Posted 18 April 2015 by Ewan Gilbert
Canberra's borders are set to blur with the latest green light given to the construction of the first suburb shared by the ACT and NSW.
Yass Valley Council has been handed NSW planning approval to submit a proposal to rezone the area known as Parkwood, west of Belconnen.
Construction could start within the next 10 years on 11,500 new homes split between the ACT and NSW.
A spokesperson for the NSW Government said the ACT would be expected to provide all the required services.
"From schools and health services to basic things like bin pick-up," the spokesperson said in a statement.
"We want to make sure that any new community has access to the local services it needs.
"The (NSW) Government) and (Yass) Council can now consult with relevant agencies on both sides of the border to assess the proposal, particularly in terms of supporting infrastructure and services."
In a statement the ACT Government said they were looking forward to working closely with their cross-border counterparts.
"The nature of the NSW land is that much of the servicing will come from the ACT. The land is only accessible via Parkwood Road which connects to Belconnen," the statement read.
"Service provision will be on a cost recovery basis as is the case with other cross-border arrangements and these will be agreed before development starts in NSW."
'A sustainable community of international significance'
The planning proposal for the new area describes it as developing a "unique border adjacent community".
"The proposed community on both sides of the state/territory border will share many mutual interests across the two jurisdictions," the proposal said.
"The whole of West Belconnen including Parkwood will be a sustainable community of international significance in and adjacent to the nation's capital exemplifying world's best practice in design, construction and long-term liveability."
The proposal suggests the new settlement will have its own schools, shopping centre and office buildings.
Historically the 600 hectare site has been used as grazing land, and 206 hectares are expected to remain undeveloped along the Murrumbidgee River, Ginninderra Creek and around Ginninderra Falls.
Conservationists have previously expressed concern over the development.
Construction is currently scheduled to start in 2024 with more than 25,000 people expected to eventually call Parkwood home, 13,000 of them technically New South Welshmen.
"It's a unique proposal, but one (we) believe could bring benefits to both sides of the border," the NSW Government spokesperson said.
"The next step is for the (Yass) Council to prepare a detailed proposal to take to the community so they can share their views on the idea."
Add new comment