tower
Creative Woden - Exhibiting southside artists
Thank you to everyone who supported our wonderful art exhibition
Art plays a vital role in bringing like-minded creative people in our community together.
It would be wonderful if the ACT Government would provide a facility for the arts in the Woden Town Centre, this major hub has a fast growing population and is accessible by public transport from across the region. We will continue to advocate for a multi-purpose arts facility for visual and performing arts, and music to empower our artists, enhance the community’s well-being and bring a ‘vibe’ to our streets to Create Woden as a destination.
Please sign our petition for a multi-purpose arts facility on the ACT Government’s e-petitions site here
Poster by Isabella’s Art + Design
Phillip Swimming and Ice Skating Centre
Swimming is a popular sport in Australia and a great way to keep fit and make friends.
While Geocon may open the pool again, the long term viability of the site remains in doubt with the commitment to build a new ice rink in Tuggeranong.
The current planning reforms propose to develop the Phillip site and provide an indoor 25m public pool and a warm pool. We are concerned about the capacity of a 25m pool to service the many users of aquatic facilities in the region, including swimming lessons, casual and competitive lap swimmers, water polo, scuba diving, aqua aerobics and so on. We would also like an outdoor pool and the benefits of co-locating complementary facilities such as a gym, fitness rooms, cafe and meeting rooms – a new aquatic centre.
Woden (the major public transport hub on the corridor to major employment centres in Barton and the City) no longer has a basketball stadium, pitch n putt, bowling greens, tennis courts and the future of the pool and ice skating rink is uncertain.
While the government has upgraded some ovals and the pool may open temporarily, there is no denying Woden’s recreation facilities have gone backwards over the last 15 years.
If the government wants to encourage physical activity and public transport use (including 6,500 CIT students), the community infrastructure needs to be located in major hubs that are convenient to access, that is what the town centres were designed for.
Community pools have many benefits:
Safety – learn to swim
Fun - a great way to socialise with friends
Health - swimming is a great way to keep fit for a lifetime. It is a low-impact activity that has many physical and mental health benefits because you need to move your whole body against the resistance of the water. Swimming is a good all-round activity because it:
keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off your body
builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness
helps you maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs
Users – kids having fun, lap swimmers, water polo, scuba diving, aqua aerobics, etc …
Complementary facilities – gym, groups fitness rooms, meeting rooms, cafe
Economic – provides jobs and attracts people to the Woden Town Centre which supports local small businesses
Accessible - centrally located and accessible by public transport which can reduce our dependency on cars
Environment - outdoor pools provide room for trees and cooling.
ACT Government Planning Reforms
1 November 2022 Minister Gentleman released the ACT Government Pldraft Territory Plan and a series of District Planning Strategies for community consultation as part of its Planning System Review and Reform Project.
The WVCC will consider the documents and discuss the plans with the community to form a view.
Woden CIT
The new Woden CIT is very exciting for the opportunity it provides to bring activity and community life to the core of Woden. Currently there is very little community activity in the area so collaboration around the planning to renew the heart of Woden to become a destination that attracts people day and night is important.
Outcomes that can be provided by the CIT
The primary objective is great educational outcomes however there are also opportunities for the CIT to be an anchor to improve the ‘vibe’ of the town centre. While we welcome the north plaza, we would like to better understnd its ability to achieve the following outcomes for the community:
a sunny focal point for community gatherings - eg events and markets - in a central area that is/has:
connected to other places in the area and where people naturally walk
active fronts with shops that draw large numbers of people to them
cultural facilities and places for music and buskers
greening the area with trees, trees shrubs and grassy areas
inclusive with activities for 8 year olds and 80 year olds, and people from different backgrounds
comfortable and protected from the wind
safe social environments where people want to gather and visit again and again.
Questions
Will the CIT provide the framework for the heart of Woden to become a destination for:
events and markets in a green sunny public space where the community can come together?
art and music in a public facility to enrich community and student life?
a vibrant day and night economy with active commercial space creating visible street life?
ACT Government plan for the Woden CIT
Woden Valley Community Council ideas for creating a central public space connected to the north south roads (Bowes and Bradley Sts) and the east west link
Please see the WVCC submission to:
the ACT Government 2022-23 Budget
the proposal for the Estate Development Plan for the CIT
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