Ezreal2001
Likes Bikes
Hope thats not the new north shore section thats somewhere in the vicinity of trail named after you
Canberra- Gungahlin developments
- Thread starter FR Drew
- Start date
FR Drew
Not a custom title.
Hi Brett,
Still working on it. I had hoped to have the DA lodged last week but the senior planner in PC&L that I had been dealing with has left, and the person in the position of Ranger in Charge at Yerrabi is also changed.
They both need to get up to speed on what has gone before before they can give us our final sign off. I don't expect it to be a problem, but it is causing a delay.
At this stage (assuming that nothing else changes), my guess is for approvals to come through in mid to late january.
Still working on it. I had hoped to have the DA lodged last week but the senior planner in PC&L that I had been dealing with has left, and the person in the position of Ranger in Charge at Yerrabi is also changed.
They both need to get up to speed on what has gone before before they can give us our final sign off. I don't expect it to be a problem, but it is causing a delay.
At this stage (assuming that nothing else changes), my guess is for approvals to come through in mid to late january.
tommyturtle
Likes Bikes
give us jumps!!!!! please.
don't tell us that, tell the government that
FR Drew
Not a custom title.
tommy,
We're still working on it.
One of the new folks in Parks has different ideas to the last person I was dealing with. I'm as frustrated as the rest of you (possibly more so given that two and a half years of my volunteer work has thus far still got nowhere when it comes to sticking a spade in the ground).
I don't know if it means the whole thing goes back to the drawing board yet.
Trust me, as soon as I know something I'll be letting people know...
We're still working on it.
One of the new folks in Parks has different ideas to the last person I was dealing with. I'm as frustrated as the rest of you (possibly more so given that two and a half years of my volunteer work has thus far still got nowhere when it comes to sticking a spade in the ground).
I don't know if it means the whole thing goes back to the drawing board yet.
Trust me, as soon as I know something I'll be letting people know...
donthucktoflat
Eats Squid
drew, just wondering on any updates?
does the government want to accept any suggestions from yourself in regards to the site? do you have a link of the gungahlin planning map i can have a look at?
hopefully soon we can get to the stage we were at last time i talked to you in mapping out a viable area. i still remember standing there thinking how cool it was gonna be to have some legal and awesome jumps, imagining them in my mind. bummed to see that after a significant amount of time "out of the scene" the gov't still hasn't got it's act together and done something good for once!
does the government want to accept any suggestions from yourself in regards to the site? do you have a link of the gungahlin planning map i can have a look at?
hopefully soon we can get to the stage we were at last time i talked to you in mapping out a viable area. i still remember standing there thinking how cool it was gonna be to have some legal and awesome jumps, imagining them in my mind. bummed to see that after a significant amount of time "out of the scene" the gov't still hasn't got it's act together and done something good for once!
FR Drew
Not a custom title.
Okay...
The way it stands is that the plans landed on the desk of someone who had previously worked up in Qld doing council planning and had been involved with the construction of dirt jumps. That's the good bit.
He's very supportive and says he is looking at a strategic approach for building dirt jumps in Canberra that would give us around 4 small sites and 2 large sites.
Also good.
The less good bit is that rather than lodging a development application with what riders actually want and only having to go into negotiations and scale it back if there are issues, it sounds as if they are going to pre-empt the issues and not put in what we had planned.
Instead of it being a project that CORC does in collaboration with local groups and riders, merely having PC&L give us permission to build on the Yerrabi site, it now appears that finally PC&L (due to the work of myself and others) have dirt jumps on their agenda, but the design and build will be done by them.
How much if any involvement in design I don't know. Last I heard there had been a veto on building any doubles in phase one of construction, and what was being suggested was 3 parallel lines of tables at 4 feet or less.
The man driving things at PC&L seems very enthusiastic and has said much of the work he did in Cairns, but in another thread where I asked for feedback on Cairns council built jumps, the response from farkiners was less than encouraging about what he might produce. Australia has loads of sites built by councils where the councils think they've done wonders and where the riders barely use them because they're poorly maintained or because the design is flawed and they don't meet the needs of riders.
I'm hoping that they'll get Dirt Art or someone to design something that will work, instead of doing it themselves (civic skate park anyone?).
I've been away in SA for 5 weeks so I haven't been here meeting with folks. We still have great community support but the Gungahlin project feels like it has been taken out of my hands and gone into the bureaucratic machine a bit at the moment, and I don't honestly know how things will pan out.
Upshot:
They are definitely planning to build something.
BUT
I don't know if what they build will be any good or meet your needs...
As soon as I hear anything, people will know.
Word me up if anyone from PC&L floats around the skate park talking about plans.
Drew
The way it stands is that the plans landed on the desk of someone who had previously worked up in Qld doing council planning and had been involved with the construction of dirt jumps. That's the good bit.
He's very supportive and says he is looking at a strategic approach for building dirt jumps in Canberra that would give us around 4 small sites and 2 large sites.
Also good.
The less good bit is that rather than lodging a development application with what riders actually want and only having to go into negotiations and scale it back if there are issues, it sounds as if they are going to pre-empt the issues and not put in what we had planned.
Instead of it being a project that CORC does in collaboration with local groups and riders, merely having PC&L give us permission to build on the Yerrabi site, it now appears that finally PC&L (due to the work of myself and others) have dirt jumps on their agenda, but the design and build will be done by them.
How much if any involvement in design I don't know. Last I heard there had been a veto on building any doubles in phase one of construction, and what was being suggested was 3 parallel lines of tables at 4 feet or less.
The man driving things at PC&L seems very enthusiastic and has said much of the work he did in Cairns, but in another thread where I asked for feedback on Cairns council built jumps, the response from farkiners was less than encouraging about what he might produce. Australia has loads of sites built by councils where the councils think they've done wonders and where the riders barely use them because they're poorly maintained or because the design is flawed and they don't meet the needs of riders.
I'm hoping that they'll get Dirt Art or someone to design something that will work, instead of doing it themselves (civic skate park anyone?).
I've been away in SA for 5 weeks so I haven't been here meeting with folks. We still have great community support but the Gungahlin project feels like it has been taken out of my hands and gone into the bureaucratic machine a bit at the moment, and I don't honestly know how things will pan out.
Upshot:
They are definitely planning to build something.
BUT
I don't know if what they build will be any good or meet your needs...
As soon as I hear anything, people will know.
Word me up if anyone from PC&L floats around the skate park talking about plans.
Drew
Slave
Likes Dirt
These jumps don't sound like they will happen very soon.
I've given up hope and taken up BMX instead. If you have seen the recent changes to the Kambah BMX track (which is open to public) then you will wonder why these MTB jumps are such an issue for the local Gov. Not trying to stir trouble and thanks Drew for all your work but I'm just being honest.
I've given up hope and taken up BMX instead. If you have seen the recent changes to the Kambah BMX track (which is open to public) then you will wonder why these MTB jumps are such an issue for the local Gov. Not trying to stir trouble and thanks Drew for all your work but I'm just being honest.
Dandelion
Likes Dirt
At least this will be a good start to hopefully getting some sweet trails!
Perhaps after the trails are built and they see that there are actually people riding them, CORC will be able to change them and make them better (within a set criteria of course).
I believe that once we get some trails up and running, they will be a good base for other sites to be constructed in Canberra.
Props to FR Drew for organising all of this for the last couple of years, Great work. I'm sure even if they aren't massive, it will be nice to know that they will still be there next time you go for a ride.
Mal.
Perhaps after the trails are built and they see that there are actually people riding them, CORC will be able to change them and make them better (within a set criteria of course).
I believe that once we get some trails up and running, they will be a good base for other sites to be constructed in Canberra.
Props to FR Drew for organising all of this for the last couple of years, Great work. I'm sure even if they aren't massive, it will be nice to know that they will still be there next time you go for a ride.
Mal.
FR Drew
Not a custom title.
Brett,
Can't blame you for giving up waiting. How long have we been working on this now?
I don't understand the choices being made re liability either. If you can get the ACT insurance folks to sign off on a 10 foot high skate park then why the hell are a few 6 foot high doubles such an issue?
I think the timeframe is now sooner than ever before and with support for construction by the people who make the call (and who have previously been the ones driving the bulldozing).
From what I'm told by the government reps, the plan is for a couple of major sites with the whole shebang including big double jumps and then 4 or so smaller sites for use by people who don't really need to go huge.
I'll wait till we're cutting a tape before i go cheering, but the verbal response from the authorities and land managers for legal dirt jumps in the ACT is more positive than any of us have ever heard it before.
Drew
Can't blame you for giving up waiting. How long have we been working on this now?
I don't understand the choices being made re liability either. If you can get the ACT insurance folks to sign off on a 10 foot high skate park then why the hell are a few 6 foot high doubles such an issue?
I think the timeframe is now sooner than ever before and with support for construction by the people who make the call (and who have previously been the ones driving the bulldozing).
From what I'm told by the government reps, the plan is for a couple of major sites with the whole shebang including big double jumps and then 4 or so smaller sites for use by people who don't really need to go huge.
I'll wait till we're cutting a tape before i go cheering, but the verbal response from the authorities and land managers for legal dirt jumps in the ACT is more positive than any of us have ever heard it before.
Drew
Slave
Likes Dirt
I'm with you on the liability front. I go to the skate parks and see blokes pulling backflips over metal spines wearing no helmets :gasp: no cred unless you can tailwhip over the - hmm not even sure what that thing is called but hey it's made from concrete and there is a big penalty for failure. Add to that some kiddie charging at you (taking a different line) who you just didn't see coming and some parents who dog is loose and looks like it's sessioning the bowl too.... wow you are kidding. Makes dirt jumps look safe!
Or, check 20/20 magazine (BMX mag) - basically no one (actually no one) has a helmet on and they don't need a skate park to ride.... that's the thing about a bike, find an incline and it becomes a ramp - check the latest issue of 20/20 to see shots out the front of the Canberra Theater and (I love this) gapping the roads on the GDE!! A bit of imagination and any incline is a ramp.
So if the alternative is sessioning the GDE, surley a purpose built dirt jump park would make sense to the Gov. Maybe if MTBrs did what BMXrs do a dirt jump park would be approved faster - its got to be safer than playing on the highway.
Anyway, hear you on the liability front.
Or, check 20/20 magazine (BMX mag) - basically no one (actually no one) has a helmet on and they don't need a skate park to ride.... that's the thing about a bike, find an incline and it becomes a ramp - check the latest issue of 20/20 to see shots out the front of the Canberra Theater and (I love this) gapping the roads on the GDE!! A bit of imagination and any incline is a ramp.
So if the alternative is sessioning the GDE, surley a purpose built dirt jump park would make sense to the Gov. Maybe if MTBrs did what BMXrs do a dirt jump park would be approved faster - its got to be safer than playing on the highway.
Anyway, hear you on the liability front.
Ezreal2001
Likes Bikes
I get the same feeling riding past Tugg skate board park and wondering why Northshore at Maj is such a problem.
Going back to dirt jumps, any chance of someone hooking up the Tugg BMX people with a view to building some legal dirt jumps on the land behind the BMX track on their site.
Going back to dirt jumps, any chance of someone hooking up the Tugg BMX people with a view to building some legal dirt jumps on the land behind the BMX track on their site.
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robbienapper
Cannon Fodder
Dust
hi guys, sounds like progress if a little slow eh? I think the dust argument might be a hard one, all the hardpack trails I've ridden do produce a little bit of dust, heading to a lot on a busy day.
Also, claiming they'll be watered?? This might only happen if you're at Stromlo, or somewhere else with water access.
Still, I'd be well up for a digging weekend or three at Stromlo.
hi guys, sounds like progress if a little slow eh? I think the dust argument might be a hard one, all the hardpack trails I've ridden do produce a little bit of dust, heading to a lot on a busy day.
Also, claiming they'll be watered?? This might only happen if you're at Stromlo, or somewhere else with water access.
Still, I'd be well up for a digging weekend or three at Stromlo.