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Canberra Today 12°/16° | Saturday, March 30, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Budget / Government promises to tidy up the suburbs

TIDIER suburbs with more trees, upgraded playgrounds and better public spaces is a promise of the government’s 2018 Budget.

It also intends to improve local ovals and step up city services to look after growing communities.

At the same time, it will be investing in the renewal of town centres with better walking and cycling links and community-led activations to create livelier public spaces.

The government says Canberra is Australia’s most active community, with a larger share of Canberrans commuting by walking or cycling than anywhere else in the country. The ACT government will invest an additional $30 million in active travel infrastructure over the life of this parliamentary term.

Suburbs

The Budget will spend:

  • $10.9 million to expand City Services to meet the costs of delivering services to Canberra’s new communities, including both infill developments and new suburban housing estates
  • $10 million for more mowing, weeding, graffiti removal, cleaning up local waterways and tree trimming
  • $3.4 million to improve animal management and encourage responsible pet ownership by delivering two new ranger positions to manage domestic dogs and upgrade another seven positions for rangers investigating complaints
  • $3.2 million for local libraries to ensure Canberrans continue to have access to high-quality library services
  • $2.8 million over four years to improve playing fields across the city and keep local ovals green
  • $2.2 million to restore Higgins Neighbourhood Oval with new turf, a new irrigation system, lighting and a pavilion with toilet facilities
  • $1.7 million to upgrade the Nicholls Neighbourhood Oval and replace the synthetic surface
  • $958,000 over four years to reopen Boomanulla Oval for use as a focal point for Indigenous cultural and community events
  • $457,000 over four years to plant an additional 1330 trees in residential streets across our city.

City

  • $5 million to build better footpaths, better verges and better public spaces in the CBD
  • $500,000 to continue a series of events and installations to make the CBD, Dickson and Braddon more exciting for visitors, workers, customers and residents
  • $90,000 to plan and design a network of micro parks.

Town centres

  • $10.5 million to improve cycling and walking connections into and around the Belconnen Town Centre that will:

o   Build the Belconnen Bikeway to connect the University of Canberra with the Belconnen Town Centre and revitalise the disused busway to connect to Florey and Page. Separated cycle and pedestrian paths within the Belconnen Town Centre will also be built, including along Benjamin Way to connect to Belconnen Way

o   Extend the Lake Ginninderra Circuit around the Belconnen Arts Centre with an overwater boardwalk

  • $4.7 million to deliver a new separated cycleway and verge improvements along Corinna Street from Furzer Street to Callam Street, along with funding to widen the cycle paths on Melrose Drive and Ball Street and complete other priority works identified in the Woden Town Centre Master Plan
  • $4 million to improve the cycling and pedestrian connection from Anketell Street to Lake Tuggeranong via the Town Square, convert paved areas around the Tuggeranong Arts Centre to grass and provide new path connections to link the Lakeside Leisure Centre with the Lake Tuggeranong Shared path
  • $1.2 million for the completion of the Lyons to Weston Creek walking and cycling link along Heysen Street.

 

 

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