Charnwood, Kambah shops to be upgraded, more money for city cleaning

June 3 2016 – 11:30PM

Christopher Knaus

The Tuggeranong town centre and local shops at Charnwood, Kambah and Spence will share in upgrades worth $1 million in next week’s budget.

A further $1 million will be added to boost city cleaning and maintenance programs, providing for extra “graffiti prevention measures”, such as targeted removal and security cameras.

General services officer Jody Friend at work with a a leaf blower at the Charnwood shops. The 2016 ACT budget will include a further $1 million for city maintenance. Photo: Rohan Thomson

The funding for shopping centre renewal and city services was announced on Saturday by Territory and Municipal Services Minister Meegan Fitzharris.

Ms Fitzharris said new money will also be provided to maintain roads, streetlights, paths, stormwater systems, shops, parks, and playgrounds in Canberra’s new suburbs in Gungahlin and Molonglo.

Those services to the new suburbs would cost $8.1 million over four years.

The Spence shops and Kambah shopping centre on Marconi Street will each be upgraded with new paving, street furniture, street trees, and improved accessibility.

Charnwood shops will get upgrades to its paving.

Designs to upgrade lighting, walking paths, and local landscaping at another four local shopping centres will be funded with $475,000.

“We all love living in Canberra, and this budget will ensure the bush capital continues to look its very best,” Ms Fitzharris said.

She said the $1 million for city cleaning – including weeding, mowing, rubbish removal, and maintenance of toilets and street furniture – would take the overall maintenance budget to $25.5 million.

She said that money would also go towards tackling illegal graffiti, a problem Liberal MLA Giulia Jones set in her sights in an online video this week.

“When it comes to graffiti, this funding will allow us to implement more graffiti prevention measures, including targeted removal on public assets and working alongside the AFP to use security cameras to catch offenders,” Ms Fitzharris said.

“It will also allow for an expansion of programs currently in place to reduce graffiti, including the creation of murals in the CBD, particularly in Braddon, and the continuation of the recently appointed Graffiti Coordinator position.”

 

Source : The Canberra Times