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For the Canberra suburb of Belconnen see: Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory
Belconnen is a district of
Canberra, the Capital city of
Australia, comprising 25 suburbs with 29,900 dwellings housing 82,247 people of the 311,518 people in the
Australian Capital Territory (June 2001 Census).
Belconnen is situated to the north-west of Canberra's city centre, and surrounds
Lake Ginninderra (artificial) on
Ginninderra Creek that runs north-west towards the
Molonglo River and then into the
Murrumbidgee River.'
Urban structure
Belconnen consists of 25 suburbs, the majority of which are predominantly characterised by detached single family homes on suburban blocks. Some suburbs also have pockets of medium density units or town houses, such as
Hawker and
Holt. Significant pockets of multi-unit medium density housing exist in the suburb of
Belconnen, and the northern section of
Bruce. In both of these suburbs, the bulk of housing is medium density. Residential development is still taking place in the central suburb of Bruce and the outer suburb of Dunlop in 2005.
There is no industry in Belconnen, other than light automotive repair industry and similar services and the
Westfield Belconnen shopping centre located in the
Belconnen Town Centre.
Transport
The primary mode of transport within the District is by private vehicle. The District of Belconnen was planned in the 1960’s and was guided by a philosophy of reliance on private personal transport and an abundance of roads. Public buses serve the district and a bus interchange exists in the Town Centre.
Roads
Belconnen is well served by a network of near-freeway-quality roads located between suburbs and intersecting the district. The main roads between suburbs are typically landscaped with mounds of earth and vegetation to form ‘parkways’.
The main roads connecting the district with
North Canberra and the
city centre are Belconnen Way and Ginninderra Drive. These roads are 6 lane parkways for the majority of their length and run in an east-west direction. Belconnen is situated south of the
Barton Highway which leads to
Yass, where it connects with the
Hume Highway to
Sydney and
Melbourne. To the south of the district is William Hovell Drive which connects the southern and western suburbs of Belconnen with
Parkes Way and the Tuggeranong Parkway which lead to the city centre and Canberra’s southern districts respectively.
Public Transport
The
ACTION bus service which provides public transport throughout Canberra is the only form of regularly scheduled public transport in Belconnen. Services from the various suburbs generally pass through a bus interchange at
Belconnen Town Centre from where they continue to
Civic and the other town centres to Canberra’s south. Some services travel to
Gungahlin. There are also express services which connect directly with
Tuggeranong.
The bus interchange located in the Belconnen Town centre is connected by
footbridge to large shopping centre and to office buildings occupied by major Government departments. It is an ageing facility which has been earmarked for major renovations. It has been criticised for being unsafe, particularly at night, and for being dirty and prone to vandalism.
The ACT Government plans to construct a busway to connect the Belconnen Town centre with the hospital and
CIT precinct in
Bruce and the
city centre
Gungahlin Drive Extension
In November
2004 construction commenced on the
Gungahlin Drive Extension (GDE). This road is to connect Gungahlin Drive in
Gungahlin with
Parkes Way and the Tuggeranong Parkway at the
Glenloch Interchange at the south eastern corner of the Belconnen district. The proposed road will run north south passing through forest and woodlands within the
Canberra Nature Park, including parts of the
Black Mountain Reserve. It will also pass beside the Australian Institute of Sport. The project has been a major political issue is eastern Belconnen since the late 1990's. The 'Save the Ridge' group had campaigned against the proposed road since that time and took legal action which stalled the project until October
2005. The ACT Government had legislated to prevent further legal delays from community groups however this didn't affected Save the Ridge continuing action which they'd commenced in the
Federal Court. After several cases before the
ACT Supreme Court and the Federal Court, the Federal Court ruled in favour of the road construction project going ahead. On 15 October 2005 Save the Ridge announced that they wouldn't be appealing the decision to the
High Court and wouldn't be further opposing the construction of the road.
History
Work was begun on Belconnen in
1966. A stone tablet at the Aranda district playing fields marks the beginning of the development of Belconnen district. It reads:
» "This tablet marks the inauguration of development of the district of Belconnen by the Minister of State for the Interior The Honourable J. D. Anthony, M.P. 23rd June 1966"
The first suburb to be developed was
Aranda in
1967. The nearby
Jamison Centre was the first commercial centre in the district, opened in
1969. The Belconnen Town Centre was developed on the shore of
Lake Ginninderra in the late
1970s.
Belconnen is named after the original land grant of 800 ha to
Charles Sturt the explorer for his exploration work. Sturt sold the property to
Charles Campbell.
Education
The
University of Canberra is located in the suburb of
Bruce and has a student population of approximately 10,000. A
Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) campus is also in Bruce.
The Australian Capital Territory Government operates 23 Preschools, 19 Primary Schools, 5 High Schools and 3 Colleges (Senior Secondary Schools) within the District of Belconnen. There are also 8 Independent schools (including religious schools) and one Government special school for students with disabilities.
Places of note and interest
Further Information
Get more info on 'Belconnen'.
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