Frequently Asked Questions about Googong

The following information responds to some of the most commonly asked questions about Googong. The information presented here was current in January 2008 which details responses to questions raised at the recent community information and feedback session held in December 2007 and reflects the fact that planning is still at concept stage. Progress with planning, consultation, and information gathering will lead to changes in this information over time.

Recently asked questions

1. What impact will discharge of excess recycled water from the wastewater treatment have on the water quality of the Queanbeyan River?

Recycled water at Googong will be purified to a quality allowing urban re-use for washing machines, car washing and outdoor watering. Any excess, high grade recycled water expelled to the Queanbeyan River system will undergo further treatment to remove chlorine so that the water has no significant effects on the creek and river environment. Ideally, the treated discharge could be considered an environmental flow with potential to replace some of the present releases from Googong Dam.

The quality criteria for the released water will be established, licensed and monitored by the Department of Environment and Climate Change under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997. The Australian Standard and the Australian New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) water quality benchmarks applicable to Queanbeyan River will be used for this purpose. Furthermore, the development of the recycling system will undergo significant environmental assessment by the Department of Planning (and other key statutory control authorities) under the Environmental and Protection Act 1979.

2. What impact will stormwater run off have on the water quality of the Queanbeyan River?

Currently stormwater runoff from the Queanbeyan River catchment deposits pollutants from the surrounding rural land uses into the river. These pollutants include nutrients and chemicals from fertilisers and pesticides together with animal waste. The general lack of vegetation in and around creek lines means that much of this waste is carried by stormwater into the river.

The risk of stormwater pollution from urban development at Googong will be managed in several ways. Firstly, the quantity of stormwater leaving the site will be controlled through extensive use of rainwater tanks and selective use of storage basins and wetlands. Secondly, water sensitive urban design practices will be employed aimed at using natural (and some mechanical) processes to cleanse and slow stormwater before it leaves the site. Measures will include roadside bio-retention swales (to filter road runoff), wetland features and revegetation of creeks within the site. Thirdly, one of the criteria for plant selection in public and private areas at Googong will be based on low demand for fertiliser and pesticides. We believe the combination of these measures will protect the current water quality of the Queanbeyan River.

The Department of Environment and Climate Change, Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority and Queanbeyan City Council will all oversee the approval of the stormwater management system proposed for Googong.

3. Will the water quality of the recycled water to be discharged to the Queanbeyan River from Googong be as good, or better than, what is currently discharged from the ACT treatment plant into the Murrumbidgee River?

The impact on a river is a function of both the quality and quantity of discharge, and the Department of Environment and Climate Change will take these factors into account when setting licence conditions for both quality and quantity of discharge from Googong.

In terms of quality - the recycled water discharged from Googong will be subject to quality standards set out in a licence from the Department of Environment and Climate Change. These standards will be determined so that the quality of the receiving waters in the Queanbeyan River is not materially affected by the discharge of the recycled water from Googong. CIC anticipates that the quality standards at Googong will meet or be more stringent than those set out for the Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre that treats and discharges the majority of Canberra’s wastewater.

In terms of quantity - the Googong proposal seeks to greatly reduce recycled water discharge to the Queanbeyan River by re-using the vast majority of wastewater generated by the development on-site, therefore minimising discharge to the river. The Googong water cycle has a water re-use target of up to 80%.

The Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre that treats Canberra’s wastewater, and discharges ultimately to the Murrumbidgee River, is licensed by the Environmental Protection Authority in the ACT. This plant recycles far less than the 80% targeted at Googong, and so in comparative terms discharges a significantly greater percentage of the water treated to the river system.

Overall, the criteria for the released water will be established, licensed and monitored by the Department of Environment and Climate Change under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997. The Australian Standard and the Australian New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) water quality benchmarks applicable to Queanbeyan River will be used for this purpose. Furthermore, the development of the recycling system will undergo significant environmental assessment by the Department of Planning (and other key statutory control authorities) under the Environmental and Protection Act 1979.

4. Why are there 170m² lot sizes in the draft Googong LEP?

 The 170m² lot sizes applies only for attached and semi-detached dwellings. The master plan has a limited number of these densities only for the following reasons:

• Increase housing affordability

• Respond to lifestyle benefits

• Generate walkable neighbourhoods

• Increase housing diversity.

5. Will there be a sea of 170m² dwellings across the Googong landscape?

•  As shown, this is not the intent of the Masterplan to create this type of development

• The Masterplan’s status will be underpinned through the design controls which will be prepared, implemented and administered by QCC

• Regardless, commercial reality shows there is limited demand for this small lot housing.

6. Will council rates increase for residents if the Googong development proceeds?

CIC has been advised by Queanbeyan City Council that where the land rezoned increases in value, the rates can increase accordingly.  There are options available to postpone rates in certain circumstances, and Council's Revenue Accountant can answer enquiries from those affected landholders on (02) 6298 0146.

7. How will traffic in the surrounding areas be affected by Googong?

As part of the rezoning process, a traffic study is underway, as directed by the Minister for Planning, to address the potential traffic impacts of development within the Queanbeyan area. This study is due to be completed in the first quarter of 2008.

Frequently asked questions

6. What is the proposal?

Googong new town is a proposed new community located about 8 kilometres south of Queanbeyan in south-eastern NSW. The rezoning study area, covering approximately 1,360 hectares, is bisected north/south by Old Cooma Rd and is currently zoned rural. It is mostly degraded grazing land with some areas of bushland but its agricultural value is very limited because of over-intensive use in previous decades.

The proposal is for a staged and master-planned development that will include some 5,500 homes of all sizes and types, and which integrates a variety of other uses, including retail, commercial, education, and community facilities. It is envisaged that Googong will eventually grow over a 25 year period to a population of some 16,000 people. The overall intent is to establish Googong as a township that is self-contained in daily needs and community facilities. In order to reflect the values of the Monaro landscape only part of the land is intended for urban development, and large areas will be set aside for conservation and open space. The development will not only protect landscape features but also threatened species’ habitats and the catchment of the adjacent Googong Dam. Go to the Concept Plans page for more information.

7. Who are CIC?

The proposed developer of Googong is the Canberra Investment Corporation Limited (CIC). The company has local roots and understands the area well. By applying its business and planning philosophy of Communities in the Making, CIC has become well known for the quality of its residential developments in the Canberra region. These include Jerrabomberra Park, Harcourt Hill, Eastern Valley Rise, City Edge, and Sky Plaza. In recent years CIC has expanded, and current projects across Australia include the “Sunday” coastal residential development at Aldinga Beach in South Australia, the new suburbs of Lyons in Darwin (as a joint venture with the Defence Housing Authority), and Forde in the ACT (as a joint venture with Delfin and the Land Development Agency). CIC is also undertaking the Northgate urban redevelopment project in Adelaide (as a joint venture with the South Australian government’s Land Management Corporation). For more information, go to www.ciclimited.com.au

8. How will Googong benefit the Queanbeyan Region?

There is strong demand for new residential development around Queanbeyan, but suitably zoned land has all but run out. The development of the new town at Googong will have extensive benefits for residents and businesses in and around Queanbeyan including:

• Accommodating some of the many new employees that will be needed in the area as a result of major projects like the Defence HQ, the new hospital, the new State Offices and, just over the border in the ACT, the expanding Brindabella Business Park and the new bulky goods precinct at Fyshwick;
• Relieving the pressure on housing prices that has arisen, to a significant degree, because of the shortage of residential land;
• Helping to increase the population of the Queanbeyan area to a level that is similar to Dubbo or Wagga Wagga, which will mean that better regional services and facilities can be sustained;
• Increasing the rates base for Queanbeyan City Council, potentially providing impetus to a number of very significant long-term projects, such as the proposed northern by-pass of Queanbeyan town centre, which in turn would support improvements to the town centre itself.
• Provision of services and facilities which will be available to the existing residents on the Googong area.

9. What is special about Googong?

Googong will be a masterplanned and essentially self-contained community that reaches new levels of social and environmental sustainability. It will offer something for everyone. Unlike many residential developments, it will include a full range of housing options to meet all sorts of needs and budgets. A wide variety of facilities will be provided on site, and recreational opportunities will be exceptional.

The new town is being carefully planned on a neighbourhood basis, and each neighbourhood will have its own centre within walking distance of all dwellings. There will be shops, schools, and community facilities across the town, as well as large areas of open space, including a Town Common that will be a focus for community life, and a network of walking tracks and cycleways.

The site is unusual in that there are very few environmental constraints – most of the land is degraded grazing land. There will be no development on sensitive parts of the site; the corner of the site that lies within the Googong Dam catchment will remain undeveloped.

A highlight of the project is its incorporation of design features and facilities for water conservation and sewage management, described in the next question.

10. Are water supplies adequate to support the development of Googong?

The regional water supplier, ACTEW, considers that there are water resources available to support an additional one million people in the ACT and adjacent parts of NSW. The Land Release Inquiry considered the question of water supply, and concluded that there is sufficient water available to support Queanbeyan’s growth. It should be noted that Googong has been designed around an integrated water cycle incorporating up to 80% water recycling, plus water conservation features, resulting in an overall target of up to 70% saving in potable usage compared to traditional developments. This means that Googong’s eventual population of up to 16,000 will use less water than an existing residential area housing only 4,800 people.

11. Will Googong residents have to travel to Queanbeyan or the ACT for facilities like shops and schools?

Googong will be mostly self-sufficient in terms of local facilities and daily needs – it will have its own shops, schools, child care centres, and recreation facilities, for instance. By increasing the population of the Queanbeyan Local Government Area, it can also be expected that improved regional facilities can be sustained in Queanbeyan itself, such as regional health and shopping centres. Googong’s residents will not need to drive if they want to visit Queanbeyan or Canberra – public transport will be available from Day 1. And they will be able to walk or cycle to local facilities in the new town – each neighbourhood will have local recreational facilities and a village centre, and the whole town is being designed to be easy to move around, on foot or by bicycle.

12. Will Googong simply be a dormitory suburb for people working in the ACT?

Many who see the Queanbeyan area as a dormitory for Canberra would be surprised to discover that there are around 10,000 jobs in Queanbeyan and that 40% of these are held by people from the ACT. Major new employment-creating projects are currently underway in the area.

Development at Googong can confidently be expected to support employment growth around Queanbeyan. Far from being simply a dormitory, Googong will be a bustling town that meets most of its residents’ needs for education, recreation, shopping and services, and a diverse and self-reliant community can be expected to develop quickly, accommodated in dwellings that provide a wide choice in terms of size and price.

13. What is the timetable for development?

Development can move forward quickly, subject to progress with planning approvals. (See next question). Once the site is rezoned, it is hoped that progress will be rapid and that the first lots would be available about 18 months later. The new town will be developed neighbourhood by neighbourhood over a period of some 25 years.

14. What is the planning process for Googong?

See Planning Process.

Please be aware that the materials presented on this website are at concept stage, and will change over time as the planning process progresses and further information becomes available.