Active&Connected | Community
Active&Connected
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24.01.2022 We have been actively consulting with the community over the past 3 years and have listened to their thoughts on our proposal. From this, we have made 22 commitments around sustainability, traffic, the environment and more. One very important commitment we have made is that the current proposal will be the ONLY development to be undertaken by the Club. This will be supported in writing or by whatever means suitable to the community. Given the extensive work in preparing the c...urrent proposal, we are confident that all matters impacting the Club's long-term operations are adequately dealt with and there will be no future need for any further development to occur. This promise has put to bed any community concerns that the current proposal represents the start of more widespread development into the future. To read the most recent update on our commitments, please click the link below: https://www.activeandconnected.com.au/commitments
24.01.2022 The location of our proposed retirement community is on the already developed land around the clubhouse, carpark and practice fairway. The new development will be more than 200 metres from the Red Hill Nature Reserve, and adjoining homes will be at least 60 metres from the new clubhouse and village. To view the site plan, please click the link below: https://www.activeandconnected.com.au/plan... Club Captain, Bob Correll, explains more onsite:
23.01.2022 Active&Connected On Point with Canberra’s Planning Strategy: Three years ago we started to develop our proposal in line with the ACT's Planning Strategy. This Strategy defines what changes are needed to give Canberrans the future they want, focusing on housing flexibility, efficient land use, quality public spaces, lifestyle choices and environmental sustainability.... Our proposal delivers on all these outcomes. Once approved, it will see the Planning Strategy’s words turn into actions by: - providing Canberrans with age-appropriate homes in their existing neighbourhood; - renewing already developed land at the centre of the course; - protecting more than 80 hectares of public access open space for future generations; - delivering an integrated, active and socially connected community; - creating a sustainable built environment with industry-best water and energy credentials.
23.01.2022 Meet Peter & Wendy, South Canberra locals and club members who have been looking for ways to downsize in their neighbourhood. It is heartening to receive their support for our proposal and here is a short video where they talk about the challenges they are facing when it comes to their retirement plan. A sincere thank-you to Peter & Wendy for taking the time to share!
23.01.2022 To deliver on our sustainability commitments, we have developed a range of goals and initiatives that will be incorporated within the village and align with the internationally recognised One Planet Living principles developed by the not-for-profit organisation Bioregional. One Planet Living is based on the following 10 guiding principles of sustainability: - Health and Happiness... - Equity and Local Economy - Culture and Community - Land Use and Wildlife - Sustainable Water - Local and Sustainable Food - Sustainable Materials - Sustainable Transport - Zero Waste - Zero Carbon Some examples of our committed initiatives to date include: - providing more than 10 hectares of our leased area to the Red Hill Nature Reserve; - minimising the use of potable water and improving stormwater retention and water security; - minimising the carbon footprint of club and village operations by targeting an off-grid electricity network; - no net tree losses on site and species improvement in the replacement program. To learn more about the One Planet Living principles, please visit https://www.bioregional.com/oneplanetliving/ and our commitments are also detailed here: https://www.activeandconnected.com.au/commitments
23.01.2022 As part of our proposal, we have committed to relocating around 19 hollow-bearing trees from within the proposed village site to nearby areas. These trees are important habitat for a variety of local birds and mammals (including Galahs, Cockatoos, Rosellas, Possums and Sugar Gliders) and we want to make sure that they are not lost. This process will involve moving the entire tree where possible and providing it with a new secure foundation, or, where not possible, the valuabl...e hollow-bearing section will be removed and attached to a nearby healthy tree. The relocation of these trees will be further supported by the extensive replanting of native species around the proposed village, entry road and clubhouse. If you want to know more about this relocation process, please reach out to us on Facebook or via [email protected].
22.01.2022 Our Proposal's Direct Monetary Contribution to the Public: When new permitted uses are added to leased land in the ACT, an amount of money is payable to the Government to ensure the public directly benefits from any use changes. Historically this has been referred to as a Betterment Payment and is now known as a Lease Variation Charge or LVC. The public land that the Club leases will remain public land all of it. Only a small portion (5.3 ha or 6.2% of the Club’s 85.7-hecta...re lease area) will have an additional permitted use added to allow the proposed village to be created. Approval for our proposal over a small part of the Club's lease will mean the payment of a significant LVC. This ensures that the Club pays a market rate for the improved value of the land to the Government under a tried and tested method for the benefit of the public, and ensures that it does not get something for nothing. The LVC will be calculated and paid according to ACT law and whilst the final number is yet to be confirmed by the Government, it is understood that this payment will range into the millions of dollars. Our proposal supports what is a fair and reasonable method for ensuring the public achieves a major benefit when land use changes are made. If you have any further questions on the LVC process please visit: http://www.planning.act.gov.au//change_of_use_charge_-_lea
20.01.2022 Significant Public Benefits in Federal's Proposal Our proposal is a win for both the public and the Club. If approved we will deliver real and measurable benefits to the wider community. These include: - A Lease Variation Charge payment (expected to be millions of dollars) paid to the Government for the addition of the retirement village use to 6.2% of the lease area... - The addition of land to the Red Hill Nature Reserve 10.43 ha to be precise - 237 construction jobs - 13 new full-time positions created and more than $4M each year contributed to the ACT economy - No changes to existing public access arrangements and walking trails If our proposal does not go ahead, the Club will not survive in the long term and these public benefits will not be realised. The social and health benefits that all users of the golf course area experience will be lost, as will the support currently provided by the Club to local charities, schools and social organisations. Finally, should the Club disappear and its lease area be more intensively developed or turned into a new suburb, the opportunity to support a more modest proposal like ours will have gone. If you have any further questions please reach out to us on Facebook or via [email protected]
20.01.2022 Clubs & Community Organisations are Proven to Create the Best Retirement Living Developments: Our previous posts have highlighted the lack of housing choices amongst senior Canberrans. We heard that they don’t want to live in new apartment projects that can’t provide the sense of community and security they desire. Providing for this small but growing market is very difficult when residential development is buoyant. In times like the present, residential use will always preva...il as the most financially rewarding land use for owners. Often the best retirement living opportunities are on community or club land that doesn’t have residential permissibility; three of the last six Property Council of Australia award winning retirement living developments have been in conjunction with not-for-profit organisations. We will aim for our proposal to deliver a similar award-winning standard of development. If you want to know more about how we plan to do this, please send us a message or email us at [email protected]. Award for Best Retirement Living Development: 2018: Wivenhoe Village The Sisters of the Good Samaritan & Mbark 2016: St Brigid’s Green Catholic Church & Greengate 2013: Oceangrove Dee Why RSL Club
19.01.2022 A wide range of Australian and international research has shown a direct link between preventing social dislocation and loneliness, and living longer: - An international study involving 4 million people found that lonely people had a 50 per cent increased risk of early death, compared to those with good social connections. - Australian researchers tracked 400 retirees for six years and found that those who gave up their group activities were 12 per cent more likely to be lost... prematurely. - Pooled data from 3.4 million people found that socially isolated individuals had a 30 per cent higher risk of passing away in the next seven years. The core social mission of our proposal is to address this uncomfortable issue by creating an integrated development where residents can age in place and stay active & connected with their local community. To do this, we need your support. Sources: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas/2017//170805165319.htm https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/2/e010164 http://journals.sagepub.com/d/full/10.1177/1745691614568352
17.01.2022 Limited Housing Options Forces Australia’s Highest Spending Retirees Out of Canberra: According to recent community engagement undertaken by the ACT government and published in May 2018, it was noted by retirees "that due to a lack of housing choices, many people believed they had little or no option but to leave an area". The results of this community engagement match the direct feedback we have received and experiences on the ground, with many examples of well resourced an...d active retirees seeking homes outside of Canberra. Our retirees are an important financial and social part of the ACT economy and community, spending more than $2 billion every year and are the biggest spenders in their age bracket nationally (see below). Our proposal aims to provide a home to those retirees that want to stay in Canberra within a connected and age-appropriate environment, ensuring that their value to the ACT is not lost.
17.01.2022 Over the past few weeks, you've asked us about how our proposal may impact the Club's lease area and its accessibility to the public. Our proposal will NOT change the existing public access arrangements. Canberrans will continue to be able to use the many walking trails around the course - this delivers on a key commitment we've made to the community. Here is a short video to know more:
16.01.2022 One of the primary commitments in our proposal is to minimise the use of potable water and improve water security at the Club. We will achieve this by delivering a number of infrastructure upgrades which improve the retention and distribution of water around the course, including: - Construction of new ponds to provide water storage of at least 40 megalitres; - Upgraded and more efficient irrigation throughout the course; - Capturing all village rainwater and stormwater for r...euse within the village, in the homes and around the course. If you want to know more about the sustainability credentials in our proposal, send us a message on Facebook or email us at: [email protected]
12.01.2022 This will be a substantial benefit to the ACT community as a whole - an improved golf course being shared with the over 55’s community - this development will be beneficial for all
10.01.2022 We will be exhibiting at Seniors Week Expo on 21 March 2019 and we would love to see you there! Come find us, have a chat and tell us your thoughts on our proposal! We will share more details closer to the date so stay tuned Learn more about Seniors Week Expo: http://www.cotaact.org.au/cota-act/seniors-week-2019
09.01.2022 ACT Government Releases Draft Red Hill Integrated Plan The draft Red Hill Integrated Plan has recommended it appropriate for a retirement community at Federal Golf Club to be developed. The ACT Government has been working on an integrated plan for the areas surrounding the Red Hill Nature Reserve since late 2017. The study area included Federal Golf Club.... Recommendation for a retirement community on the Club's land is a positive step forward for our proposal, however, the draft Plan identifies that its preferred location is in the southern section of the golf course, not where the current proposal is located around the existing clubhouse and car park. The draft Plan is expected to be finalised in early 2020. You can find more information here: https://www.planning.act.gov.au///red-hill-integrated-plan In the first instance, the Club has specifically ruled out any retirement community development along the residential interfaces on the southern and eastern boundaries of the golf course. We will now be working with the ACT Government, community stakeholders and Club members to inform any future proposal at Federal Golf Club. Active&Connected
09.01.2022 "The Club would collapse." This is how critical the situation is. Club Captain, Bob Correll, explains why our proposal is needed:
09.01.2022 No Other Options - But Why? Recently we have received some questions from the community asking why there are no other options for the Club but to pursue a retirement community proposal. Over the past decade, the Club has investigated all avenues available for a sustainable future, including sourcing bore water, establishing new ponds, making our course more water efficient and increasing membership fees.... These efforts were not enough, which then led to an independent report identifying options for the long-term survival of the Club. A retirement community is the only option that meets this need. To tell you more, our Club Captain, Bob Correll, explains why in this video:
05.01.2022 Did you know that the Club has committed to providing more than 10 hectares of our lease area to the Red Hill Nature Reserve if our proposal is approved? This is almost double the size of what we have proposed to redevelop in the centre of the golf course. We believe restoring this land to public ownership would be of great environmental and community benefit for Canberrans now and into the future. Find out more in this video:
04.01.2022 Lack of Housing Choices Forces Canberra's Downsizers to the Urban Fringe The ABS estimates there are 18,500 residents aged 55 or older within 5 kilometres of Federal Golf Club, and yet there are only 309 independent living homes in completed villages within that same area. The supply of new retirement communities is limited to Suburban Land Agency sites on the urban fringes or in higher density developments. This is not what the ageing community wants and are the exact conce...rns they expressed in the ACT's Housing Choices Discussion Paper. Our proposal aims to provide a range of housing types in a low-density and low-rise community that responds to the need for better housing choices, but without forcing residents to leave their existing neighbourhoods and social networks. More information on our current plans can be found here: https://www.activeandconnected.com.au/plan
03.01.2022 We believe in the important role not-for-profit community clubs like Federal Golf Club play in Canberra. Every year we support a number of schools, youth clubs, sports clubs and charities - we want to keep doing this. An example includes our 45-year partnership with Legacy Canberra, which has raised more than $400,000 so far. This is one of the key reasons why we need our proposed development to proceed so that we can continue to support our community as we survive long into ...the future. Learn more in this video:
