The current Parkwood Road green-waste site will be moved to the north of the block. Photo: File.
Another chapter in the Belconnen green-waste saga is beginning, with a tender out for a company to build a new temporary facility near the current site at the Parkwood Road Recycling Estate.
But the uncertainty around a permanent facility appears unlikely to abate.
The tender is happening while planning continues for another temporary facility on a block in Stockdill Drive, the development application (DA) for which finally won conditional approval in 2023 after the ACT Government was left red-faced when its own agencies shot down the original DA the year before.
At present, the green-waste drop-off is at the southern end of Block 1586, but this will be moved to the northern end to allow the Ginninderry Joint Venture development to continue while a longer-term site is prepared for the drop-off facility.
The Belconnen Community Council has called for a permanent green-waste facility. In its 2024-25 Budget submission, the council urged the government to identify a long-term green-waste facility for Belconnen.
“Resolving planning challenges for a permanent green waste facility in Belconnen is essential,” it said.
“Focus should be placed on genuine community consultation and bolstering community sentiment with infrastructure to support the permanent facility (such as arterial road upgrades) and possible environment and technological commitments.”
BCC chair Lachlan Butler said years of uncertainty around this service being provided looked set to continue.
“The government needs to plan for the permanent site, ensure the availability of this service, and genuinely engage with the community on the future West Belconnen green waste facility,” he said.
The proposed temporary Belconnen green-waste site. Photo: Supplied.
The new tender follows the approval in May of a DA for the demolition of existing fencing, water basins and underground fuel tanks, construction of the green-waste facility, product bays, hardstand areas, a grind and mulching area, sediment basin, relocation of machinery, landscaping and other works.
A new driveway is to be built about 800 metres north of the existing entrance on Parkwood Road.
The successful tenderer will need to adhere to a range of environmental conditions to do with water run-off, erosion, sediment control and dust suppression, as well as road and traffic requirements.
Transport Canberra and City Services had previously identified Block 1582 on Stockdill Drive for a temporary green-waste service while it sought a permanent site.
This came after a community backlash at the impending closure of the West Belconnen Resource Management Centre so the land could be remediated for residential development as part of the Ginninderry Joint Venture between the ACT and Riverview Group.
But the proposal fell foul of planning rules covering traffic, bushfire and utilities management and failed to gain support from agencies. Also, the planning authority raised concerns about whether it would actually be a temporary operation, which brought it into conflict with the Territory Plan.
That proposal is now back on the table after changes were made to the DA, and any new facility built there will have a life of up to three years.
The conditional approval reinforced the temporary nature of the proposal, and included site remediation and environmental protections.
It allows for a green-waste drop-off, processing and composting service, which will be more than a kilometre from the nearest home in Ginninderry.
A government spokesperson said construction on the future temporary green-waste facility at Block 1582 off Stockdill Drive was expected to begin in 2026, with design to be completed by the end of 2025.
A site location for a permanent facility was still under consideration.
The temporary facility at Parkwood Road was expected to operate until the Stockdill Drive facility was available.
