MEDIA

Unfortunately Canberra Times articles are behind a paywall.

Pedal Power and the Woden Valley Community Council come together to oppose hazardous traffic changes in CIT Development - Media Release - 1 August 2023

  • Pedal Power ACT and the Woden Valley Community Council have joined forces to oppose the proposal for a new road between Bradley and Bowes Streets, as part of the new CIT Woden development.

  • Simon Copland, Chief Executive Pedal Power said “The proposal would create a safety hazard by introducing through traffic into a site intended as a people-friendly place. It would cut across the main east-west walking and cycling route between the town centre and the CIT/interchange. The road is an accident waiting to happen.”

  • Fina Carrick, Presdient of the WVCC said “The West Plaza should be a green cool park, a destination for events and markets to create activity in the heart of Woden. It should attract people to meet and socialise and catalyse businesses around it and the town square to create community. The site is protected from the winds in the town square and has more sun, and chance of social and economic success, than the Boulevard.”

Phillip Swimming and Ice Skating Centre will not open in 2022-23 as Dr Wayne Houghton sells lease - Canberra Times - 29 December 2022 by Megan Doherty

  • The lease for the Phillip Swimming and Ice Skating Centre has been sold, according to the manager who says he understands both the pool and ice rink will continue to be operated as going concerns.

  • Mr Raut could not say who bought the lease but believed they were from Canberra.

Offices and apartments slated for Woden carpark but you can have say on precinct design - RiotAct - 27 October 2022 by Ian Bushnell

  • A mixed-use development up to 12 storeys high will go up on a surface carpark in the Woden Town Centre due to be released to the market next year.

  • The Suburban Land Agency expects to put the 14,974 square metre Matilda Street carpark (Phillip Block 1, Section 7) between the Hellenic Club and Grand Central Towers out for sale by a design-based tender towards the end of the financial year, and is seeking community input into the Place Design Brief that will accompany it.

A growing Canberra presents multiple planning dilemmas - Canberra Times - 24 October 2022

  • The car was king and sprawl was no real concern back when much of Canberra was laid out. Malls were set in the middle of vast open-air carparks in places like Woden. Hulking multi-storey carparks were attached to the side of shopping centres in Tuggeranong and Belconnen. This made sense then but not now.

  • The Woden community council clearly has concerns of a thin end of the wedge. President Fiona Carrick believes the proposal will break zoning rules, including around building heights as it doesn't front onto one of the major streets. The path of transformation from the Braddon of old to the Braddon of today was littered with such quarrels.

666 Interview with Emma Bickley and Fiona Carrick re Woden’s 60th birthday - 15 October 2022

Canberra community celebrates Woden's 60th birthday - RiotAct - 15 October 2022 by

  • It’s not every day a region celebrates a birthday, let alone its 60th – and that’s why the Woden community wants to mark the milestone in style.

  • The Woden Valley Community Council, Tuggeranong Arts and Woden Community Service have put their heads together to create a special event to honour the occasion and tip their collective cap to the past six decades of progress.

  • Katie said the day would be all about “community and connection”, reflecting on the suburb’s journey since 1962. “We have a number of artists, businesses and recreational clubs coming,” she said.

From paddocks and paper cutouts, Woden celebrates 60 years - RiotAct - 14 October 2022 by Marg Wade

  • In the 1960s, Canberra was finally taking shape as the national capital. Early progress had been stymied by two world wars and the depression. Prime Minister Menzies got things going by committing to build Canberra, relocating public servants from Melbourne, and creating essential infrastructure and accommodation. Canberra was growing!

  • This year marks 60 years since the 1962 gazettal of Woden Valley and celebrations are taking place this weekend in Eddison Park.

Sixty years on, Woden’s future sits in the balance - City News - 12 October 2022 - Opinion by Fiona Carrick

  • On October 16, Canberra’s first satellite town, Woden/Weston celebrates its 60th anniversary with a party at Eddison Park. Fiona Carrick looks back at the past six decades and wonders what the future holds for the township.

Woden turns 60, but has it been left behind? - Canberra Weekly - 12 October 2022 by Jessica Cordwell

  • This year marks 60 years since the National Capital Development Commission defined the boundaries on suburbs and released housing contracts in the Woden region. To celebrate the milestone, the Woden Valley Community Council is hosting a community focused fun day at Eddison Park on Sunday 16 October from 1pm.

  • The birthday will be celebrated with free activities the whole family can enjoy. Kids can take part in various activities like hoop shooting, teens are encouraged to enter the skate competition, while yoga and other workshops will be offered throughout the afternoon. There will be live music, dance performances, and local makers offering their wares at the art markets. Attendees will be able to learn more about the region from local groups like Landcare and Friends of Mawson Pond.

Sky's limit for Woden but will social infrastructure match the towers? - RiotAct - 9 October 2022 by Ian Bushnell

  • Many would say Woden’s future is looking up, literally.

  • Nearly 60 years on from when work began on the first two suburbs – Hughes and Curtin – Woden is being transformed, particularly the town centre where high-rise residential towers already pierce the sky, with more to come.

Government faces challenge to win community confidence in planning reforms - RiotAct - 3 October 2022 by Ian Bushnell

  • The ACT Government has a problem with its long awaited planning bill.

  • Underwhelming, unclear and unresponsive is the damning reception from community groups.

666 radio presenting from Southlands - snippets from residents

Woden CIT's Youth Foyer in wrong place, says Community Council - RiotAct - 31 August 2022 by Ian Bushnell

  • The siting of the proposed Woden CIT student accommodation block has robbed the community of a potentially great public space, according to Woden Valley Community Council president Fiona Carrick. 

Woden town centre is changing rapidly as high-rise buildings pop up to accommodate a growing population - ABC News - 31 August 2022

  • The urban centre in south Canberra is undergoing a personality change, but some say the community is paying a price for increased density.

CIT Woden campus plans include central hall, parks and restaurant - Canberra Times - 22 August 2022 by Jasper Lindell

New designs released: here's what's planned for the Woden CIT project - RiotAct - 22 August 2022 by Ian Bushnell

  • New parks, a central hall and a restaurant/cafe are part of the latest design concepts from the developer of the Woden CIT campus.

  • The ACT Government has released for consultation the new design concepts from Lendlease, which is developing the CIT and new Interchange as a combined project.

Who is Ed Cocks? Canberra's newest MLA to sit in Legislative Assembly for first time - Canberra Times - 1 August 2022 - Lucy Bladen

  • Ed said he worked in the Murrumbidgee electorate, in Woden, and he felt he could make improvements in that area after watching "at least a decade of decay set into Woden".

Housing ACT accused of using ‘loopholes’ that threaten Bush Capital character - RiotAct - 8 June 2022 - Ian Bushnell

  • Housing ACT is again coming under fire for trying to cram too many supportive housing dwellings onto its renewal blocks in Canberra’s residential suburbs and threatening the character of the Bush Capital.

Community sport in crisis: they paved tennis courts and put up apartment blocks - RiotAct - 7 May 2022

  • Tim Gavel discusses the shortage of indoor sports facilities across Canberra, particularly in Woden.

Review panel had fears for Woden public space in CIT plans - RiotAct - 21 April 2022 - Ian Bushnell

  • Fears about the impact of the Woden CIT proposal on public space have been revealed in the development application for the campus’s Estate Development Plan.

  • The National Capital Design Review Panel said the original proposal would have meant unacceptable outcomes for the public domain and broader urban fabric of the Woden Town Centre.

Active frontages on menu for Westfield Woden masterplan - RiotAct - 14 April 2022 - Ian Bushnell

  • Active frontages, pedestrianised streets and the creation of community spaces alongside the redevelopment of multi-storey car park sites are part of plans to transform Westfield Woden.

  • The Woden Valley Community Council (WVCC) has welcomed plans to turn Westfield Woden into a more outward-facing and engaging piece of social infrastructure.

Woden Hellenic Club unveils plans for world-class entertainment and office precinct - RiotAct - 28 March 2022 - Ian Bushnell

  • A 16-storey office tower, a 12-storey, 150-room high-end hotel and a new auditorium housing a 2,000 seat theatre are part of the Woden Hellenic Club’s ambitious plans to diversify its revenue sources and secure its long-term future.

Redeveloped Woden wheelchair tennis hub set for 2022 - RiotAct - 4 January 2022 - Karyn Starmer

  • Aspen Medical and Tennis ACT have partnered to support the redevelopment of the ACT All-Abilities and Wheelchair Hub at North Woden Tennis Club.

Woden residents call for better community sport facilities and 'open, available' public pool - RiotAct - 4 December 2021 - Lottie Twyford

  • Woden residents – who say they are sick and tired of feeling left out of the ACT Government’s plans for the city – are calling for better community sports facilities to be built in their area and for the government to step in and save the much-beleaguered Phillip Pool.

Developer re-submits 24-storey W2 proposal for Woden - RiotAct - 23 July 2021 - Ian Bushnell

  • The developer behind the 24-storey W2 project in Woden has made changes to its proposal that returns it largely to that approved more than a decade ago.

Petition launched for Government to build multi-sports indoor stadium in Woden - RiotAct - 12 July 2021 - Ian Bushnell

  • A fresh campaign has been launched for a government-funded indoor multi-purpose sports stadium in the Woden Town Centre with the ACT Greens backing a petition from the Woden Valley Community Council.

  • The Legislative Assembly e-petition calls on the Government to build and own a multi-purpose indoor sports stadium in the Woden Town Centre that can be hired at a reasonable cost by local community sports groups.

Government given long to-do list for Woden interchange - RiotAct - 8 July 2021 | By Ian Bushnell

  • Concern about insufficient tree plantings, traffic delays and exposure to the weather have been raised by the planning authority in its approval of the Woden transport interchange project on Callam Street.

24-storey Woden Square tower proposal rejected... for now - RiotAAct - May 2021 - Ian Bushnell

  • A controversial high-rise development proposal on the edge of the Woden Town Square has been comprehensively rejected for its poor design, lack of amenity and failure to contribute to the revitalisation of the Town Centre.

Geocon adds hotel to WOVA development among new changes - RiotAct - 17 March 2021 - Ian Bushnell

  • Geocon has added a hotel to its massive WOVA development in Woden as part of changes to the project necessitated by conditions imposed by the planning authority when it was approved nearly three years ago.

Woden CIT, Interchange road plan under fire - RiotAct - 17 March 2021 - Ian Bushnell

  • Woden Valley Community Council president Fiona Carrick has slammed a proposal to extend a road across the current bus interchange site in Woden where there is meant to be a pedestrian boulevard from the new CIT and Interchange to the Woden Square.

Federal departments' city-centric blinkers a blow for Town Centres - RiotAct - 2 February 2021 - Ian Bushnell

  • The map above is the reason why some ACT Town Centres fear they may lapse into being just ‘dormitory’ suburbs.

  • The map identifies Canberra city as the search zone for where new offices for the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, and the Australian Electoral Commission could be located.

"It was bedlam": former police officer recalls the night seven people died in the Woden flood - 25 January 2021 - Michael Weaver

  • Fifty years on from a one-in-100-year flood at Woden in which seven people drowned, former police officer Blen McInnes still gets goosebumps remembering the night he describes as “bedlam”.

  • Mr McInnes, now 75, recalls the torrent of water that stretched from Hughes to Curtin as almost 100 mm of rain fell in less than an hour. Blocked drains turned roadways into rivers.

Plan to refurbish Woden's Lovett Tower for 300 units - RiotAct - 25 January 2021 - Ian Bushnell

  • Woden’s landmark but mothballed Lovett Tower will be refurbished to accommodate a mix of uses including a total of 300 serviced apartments and smaller units for students under a proposal from its owner Brite Developments.

Keggins to revive 24-storey development on edge of Woden Town Square - RiotAct - 8 December 2020 - Ian Bushnell

  • Canberra developer Keggins plans to proceed with a multi-storey mixed-use development up to 24 storeys high on the edge of the Woden Town Square after purchasing Borrowdale House on 30 October.

  • The former Woden post office site came with a 10-year-old approved development application for a three-tower structure and podium which Keggins is now seeking to amend, but the bulk of the proposal is unchanged.

Is Woden Town Square really a great place? - RiotAct - 22 November 2020 - Fiona Carrick

  • Without consultation, a 10-year-old DA was approved in March for a 24-storey building on Borrowdale House, the old Post Office on the north-west perimeter of the Woden Town Square.

  • Woden Community Council has strong concerns that this development will create more wind and overshadow our public space – the east-west connections to the library and the town square – diminishing the potential for activity and entertainment where people want to socialise and spend time.

Woden CIT project 'regenerative', but devil in the detail, says community council - RiotAct - 25 August 2020 - Ian Bushnell

  • The long-awaited east-west corridor through the Woden Town Centre looks set to become a reality in the combined CIT-public transport interchange project but doubts remain about how it will be achieved.

Government to move ahead with combined Woden CIT and public transport interchange - RioAct - 24 August 2020 - Ian Bushnell

  • Work is expected to start by the middle of next year on a new public transport interchange as the first stage of the new Woden CIT precinct after the ACT Government announced approval of the business case for the $250-300 million project.

Government rules out 16-storey Woden CIT but site questions remain - RiotAct - 30 July 2020 - Ian Bushnell

  • The ACT Government has opted for a more modest building to house the new Canberra Institute of Technology at Woden after taking on board feedback from its first round of public consultation on the project.

NCA's Curtin amendment paves way for residential development along light rail corridor - RiotAct - 29 May 2020 - Ian Bushnell

  • The Commonwealth’s embassy land grab in Curtin includes more than the horse paddock and rezones the remaining ACT land along Yarra Glen as residential in anticipation of urban development along the planned light rail corridor to Woden.

Student apartments only for Woden CIT's multi-storey campus, says Steel - RiotAct - 20 May 2020 - Ian Bushnell

  • Private or social housing is unlikely to be a part of the proposed new Canberra Institute of Technology campus in Woden, says Minister for Tertiary Education Chris Steel.

SPIRE design changes to ease traffic flows, connect hospital areas - RiotAct - 13 March 2020 - Ian Bushnell

  • Ambulances will still run along Kitchener Street and Gilmore Crescent past Garran Public School to get to the new Emergency Department at Canberra Hospital but a design change will mean less traffic on this route, according to the ACT Government.

New Woden CIT may be 16 storeys with apartments - RiotAct - 27 February 2020 - Ian Bushnell

  • The new Woden CIT campus development could be up to 16-storeys high and include apartments and an indoor sports facility as part of mixed-use development, according to the contract for the site masterplan and concept design.

Council slams plan to level Woden CIT site for hospital car park - RiotAct - 19 January 2020 - Ian Bushnell

  • Plans to demolish the former Woden CIT campus and build a temporary car park on the site to support the SPIRE project at Canberra Hospital have been labelled short-sighted and part of an ad hoc approach to developing the hospital precinct.

New CIT campus to be built in Woden Town Centre - RiotAct - 28 November 2019 - Ian Bushnell

  • A new Canberra Institute of Technology campus will be sited in the Woden Town Centre alongside the new Transport Canberra Interchange, the ACT Government has announced.

Hindmarsh's twin towers to dominate Woden skyline - RiotAct - 2 July 2019 - Ian Bushnell

  • Hindmarsh has scaled back plans for its massive mixed-use development in Phillip but its twin towers will still rise 25 and 26 storeys to become the tallest residential building south of the lake.

Woden left in the cold as Government looks to expand indoor sports facilities in Canberra's north - RiotAct - 20 June 2019 - Lachlan Roberts

  • Woden council and sporting groups believe the ACT Government has left the south of Canberra out in the cold with a shortage of indoor sports facilities.

  • In a report into indoor sports facilities released last week, the ACT Government identified Belconnen and Gungahlin as regions for expanded or new indoor sports facilities for futsal, gymnastics and basketball.

Community council calls for stay on bulldozing of Woden CIT site - RiotAct - 12 June 2019 - Ian Bushnell

  • Plans to tear down the Woden CIT complex should be put on hold until there is a long-term plan for the broader area, including the needs of Canberra Hospital, according to the Woden Valley Community Council.

Woden in line for new CIT to replace Reid campus - RiotAct - 9 June 2019 - Ian Bushnell

  • The Woden Town Centre is being considered as a potential site for a new purpose-built Canberra Institute of Technology campus to replace the Reid facility in the city.

Lack of training venues leaves Canberra's Derby League rolling in the deep - RiotAct - 26 February 2019 - Emma Davidson

  • Canberra Roller Derby League have been skating together since 2008. In 2018, they won the North America West division at the WFTDA Continental Cup in the USA, beating the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls from Colorado. But the lack of venues for community sports to hire in Canberra means their access to training sessions is restricted.

Geocon loses bid to lift height of WOVA building - RiotAct - 13 February 2019 - Ian Bushnell

  • The Woden Valley Community Council has welcomed the planning authority’s decision to reject Geocon’s bid to increase the height of one of the buildings in its massive four-building WOVA development proposed for the former Tradies site in Phillip.

Proposal shoots for $30m indoor sports facility in growing Woden - RiotAct - 6 February 2019 - Ian Bushnell

  • Developers should kick in for the cost of a multi-million dollar indoor sports facility proposed for Woden by the area’s community council.

  • The Woden Valley Community Council has prepared a proposal to the ACT Government for a $30 million five-court facility – with seating, gymnastics room, meeting rooms, a kitchen and a cafe – that will fill the void on the south side created by the demolition of Woden’s basketball stadium and closure of both the Woden CIT and the MPowerdome in Tuggeranong.

Community saddles up again as Geocon fights WOVA conditions - RiotAct - 25 January 2019 - Ian Bushnell

  • It was hailed as a victory for the community but celebrations for the scaling back of Geocon’s massive WOVA development in Woden may have been shortlived.

  • Woden Valley Community Council is again having to rally the troops to lobby the planning authority after Geocon sought to reverse conditions imposed when the four-tower development on the former Tradies site was approved last September.

Geocon will need to scale back WOVA building further, says conditional approval - RiotAct - 5 October 2018 - Ian Bushnell

  • The Woden Valley Community Council has hailed changes to Geocon’s proposed four-building WOVA development on the Woden Tradies site as a victory for the community.

Canberra under pressure: Town hall meeting to vent concerns about development impacts - RiotAct - 8 September 2018 - Ian Bushnell

  • Growing concern at the ACT Government’s planning direction has prompted a major public seminar next week that will tackle planning and development decisions in the ACT that are affecting the heritage values, urban landscape and amenity of the national capital.

Variation approval entrenches high-rise development in Woden, says community council - RiotAct - 17 August 2018 - Ian Bushnell

Planning gaps cast shadow over Hindmarsh's multi-tower Woden development, says council - RiotAct - 10 July 2018 - Ian Bushnell

  • The Woden Valley Community Council has called on the ACT Government to revisit precinct planning in the Town Centre, with another multi-tower ‘marker’ development planned, this time behind the Woden Police Station.

  • Hindmarsh is proposing a mixed-use four-building complex of 710 apartments with four towers, the tallest of which is 27 storeys, on the northern corner of Easty and Wilbow Streets, formally known as Block 13 Section 81, Phillip.

Goodbye zombies as Doma reveals plans for rebirth of vacant Woden office blocks - RiotAct - 7 May 2018 - Ian Bushnell

  • The Woden Valley Community Council has welcomed plans by Doma Group to breathe new life into the vacant Alexander and Albemarle Buildings as European-style apartments with ground floor retail and commercial spaces.

Residential towers to inject 430 units into Woden Town Centre - RiotAct - 30 January 2018 - Ian Bushnell

  • The future of the Woden Town Centre is looking up with the approval of a two-tower, 430-unit, mixed development in Bowes Street next to the bus interchange and proposed light rail terminus.

  • One tower is 26 storeys and the other 18, with the development replacing the Medibank building at 15 Bowes Street.

Committee kills off Eddison Park plan, recommends new cemetery and crematorium - RiotAct - 4 December 2017 - Ian Bushnell

  • The ACT Government should proceed with plans to resurrect the proposal for a new cemetery on the so-called Southern Memorial Park site in Hume instead of expanding the Woden Cemetery, a Legislative Assembly committee has recommended.

Woden's zombie buildings to be re-born as residential apartments - RiotAct - 7 November 2017 - Ian Bushnell

  • The Woden Valley Community Council (WVCC) has welcomed plans by the owner of former Health Department office blocks in the Town Centre to re-purpose them as residential apartments.

Goodbye Woden Tradies as Geocon buys site for $16m in town centre expansion - RiotAct - 25 August 2017 - Ian Bushnell

  • Canberra developer Geocon plans to redevelop the Woden Tradies Club site into one of its trademark high-rise apartment precincts after buying the property for $16 million.

Property standoff: No end in sight to Woden's zombie apocalypse - RiotAct - 18 August 2017 - Ian Bushnell

  • It looks like a set from World War Z. The only thing missing are the zombies, but they probably come out at night.

Call for local heroes so new mural can make its mark on Woden - RiotAct - 17 August 2017 - Ian Bushnell

  • The Woden Valley Community Council (WVCC) is looking for local heroes to populate a new mural on Melrose Drive.

Going up: revised master plan reveals Woden's high-density future - RiotAct - 11 August 2017 - Ian Bushnell

  • Woden is going up, with areas rezoned for high-density development and building heights of up to 28 storeys permitted in the Town Centre, under the revised draft master plan.

Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the Melrose Drive Community Mural - RiotAct - 12 May 2017 - Woden Valley Community Council

  • The Woden Valley Community Council (WVCC) is calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI) from artists for the design and production of a mural on a prominent wall on Melrose Drive in Woden.

Light Rail to Woden - WVCC public meeting 3 May 2017 - RiotAct - 2 May 2017 - Woden Valley Community Council

  • Transport Canberra will provide an update on stage 2 – City to Woden – at the Woden Valley Community Council (WVCC) public meeting on 3 May 2017 at 7.30 pm at the Southern Cross Club Woden.

‘Shock and outrage’ at six-storey Curtin shops plan; rally 11am today - RiotAct - 21 January 2017 - Charlotte

  • The Curtin Residents Association (CRA) is hoping hundreds of people will attend a rally at Curtin shops at 11am today to express their concerns about a development application for a proposed six-storey commercial and residential building overlooking the shopping centre square.

Woden Valley Community Council Woden Valley Community Council

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