The building at the Wakefield Gardens site, which hasn’t been used for 20 years, was destroyed by fire in August. Photo: Claire Fenwicke.
There’s now movement on the future of the long-abandoned Wakefield Gardens site in Ainslie, a month after it was destroyed in a suspected arson attack.
The ACT Government has opened up community consultation to help determine the next stage for the heritage-listed precinct.
Infrastructure Canberra pipeline, capability and estate executive group manager Kyla Kerkow said it had been the government’s intention to open up conversations in October, but the fire had brought that timeline forward.
“Because the engineering assessment after the fire [found it] required demolition … we’re keen to understand what that future use is for the site,” she said.
“The government hasn’t made any decisions about the future of the site, noting it had been a really important community site for Ainslie and Canberra.”
Individual stakeholder engagement has already been had with a former operator at the site, the Canberra Mothercraft Society, which used the building between the 1920s and 1990s.
Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Services was based there from 1998 to 2005, and it was used as a child health clinic in the 1950s and 60s.
While the building itself wasn’t heritage-listed, the gardens are.
Ms Kerkow said that had been one of the constraints holding up a government decision on what to do with the area.
“It has a number of mature trees [and] there are supply constraints that all made it challenging to undertake a refurbishment or new build on the site,” she said.
“Refurbishment had been found not to be viable.”
The site is also contaminated with non-friable asbestos, lead paint and synthetic mineral fibres.
The ACT Government has confirmed the site poses no health risks, including to air quality outside the perimeter fence. The area will remain fenced until the damaged structure is removed.
A petition calling on the government to start consultation and commit to funding a community hub on the site was launched in June.
It’s been sponsored by Kurrajong independent MLA Thomas Emerson, who was relieved there was finally movement for the site that had been at a standstill for the past 20 years.
“There’s a lot of community interest in this site, with a number of people willing to contribute their own time and even money to transform Wakefield Gardens into the community hub it should be for the inner north,” he said.
“Our community wants to see a whole-of-precinct approach adopted here. There’s a lot of excitement about bringing life into this untapped community asset.”
Mr Emerson has been consulting on the future of the site for months and has published a potential three-stage plan for revitalising Wakefield Gardens.
It envisions the site would be used as a community garden and urban farm, a community hub (which could house a sustainable living hub, a home for Aboriginal-led service delivery, space for art and creative practices, a hub for First Nations knowledge sharing and/or hireable spaces) and a nature play area.
Mr Emerson hoped the government would be considering options for the entire site, not just the building itself.
“Community members have made clear they want this process to focus on the entirety of Wakefield Gardens, not just the disused building in isolation,” he said.
Ms Kerkow said all ideas for the site would be welcomed and encouraged, but noted there are a number of site constraints that would also need to be taken into consideration.
“What will be possible will be constrained by those factors,” she said.
Community engagement will run from Monday, 22 September, to Friday, 27 November. It will include a series of information pop-ups at the Ainslie Shops. There’s also an online option to submit feedback and ideas, which also lists the information session dates and times.
