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Greetings all: I note with interest the debate on
the chatline re the suburb of Forde. A number of people, including me
and others in the Conservation Council, campaigned
against development of Forde and Bonner, arguing for greater buffers
for the reserves. While we did not achieve this, positives are that there
will be edge roads rather than backyards abutting the reserves, and we did
manage to achieve cat containment rules for the new suburbs - a first in the
ACT. And while the Forde development may not be ideal in some eyes, they
have more green credentials than any of the developers of other Gungahlin
suburbs before them; they are doing some good things like the restored
creekline using local provenance, which will run through the suburb from
Mulligans (Greening Aust is in partnership re this) and have engaged the
future residents about valuing and protecting the local nature
reserves.
Ideally, we would like to see Mulligans and Gooroo
left natural and well buffered from urban influences, but this is not possible
with 90,000 people living on the doorsteps. I believe the ANU/ACT
Government research and the predator proof fence, will save these reserves from
becoming just another degraded nature park in the system. And, hopefully,
the research will influence the future planning of what will be Throsby
(viz the neck between Mulligans and Gooroo), and eventually mean the re-drawing
of the future urban edge back nearer to Horse Park Drive.
cheers
Jenny
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