The ACT Government has released a draft plan to rezone land near the Griffith shops for a new Inner-South Health Centre, one of several community health facilities promised to bring care closer to home for Canberrans.
The proposal, now open for public consultation, would change part of the Griffith greenfield site, currently occupied by an ageing City Services depot, from open space (PRZ1) and recreation zoning (PRZ2) into a Community Facility Zone.
The health centre will be on a parcel of land that includes a portion of Throsby Park containing the Griffith Shops Playground, which will be relocated, and part of the shops’ overflow car parking area. The Griffith Shops are west of the site, and residential properties to the north, east, and south.
The site, on the corner of Throsby Crescent and Throsby Lane, was chosen because it is close to the busy local shopping centre with good access to parking and public transport (on the rapid bus route).
“Co-location with Griffith shops will offer convenience for patients, staff and visitors in the area, reflecting the role of Griffith shops as a central hub for the community,” health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA said.
The government, backed by Infrastructure Canberra, also proposes declaring the health centre a Territory Priority Project, which would make it exempt from third-party appeals.
“The ACT Government wants to deliver this important health infrastructure as quickly as possible to provide the southside with better access to health services, in addition to the South Tuggeranong Health Centre under construction,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
“The Inner-South Centre will complement our existing network of nurse led Walk-in Centres and Community Health Centres to provide residents with a range of services including oral health, pathology collection, post-acute care and support, rapid access clinics and chronic disease management.”
Minister Stephen-Smith said: “No car parking spaces will be lost. In fact, we will be adding car parking. We’re very conscious that parking will be one of the big issues for people.
“This consultation is really about the plan amendment to rezone the blocks. We will be doing further consultation on the development application which will go to the detail of where the car parks are, how many there are, what the building looks like, how it sits on the land, etc., so that will really be where a lot of the parking and traffic studies are done.
“We really consider this a complimentary use to Griffith Shops. The busiest time for parking is generally before and after work and on weekends. The opening hours for the health centre will primarily be during the day, during the week; it’s not a walk-in centre after hours service. We’re certainly planning to deliver additional parking including dedicated staff parking and free parking.
“I’m very conscious that we need to do this project well, and that’s why we’ve committed $37 million in the budget to delivering this project. That’s a significant increase in funding because of the feedback we’ve already had from the community about the type of services they want to see and the type of infrastructure that they want to see, including ensuring that we have sufficient parking for both the shops and the health centre.”
Other health centres will be built in North Gungahlin (Casey) and West Belconnen. Labor announced the five centres in 2020, but only one, in Molonglo, had been built by the time of the 2024 election.
The Draft Major Plan Amendment (DPA-06) and proposed Territory Priority declaration are available on the ACT Planning website.
Public consultation closes on 19 November.
“I encourage the community and other stakeholders to have their say on the proposed declaration of the Inner South Health Centre as a Territory Priority Project as well as the draft amendment to the Territory Plan,” Chris Steel MLA, minister for planning and sustainable development, said.
Opposition leader Leanne Castley MLA criticised the government for delays.
“Labor’s 2024 election Walk-in Centre announcement is all talk — still no shovel in the ground. The ACT continues to have the weakest bulk billing rates in the country and not enough GPs or specialists. Meanwhile, Canberrans are expected to foot the bill for [Chief Minister Andrew] Barr’s budget blow outs.”
Independent MLA Thomas Emerson welcomed the proposal, but warned that consultation must be genuine.
“This is welcome news for the inner south. Consultation can’t just be a box-ticking exercise. It’s critical for the government take seriously all community feedback provided in relation to this proposal. Community members will be expecting sufficient parking and a scope of health services to be provided that makes this centre fit-for-purpose. What we can’t afford, with the lowest bulk-billing rates and GPs per capita in the country, is further fragmentation of care.”
