ADVOCACY
Correspondence
6 September 2023 - Letter to the Chief Minister requesting confirmation of the opening of Phillip Pool and an invite to our 4 October 2023 public meeting to discuss the future of aquatic facilities in the Woden Town Centre and their contribution to the social and economic development of our town centre.
September 2023 - Letter to Geocon requesting confirmation of the opening of Phillip Pool and inviting them to our 4 October 2023 public meeting to discuss the future of the site and its contribution to the social and economic development of the Woden Town Centre.
We are seeking an equitable distribution of the ACT Government’s investment in cultural and indoor recreational community facilities.
The benefits of cultural and recreation facilities
Public spaces and community facilities provide many benefits to communities by bringing people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds together to socialise and keep fit. In addition to the physical and mental health outcomes, they can inspire and motivate people while fostering community pride.
Over recent years Woden’s recreation precinct has lost the:
pitch n putt
basketball stadium
bowling greens
tennis courts
YMCA (moved to Chifley)
bowling alley
We are at risk of losing the:
outdoor 50m pool
ice skating rink
The Government has committed to a new double sheet ice rink in Tuggeranong. It is not clear what the future of the facility in Phillip is.
With the loss of Woden’s recreation precinct an inequitable distribution of community facilities has emerged.
We have lost most of our community facilities to residential towers and the ACT Government’s policy is for the private sector to provide community facilities. The private sector has its own agenda and has not provided (or replaced) the public facilities Canberra’s south needs.
We need a new plan for the facilities we have lost, particularly:
a multi-purpose indoor sports stadium
an aquatic centre
an arts centre
a community centre
Why Woden
We want to encourage like minded people from across the region to meet and be active in our centrally located major hub (CBR - CBDsouth) which services a vey large population.
accessible by public transport from across the region
inclusive because public transport provides more people with the opportunity to access the facility independently
reduces the dependence on cars (schools often have poor off-peak service frequency so we drive)
convenient to people moving through Woden on their commute to and from work
attracts people to the hub which supports small business in the area.
community facilities support high density living and contribute to developing a contemporary urban precinct.