Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / City of Darwin CEO Simone Saunders says developers want to build a 14 storey building on the old Chinatown site

Transcript

City of Darwin CEO Simone Saunders says developers want to build a 14 storey building on the old Chinatown site · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Usually about this time on a Wednesday morning, we will
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: catch up with the Lord Mayor Conbat Scarle as he's
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: not in this morning, but we are joined by the
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: CEO of the City of Darwin, Simone Saunders.
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Am, I Good morning, Kay.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Great to have you in the studio. Now. I know
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: that the council met last night and certainly have discussed
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: the proposed development of the Chinatown site. What's happening there
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: at this stage.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: So as we've often referred to it locally as the
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: hole in the ground has been there for a while.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: It was purchased in early March twenty one by a
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: developer and they're looking to do a fourteen story mixed
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: purpose development on the site with three levels of underground
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: parking as well. So I guess a great opportunity for
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: the city. And yeah, all green lights from council last
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: night in regard to the development.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: Well, and I think people will be probably pretty happy
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: to see that part of town kind of get reactivated again,
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: don't you Reckon Absolutely.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: I think that end of Mitchell Street, it doesn't look
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: the same as what it potentially did ten to fifty
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: years ago. And we've really seen I guess an uptaking
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: interest in investment. I reckon in the last six months
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: in old buildings and redeveloping within Mitchell Street and more
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: broadly in the city, which is great to see. That
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: is good to see, and again I reckon that people
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: like to see that area of town sort of reactivated.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: It has been a bit quiet in those spaces for
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: a while, so it would be a good thing. Do
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: we have much of an idea with that fourteen story
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: mixed development, are we sort of looking at units or
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: do we know exactly what it will be at this point? Look,
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: at this stage, they've just indicated it's a mixed use,
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: so between office and commercials. So hopefully some commercial tendency
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: maybe in the ground floor will really help to activate
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: that area as well. And they're also going to utilize
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: I think a bit further out there's seven bays that
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: a council approved to be removed in Mott Court to
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: the side of the development, so with nice like overhangs
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: for shading around the area as well, so it looks great, okay.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: And then I also understand that there's the councils going
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: through at the moment the final phase of an overhaul
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: of the by laws. Now you're still in the process
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: of seeking some further input on this. But what is
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: this all about when you talk about those by laws
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: and what you need from everyday territorians and those that
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: live in the municipality.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: So our by laws have not been updated for thirty years,
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: so it's quite a significant period of time. And really
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: some of our bylaws don't reflect current community expectations and
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: what we need. So the proposed by laws, know in
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: relation to animals, management, health and safety, public facilities and places,
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: and I guess there's feedback that can be done through
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: the Engaged website and out till the ninth of December.
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: So we really encourage residents to provide feedback on the
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: by laws so that maybe for the next maybe not
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: thirty years, but ten to fifteen twenty years, we'll have
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: bylaws that really do suit our community.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: It does seem like an awful long time. How come
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: it's been so long since they've been updated.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: I think the by laws are one of those things
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: that from a legislative perspective, we had to look at
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: them a period of time and it takes a long time.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: I mean community consult We started in April twenty one
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: in relation to the reinvigoration of the by laws, and
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: you know we need to seek community up on input
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: and have that period of time.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: Now I've got a question from a listener and it's
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: come through from Daryl and it says, on behalf of
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: all territories, could you please us It's that asked me
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: to ask the Lord Mayor. But we've got you in
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: here this morning, simone, could you please ask what's the
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: council planning for the fiftieth anniversary of cyclone Tracy. We
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: know that it will be obviously it was nineteen seventy four,
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: so it will be twenty twenty four, but are there
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: some plans sort of starting to get underway or is
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: the Council starting to have a look at this.
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, we've opened up conversations already with the Northern Territory
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: government and more broadly too with the federal government in
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: relation to the cyclone Tracy in twenty twenty four. So
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: we'll definitely be planning something and we'll look to to
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: get onto that planning more detail early next year.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: And we sort of have a bit of consultation with
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: some of the people that have lived here for that
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: long a period of time, because there does seem to
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: be a lot of Cyclone Tracy survivors. I was at
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: some in Carnival on the weekend and was hearing from
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: one of the mums you know, who was telling me
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: her story. It's pretty moving when you hear from from
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: locals what they went through and that they survived.
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: Absolutely. I think, look that community feedback stories are really
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: really important to telling the story in the history of Darwin.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: So we'll look to do that and incorporate that in
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: part of the commemorations for Cyclone Tracing.
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: Now, Simone, I think that probably at your house, the
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: kids and everybody are as excited as what they are
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: at mine. And well, Santa's Village is opening on Friday.
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  Speaker 1: Where exactly is it going to be this year and
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: what can families expect.
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: Look, we've had we had the Christmas Pageant early in November,
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: which I think was great for the city, the lightning
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: of the Christmas Tree, and Santa's Village were opening rain
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: Tree on the tomorrow actually or sorry Friday on the
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: second and look it's a great place. There's gonna be
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: photos in there. Other events for the kids that are
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: happening in Smith Street mall as well, and o'dahen Retailer's
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: Association's got some events happening in the mall, so yeah,
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: to be able to come in, maybe have a meal
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: in a restaurant a cafe, do a little bit of
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: shopping and get the kids entertained at the same time
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: and get that annual photo wonderful stuff.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: And the carols by candlelight are on Sunday as well.
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: That's right, so at the Botannical Gardens on Sunday night
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: starting gates open at four point thirty but starting at
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: six o'clock and then also be some fireworks. It is
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: a ticket at events, so people need to get online
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: and get it. Get a ticket is five dollars for
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: a family just to get that ticket, so make sure
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: you do that. And there's some great entertainment planned for
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: the night with over thirty acts.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: Yeah wautiful and our very own Sarah and Andrew are
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: there to host the evening which will be fantastic. A
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: little community service announcement as well to all the parents
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: out there. Tomorrow is December one, the elves on the
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: shelves arrive, So just to make sure that you're organized
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: and prepared and Simon. It does look as the council's
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: got heaps lined up for Christmas, which is great to see.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: It's always such a fun time of the year and
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: great to see the city activated in that way as well.
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, definitely, and I think not only in the
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: city but also adding to the suburbs. We'll have the
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: Kurama Family Funfair which is on the tenth of December,
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: so that's the Karma Shopping Center. Nightcliff on the twenty
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: third also has on the nightcliff Esplanade has an event,
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: and we also have an event at the Casarina Cinema
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: this year for the northern suburbs for their Christmas events.
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: So yeah, stuff for calendar.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: If people are after a bit of info on those
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: events can just head to the council website.
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: Absolutely and there's actually the council website and forward Slash
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: Christmas and all the events so listed there.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: Wonderful stuff. Will Simone Saunders, the CEO of the Darwin
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: City Council, great to speak with you this morning, Thanks
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: for your time, thanks for having us