Exploring the future of CSIRO Ginninderra site
CSIRO Ginninderra (also known as Ginninderra Experiment Station) is a 701-hectare area of land between Belconnen and the Barton Highway in Canberra’s north. CSIRO is the registered owner and lessee for the Crown Lease for the property.
Since identifying that the property was underutilised for agricultural research in 2011, CSIRO has been exploring the options for future use of the property. CSIRO manages more than 50 properties across Australia and regularly reviews these holdings to see whether properties are being effectively used for our research purposes and to identify properties that can be better utilised or divested.
In 2015, CSIRO commenced broad community consultation and sought an Amendment to the National Capital Plan to facilitate new opportunities for sustainable urban development on the property and the relevant science that CSIRO could contribute.
During the 60 years in which CSIRO has managed Ginninderra, the city of Canberra has grown significantly and the property is now in the midst of residential development that has occurred in the suburbs of Fraser, Spence, Evatt, McKellar, Giralang, Crace, Hall and Nicholls.
In 2016, the site was reclassified as ‘Urban’ on the General Policy Plan for Metropolitan Canberra through an Amendment to the National Capital Plan. The rezoning has paved the way for CSIRO to approach the market to identify interest in a sustainable urban development informed by science and innovation.
CSIRO has a vision to enable:
· a socially and environmentally sustainable community offering high-quality options for living, working and mobility
· an integrated urban design that creates a new, diverse and distinctive place in Canberra for residents and visitors alike.
CSIRO will be seeking a suitable collaboration able to deliver this vision.
CSIRO is continuing to engage with the community and a wide range of stakeholders to provide progress updates and opportunities to inform the project.