Despite being one of the ACT’s oldest residential areas, Canberra’s historic village of Hall has gone 140 years without a stormwater drainage system.
A longstanding issue for residents, it has come to a head in the last 18 months, with wetter than usual conditions “seriously exacerbating” the lack of storm water drainage, causing erosion of the village’s unsealed laneways, and property damage.
Current government advice for Hall residents is to direct stormwater drainage to the laneways, and, in some cases, into the existing street drainage system that services 55 per cent of the village.
After numerous requests over the past 20 years, the Hall Progress Association is calling on the ACT Government to work with them to find a long-term solution.
Association president, Robert Yallop, said the village has evolved organically with basic infrastructure lagging behind Canberra’s suburban development.
“It’s simply a matter of establishing the same basic infrastructure and basic services that exist everywhere else in Canberra,” he said.
Hall received a reticulated water supply and a sewerage system in 1967 and 1978 respectively.
Then, in 2002, the ACT Government’s Hall Master Plan identified issues with storm water drainage and the erosion of laneways, recommending an appropriate improvement program be established.
“The only responses have been effectively band-aid,” Mr Yallop said, “bringing in gravel, regrading the lanes, but never actually dealing with the fundamental issue.”
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In January, the Hall Progress Association wrote to Minister for Transport and City Services, Chris Steel, about the matter.
In March of this year the ACT Government responded by regrading Hall’s laneways “to direct stormwater run-off to improve the condition of laneway surfaces”.
Mr Yallop said that work was undertaken without any consultation and has already proved insufficient, with the regraded laneways eroding in the interim.
“We’ve gone again back to the minister and said this hasn’t addressed the issue. Already the regraded lanes are eroding, even without very much rain.”
An ACT Government spokesperson told Canberra Daily many aspects of Hall’s infrastructure are subject to protections under the Heritage Act.
“These protections include the requirement to maintain existing laneways as trafficable areas for vehicles and/or pedestrians, without kerbing and with unsealed surfaces,” they said.
Mr Yallop said Hall’s heritage values can be maintained while properly managing the issue.
“There are already sewerage lines that run up those laneways … so one could imagine it’s not difficult to put in storm water pipes with various openings, grates, and drains, etc.
“It’s challenging, because Hall is recognised within the heritage status that exists,” Mr Yallop said. “It’s certainly not as simple as dealing with it on a greenfield site.”
The spokesperson said they have “committed to investigate infrastructure upgrades or additional maintenance works” that comply with heritage requirements.
“We welcome continued consultation with the Village of Hall and District Progress Association and the broader community who live and work in the area.”
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