ISLINGTON DEVELOPMENT PLAN AMENDMENT

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:36): I have a supplementary question arising from the answer. Can the minister provide a time frame for the project, and also—I might have missed it in his answer—will it include any residential property?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister Assisting the Premier in Public Sector Management) (14:37): Given consistency with the 30-year plan, we would like to see along our corridors areas where there will be commercial or retail development with the potential for some residential above that commercial activity. However, I did mention in my answer that that would obviously be fairly restricted in this area, given the adjacent industrial areas and the fact that the policies prescribed would restrict that to those areas well away from the heavy rail operations.

Regarding the other part of the question the honourable member asked in terms of the time frame, there are no applications for development on the land. The land, as I said, is owned by the Department of Transport, but it has a long-term lease with Genesee & Wyoming. I understand that Genesee & Wyoming have been in discussions with DTEI and other developers in relation to the future use of this, but obviously that is something that would have to be resolved between those parties. I think it is important that we do unlock the potential of this area.

The worst thing that could happen would be if this land, with its current zoning as general industry, remained a degraded industrial site that is really largely used at present to house a whole lot of empty buildings no longer used as part of the old Islington arrangements. That is south of the Genesee & Wyoming operations, and to the north it is just a lot of vacant land that I think has been used for storing old graffitied railway carriages and the like. So it is important that we try to unlock the potential of that land, but obviously that is subject to negotiations between Genesee & Wyoming, respective developers or whoever else may be interested in this, and the Department of Transport.