00:00A city rapidly expanding and still facing a serious housing shortage.
00:08But some Belconnen residents are concerned development is compromising green spaces.
00:14We did a Belconnen Town Centre survey at the start of this year
00:17and we had about 80% of people respond that they wanted to see Margaret Timpson Park be expanded.
00:21This block neighbouring the park has been empty for at least a decade and some can see an opportunity.
00:27There's so much densification happened around the Belconnen Town Centre
00:31and will continue to happen particularly the other side of the mall
00:35and so a slightly bigger community park would be much appreciated by I think those who are coming to live here.
00:42But the land is currently zoned for residential use and affordable housing advocates say it presents an important opportunity.
00:50We do see a lot of merit in building more social and affordable housing on this site.
00:56But we do also recognise that it's very important that when we are building more homes
01:00it's not just about each dwelling or each block of land.
01:03It's about ensuring that we're creating connected and inclusive communities.
01:08A petition to expand the park and rezone the empty block has drawn the support of Liberal MLA Peter Kane.
01:15He says Belconnen's ongoing development means affordable housing and green space aren't mutually exclusive.
01:22It's in the government's control how much of that is community housing, affordable housing, social housing.
01:28A slightly bigger park over what's been a hole in the ground for a decade I think would be appreciated by the people who live near here.
01:36An important balance for a growing city.
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