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Canberra Today 14°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Letters / ‘Phoney spin’ on the plans for West Basin

The NCA’s 1963 master plan for the “ultimate development of the lakeside’s parks and reserves” showing how Lake Burley Griffin’s West Basin was to be turned into a melon shape by the proposed infill and how it was to be half the size of East Basin.

ONE has to wonder at the City Renewal Authority’s proposal for West Basin. Do not be fooled by Malcolm Snow’s article “First the lakeside parks then the development” (CN, September 27), it is phoney spin.

quillHe states the public will have more than three hectares of lakeside park. How about being honest Mr Snow, the Australian public is losing the three hectares’ lake bed that will damage the urban form of the three lake basins, so carefully created in the 1960s.

Then the public will lose the seven hectares of Acton Park for the apartment enclave that will clear out 100 trees.

You are privatising all of Acton Park and privatising vistas of the lake. You are also obliterating the lake edge and wildlife habitat. The “lucky” public is to have a concrete walk beside a retaining wall if they can get to West Basin.

West Basin development was proposed initially to politicians by slick planners in the NCA to appease the development crony club. It is intensely damaging to our city.

The way Griffin’s name is used to gain approval is a ploy to destroy Griffin’s lakeside park and damage the basin. Another part of the ploy is to grass the lake infill so it appears as extended park until the road is constructed for apartment access. Once it is all done the public will have little access, no parking and plenty of cold winter shadow over their miserable public strip. It is not superior design nor is it people-focused design, as claimed by Mr Snow.

There are clever public landscape designs in Australia such as the Home of the Arts in the Gold Coast with its landscape surrounding a public gallery with cinemas, a stunning auditorium and a children’s pond. It hosts weekly farmers’ markets and all sort of events. It is a vibrant public area without apartments.

Juliet Ramsay, Burra

The new auditorium set in parkland at the Home of the Arts, Gold Coast.

Drones rob Bonython of birdlife

As residents of Barr Smith Avenue, Bonython we  are totally against the drones flying over our suburb.

For all the previous reasons noted in previous articles, they are noisy, intrusive, record data on each flight path noting address, people, number plates, people at bus stops and store this information overseas. Where is our privacy?

We walk around the Stranger Pond Reserve (which backs on to Pine Island) and are always mindful of these drones – always looking up. The pond has been home to a pair of nesting swans and their families, ibis, pelicans, cockatoos, parrots and other bird life that have been there in the 20 years we have lived in Bonython. Our grandchildren loved the area. Since the drones only the wild ducks remain.

The drones are based only a short distance from this water way which is right in their flight path and walking distance to our street.   

To the owner: take your drones away, we want our suburb back!!

Marilyn and Robert Newham, Bonython

‘Demand tariff’ rip-off

THANK you to Mr M McGregor, of Curtin, for his “Grumpy” column (“Supply and demand, they’ve got you”, CN, October 7). I, too, have recently been upgraded to a smart meter and by default put on ActewAGL’s “demand tariff” and find the way that usage and demand is calculated is a rip-off.

I would like to know why the ACT government has allowed this to happen, especially at a time when governments are promising to bring down our electricity bills.

I am on the demand tariff so it only has one demand time – 5pm to 8pm – and I have adjusted my usage during these hours. However, this would be virtually impossible for a family to accomplish. The only other choice for smart meters is the time-of-use tariff that, in my view, has way too many different time periods and rates for anyone to remember when to use appliances and when not to and, as Mr McGregor pointed out, has two demand times not one.

I am disappointed (but unfortunately not surprised) that ActewAGL show no loyalty to their long-time loyal customers (30+ years in my case) or in fact to their customers in general with this new way they are ripping money off us.

Laura Jane, via email

 

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