Molonglo 3 East is an area bigger than the built area of Wright, Coombs and Denman Prospect combined. Just Stage 1 of Molonglo 3 East will likely take just as long to build as Whitlam stages 1, 2, and 3. Molonglo 3 East makes Whitlam look small. Five years for Molonglo 3 East Stage 1 and 20 years for Stages 1 to 4 in total. Stage 5 will come last and likely only after the East West Arterial is finished. Way off, in any case. By that time, Woden CIT and Light Rail Stage 2 (Woden) is finished. Canberra will not be the same place.
Related
The challenges of the topography in Molonglo 3 East and the staging of the Future Urban Area (FUA) is discussed here.
The East West Arterial / bridge and the C10 City to Molonglo Cycleway is discussed here.
The Molonglo 3 East Planning and Infrastructure Study and the reports written by the consultant RobertsDay is discussed here.
The Molonglo 3 East Planning and Infrastructure Study and the reports written by the consultant WSP is discussed here.
Contents
- Listing superlatives
- Concept Plan
- Staging
- Extract
Listing superlatives
The list goes on. Compare the south side of the river with just Molonglo 3 East (ignoring Whitlam). Molonglo Stages 1 and 2 in the south will give us one group centre, two local centres and one arterial bridge. Molonglo 3 East will give us one group centre, two local centres and one arterial bridge, but also a second arterial road and two grade separated interchanges.
Molonglo South versus Molonglo 3 East
| feature | Molonglo South | Molonglo 3 East |
| Arterial | John Gorton Drive | East West Arterial |
| Bridge | John Gorton Drive Bridge | East West Arterial Bridge |
| Group Centre | Molonglo | Molonglo North GC |
| Local Centre | Denman Prospect and Wright Village | 2 local centres in Stages 3 and 4. |
| Schools | 2 primary schools plus | 3 primary schools and 1 high school |
| Interchanges | none | 1. Bindubi Street / William Hovell Drive 2. East West Arterial / Tuggeranong Parkway |
| Area | 4.0 km2 built area in 2021 | 5.2 km2 |
| Suburbs | Wright, Coombs, Denman Prospect | 3-4 unnamed suburbs |
Concept Plan
Molonglo 3 East does not have a concept plan yet, but it is expected to look something like this. Much work still needs to be done before the concept plan is finalised in a year or two.
Staging
Molonglo 3 East Future Urban Area consists of 3-4 unnamed suburbs and will be built in stages from north-east to south.
The cycling network is expected to look like this. This blue lines are a mix of recreational routes and local community routes. The purple line represents the CBR Cycle Route C10 Civic to Molonglo Cycleway and likely to be finished last.
Molonglo 3 East Stage 1 is the suburb beside John Gorton Drive opposite in the north-west and is separated by Coppins Creek from Stage 2, the group centre. The light rail and a bike path runs along Coppins Creek.
Stage 2 is the group centre, a primary school and a high school in a new suburb. It is still early days for the group centre. This illustration shows how the group centre follows the landscape and, through medium density housing, the release targets can be achieved. The design process is will be similar to what we see in Molonglo South.
Stage 3 is the Bindubi Street Extension starting at the intersection of the group centre and Northern Collector. The next image shows the bike path (blue), light rail (red) and road (light blue) running side-by-side. Stage 3 could be delayed by the design of Bindubi Street/William Hovell Drive Interchange which depends, amongst other things, on the light rail route (to Civic or Belconnen).
Far in the south is the East West Arterial between Molonglo and Tuggeranong Parkway including a bridge over the Molonglo River and an interchange over the Parkway. The East West Arterial splits Molonglo 3 East Stage 5.
A dual T intersection on the East West Arterial provides access to the north and south of Stage 5.
Extract
DEVELOPMENT PHASING
9.1.1 INITIAL PHASING
Stage One should be located along John Gorton Drive to take advantage of the establishment of Whitlam and create a cluster of new residential development. The key collector roads through Molonglo 3 East align with the new intersections along John Gorton Drive into Whitlam.
Stage One will take advantage of the proposed Primary School and Local Centre within Whitlam as part of this stage is located within a 10-minute walk of these amenities.
There is an opportunity for small convenience retail and/or cafes along Coppins Creek to establish a community hub within Molonglo that will eventually continue along the eastern side of the creek with the future Group Centre.
Housing diversity should be considered in Stage One to set a precedence for the remaining stages within Molonglo. Given the extent of steep topography throughout the region, a demonstration precinct that includes slope responsive built form should be established.
Any works on the Coppins Creek corridor, including ponds, the road corridor and proposed IPT should be excluded as part of the initial phase of works. It is suggested that these are included as part of Phase Two.9.1.2 OTHER STAGES
Limiting major infrastructure upgrades such as the new Bindubi Street intersection and the East-West arterial will dictate the subsequent stages. The second stage should be on the eastern side of Coppins Creek using the collector roads from stage one for access. This will establish the heart of Molonglo with the Group Centre and schools and create a permanent water body between the first two phases using the new embankment as the road crossing between stages.
The quantity of dwellings within these stages will likely trigger the requirement for the Bindubi Street intersection to provide an alternative access/egress into the precinct, which will establish the third stage. The fourth and fifth stages will be developed towards the south in anticipation of the East-West arterial being completed.
WSP, Outcomes Report, Molonglo 3 East Planning and Infrastructure Study, March 2021, 84.
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