Our thanks to everyone who took part in the Coombs & Wright Key Land Release Sites engagement. Community and stakeholder feedback on the three key mixed use sites in Coombs and Wright off John Gorton Drive sits at the heart of the resultant Coombs and Wright Village Design & Place Framework. The framework will guide developers in creating a vibrant commercial hub for the Molonglo Valley.

You can view the Framework here:

• Coombs and Wright Village Design & Place Framework

The Site Release Intentions for Block 10, Section 63 Wright have also been established and can be viewed here:

• Site Release Intentions for Block 10, Section 63 Wright

We have been looking to the community for ideas and feedback about:

• How these sites could be developed
• How the sites could look
• What type of residential, commercial and/or community inclusions are preferred (within the current planning framework)
• How these sites could connect with the surrounding environment.

Your views have informed guidelines or assessment criteria associated with the sale of these sites. Community feedback has helped to frame the process for selling these blocks of land and informed community preferences for the four sites for development proposals.

To keep informed on the progress of this work please visit the Suburban Land Agency website.

Background:

Development of Molonglo Valley commenced in 2013. The district currently hosts a population of approximately 10,000 people. It is anticipated Molonglo Valley will eventually host a population of approximately 50,000 over the next 20 years.

Broadly speaking, the Molonglo Valley currently has a variety of high, medium and low-density residential housing, commercial, mixed use and community sites released in accordance with the ACT Government’s indicative Land Release Program. The Molonglo Commercial Centre is planned for release in the years to come.

The Indicative Land Release Program has identified four sites for release in 2020-2021 which are the last of their type in the area. SLA has identified that community and stakeholder input is required for the last mixed-use sites in Coombs and Wright. SLA recognises the community’s desire to see more community-focussed facilities, services and infrastructure provided through the release of these final sites in Coombs and Wright.

The four sites in question are in both Coombs and Wright. The sites are:

• Block 1 Section 39, Steve Irwin Avenue, Wright (CZ5 Mixed Use)
• Block 2 Section 36, Blackmore Street, Coombs (CZ4 Local Centre).
• Block 1 Section 21, Fred Daly Avenue, Coombs (CZ5 Mixed Use)
• Block 10, Section 63, Harriot Street, Wright (CFZ Community Facilities).

Sites A to C are located on John Gorton Drive, near the commercial and residential development of KoKo Molonglo and the Coombs shops. These three sites allow for the construction of residential, commercial and community-zoned services or infrastructure.

Site D is surrounded by residential homes in Wright and zoned for community facilities, infrastructure or services only.

The Suburban Land Agency (SLA) has almost completed its land releases in Coombs and Wright, with only a handful of sites remaining. Of those sites, there are four, prominently-positioned sites which are mixed-use and community-zoned. These sites will play an important role within the Molonglo Valley district. Recognising the community’s strong interest in the shaping and on-going development of their community, the SLA is looking to gather community input into how these key sites will be released.

Our thanks to everyone who took part in the recent Coombs & Wright Key Land Release Sites engagement. To read what we heard from community members and stakeholders, you can read the full consultation report below:

• Consultation report
• Appendices A-C
• Appendices D-G

Our community panel met on two consecutive Saturdays. To read about their process and input please click on the below links:

Community Panel

• Listening report 1
• Listening report 2
• Community panel report

How you had YourSay:

A 7 min online survey was open from 22 February to 26 March 2021

A Community Panel was formed meeting on two occasions: Saturday 13 and Saturday 20 March 2021 (9:30am – 1:30pm). The panel provided advice about each of the four sites for SLA to consider.

Stakeholders were encouraged to send in a submission directly to SLAengagement@act.gov.au.