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Canberra Today 13°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Change comes slowly to troubled park

THE ACT Government’s move to transform the Narrabundah Long-stay Park is long overdue, according to residents, who say it was left in a “dog state” for years.

But director-general of the Economic Development Directorate, David Dawes, says action was taken soon after the Government regained management of the park in 2006.

Graham Plumb, park resident of 30 years...pleased with the new mobile homes.
Graham Plumb, park resident of 30 years…pleased with the new mobile homes.

Nineteen mobile homes will be installed next month at the northern end of the park as part of the Government’s $7.7 million expansion.

Mr Dawes says the upgrade was necessary after an assessment two years ago uncovered health and safety concerns.

“The assessment indicated that it might not be structurally or financially viable to bring some dwellings to an appropriate standard required for compliance certification,” Mr Dawes says.

All existing houses at the park will now need to meet Australian building code guidelines to receive an occupancy certification to enable the structure to remain.

Housing ACT is working with residents whose dwellings did not receive a certificate to either rectify their homes or find alternative accommodation if the home needs to be demolished, with low-income residents receiving financial assistance from the Government.

Park residents will also have the first chance to buy or rent the mobile houses, priced between $167,000 and $195,000.

So far, Housing ACT has received nine expressions of interest for the houses, which include 13 two-bedroom houses, two two-bedroom adaptable houses and four three-bedroom houses.

Graham Plumb, 66, has been a resident of the park for more than 30 years and says while he is pleased with the new houses, “it’s been a long time coming”.

“This was just a dog of a place for about 10 years,” he says.

“[The upgrade] should have been done earlier. Many of the places, they were just uninhabitable. There were ad-hoc buildings on the back, a bit of iron here and there and a frame, completely unsafe and they got away with it and it just built from there. The place was let go for too long.”

A long-term resident of the park, who did not wish to be named, says he is concerned some residents are being forced out unfairly.

“Most people here bought their homes under the impression that it was theirs, now some are having to leave them for new ones when they’re demolished… it’s not their fault things have gotten to this state,” he says.

But Mr Dawes says the Government handled a sensitive and complex process “as quickly as it could”.

“Once the ACT Government took over the park, there was an options paper written and that’s when the compliance paper took place,” he says.

“It’s not a simple process, we are getting about 20 or 30 homes across the line, and we have people individually speaking with residents about each of their needs to ensure we improve the long term viability of the park for everyone… it’s a gradual process.”

Fifteen of the 19 new mobile homes have been installed on site so far, with remaining homes due to be completed next month.

Any homes not taken up by existing residents will be offered to the general community as an affordable housing option.

 

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