Canberra's City Centre to be Revitalised

[Buzz Killington]

Acting Chief Minister Katy Gallagher today released the Canberra City Area Action Plan 2010- 2016, which includes more than $26 million for upgrades to be carried out in Civic over the next two years and an additional $3.7 million allocated to design work for other major projects.

A draft plan was released for public comment in February 2010 and was revised following extensive consultations with business and community organisations.

Included in the works to be undertaken are improvements to the public areas around the Sydney and Melbourne Buildings, City Walk between Ainslie Place and Akuna Street, Alinga Street between Marcus Clarke Street and West Row and Bunda Street between Northbourne Avenue and Mort Street.

The City Interchange toilets are also going to be upgraded.

Transport will be improved with the construction of a bus priority lane from Clunies Ross Street to the City Interchange and a new ANU/City West bus station.

There will be improvements to the cycleway on Northbourne Avenue and bus priority measures along the Gungahlin to city corridor will be determined.

During this time, master plans will be designed for City Walk between East Row and Allara Street, the Civic Square cultural precinct and Mort and Lonsdale Streets in Braddon.

Design work is going to be undertaken on the Edinburgh Avenue extension, a real time parking information system, pedestrian and bicycle access for Marcus Clarke Street and the investigation of pedestrian access to City Hill.

All of the work will be overseen by the newly appointed Coordinator Hamish McNulty, the Executive Director of Property and Strategic Projects in the Department of Land and Property Services.

Mr McNulty has significant experience in the management of diverse projects, having been responsible for facilitating a range of capital works including road and public realm projects.

"With Canberra's Centenary in 2013, it is timely that we make these improvements to our public areas," Ms Gallagher said.

"Much of the infrastructure in the public domain is more than 40 years old and is no longer functional. Old concrete footpaths, inadequate lighting and outdated street furniture are simply not appropriate for the nation's capital and the work to be undertaken in the next two years will go a long way to improving the look and feel of our city centre."

A copy of the plan can be found at http://www.laps.act.gov.au/