The Woden Valley Community Council has included the following points in it’s submission to the ACT government in relation to community Concessional Leases which are generally issued to clubs, churches, and sporting organisations at discounted rates.[teaserbreak]
• The terms of a concessional lease should always allow the ACT Government to resume a lease or that part of the lease no longer required for its original purpose.
• Concessional lessees should not be permitted to exploit the community, but they should not be unduly penalised if they no longer require the land.
• As a last resort, the government should withdraw the lease or acquire the property and use or sell it for another use.
• Variations to concessional leases, which change the original purpose, should, in the view of the WVCC, extinguish the original lease. A new lease should be allowed only after an examination ensuring community needs criteria are met.
• The concessional lessee should not have the power to on-sell the lease, even to those with “similar” interests. This power should always reside with the ACT Government.
At our next Council meeting we will be briefed by the ACT Land Development Agency in relation to an application from The Abbeyfield Society Disability (ACT) Inc for the direct sale of Block 1 Section 77 Curtin ( 31 Throssell St. Curtin).
The proposed house would provide ten young adults with mild intellect or physical
disability, with the opportunity to gain independence from the parental home and manage their own lives within a supportive tenancy model. Other Abbeyfield houses are located in Garran and Ainslie.
The Land Use Policy for Block 1 Section 77 Curtin is Community Facility.
The proposal comes under the Territory Plan definition of Residential Care
Accommodation, which is a permissible use under the Community Facility Land
Use Policy.
We invite anyone with an interest in this to attend our next public meeting between 7.30 and 8.00pm when this matter will be discussed. The meeting will be on Wed 7 April 2004 at the Hellenic Club, Orpheus Room.
Concessional leases – Abbeyfield