Residents of Molonglo Valley, expected to be one of Canberra’s biggest districts in a few decades, have called for a town centre (a regional hub) for several years, rather than the commercial centre (large local shopping centre) proposed.

Today, Chris Steel, ACT Minister for Planning, said that the government intended to reclassify the Molonglo Group Centre as Canberra’s sixth town centre.

In 2020, before the last election, ACT Labor promised to fast-track the development of the Molonglo Town Centre, “an important mixed used commercial centre to service the Molonglo Valley and wider community”, as Mr Steel told the Weston Creek Community Council in June 2020. But the Molonglo Valley Community Forum was concerned that the satellite town would be without a commercial town centre for a decade, after the government postponed Commercial Centre land release from 2021–22 to 2023–24. Canberra Liberals MLA Ed Cocks has advocated for the Town Centre for months.

Mr Steel said today that the government would develop a case to the National Capital Authority to change the National Capital Plan and recognise Molonglo as a Town Centre; then develop a similar amendment to their own Territory Plan.

“This change will cater for projected higher growth expected in the Molonglo Valley and will guide the Suburban Land Agency’s work in developing Molonglo’s major commercial centre,” Mr Steel said.

Mr Cocks welcomed the news. “It’s great to see that the government has finally come on board with the community campaign’s vision for the Molonglo Valley, a campaign that has been long and hard work. That said, there have been too many broken promises; the government has walked away from Molonglo Valley in too many areas; and there’s a lot more work to do. I’m looking forward to keeping on working with the community and making sure we’re addressing all the other problems as well.”

The commercial centre proposed in Molonglo is classified as a ‘group centre’, which Mr Steel said reflects the original planning for Molonglo Valley as a home for around 55,000 residents, not the 70,000-plus by 2050, or 86,148 people by 2060.

“At current projections, the area could even surpass the population of the City Centre and Woden Valley,” Mr Steel said. “That’s why it is time to reclassify the suburb of Molonglo to reflect the scale and status of this district.”

Last year, Mr Cocks said that Molonglo Valley would be larger than Weston Creek in five years; than the Woden Valley in 10 years; and than both Woden and Weston Creek combined by 2040.

“Currently, the Molonglo Valley, like Weston Creek, relies on the Woden Town Centre,” Mr Cocks said last year. “The increase in the size of the Molonglo Valley population will exacerbate the existing problems with Cooleman Court, and road access to and from Molonglo suburbs. With a projected population of over 85,000, it’s not good enough to expect people from Molonglo to travel all the way to the Woden Town Centre for the important facilities and services they need.”

Currently, Mr Cocks said, the lack of the Molonglo Valley town centre has caused bad traffic and congestion, and put pressure on other infrastructure, as residents go to Belconnen or Woden.

Planning for the commercial centre, Mr Steel said, already includes provision for key infrastructure expected in a Town Centre, such as a college, library, community centre, transport interchange, a town park, and other recreational facilities.

The ACT Government will consult the community to assess the needs of existing and additional future residents of the Molonglo Valley. 

“This includes understanding what additional community infrastructure and services are required to support this growing and vibrant community, such a places of religious worship, cultural facilities, government and social services, and recreation facilities,” Mr Steel said.

“This feedback will help not just to finalise plans for the proposed Town Centre, but also in existing and future suburbs which will be released in ‘Molonglo 3’.”

Consultation with Canberrans will include surveys and pop-up activities throughout the district. 

“We are keen to hear from a diversity of Molonglo residents, those from different backgrounds and faiths as well as community members in all stages of life,” Mr Steel said. “This will help us to continue to plan for a Molonglo Valley district that caters to a variety of needs.”

Re-classifying the Molonglo Group Centre will form part of the Minister’s Statement of Planning Priorities, which will be released soon.

For more information on the future plans for Molonglo, including transitioning the group centre to a town centre, take a look at the Molonglo Valley District Strategy.