No commitment to renewal: Demolition of community centre

The historic and now fire-damaged 91A Wakefield Gardens community centre behind the Ainslie shops will be demolished with no plans for replacement.

Deputy Chief Minister and local Labor MLA Rachel Stephens-Smith says demolition will start in late August and that the government will not be replacing this community asset but will only, ‘reconnect the precinct [to the adjoining park] through landscaping’.

The site’s long-term future has been under review since 2008, but the government now says any plans to build a replacement community use space will need further review and consideration.

‘Landscaping’ this site is a plan to do nothing and will use scarce public funds that could be put to better use in redevelopment. Now is the time to commit to building a simple and accessible community meeting space on a site which is already zoned and set aside for this purpose.

In a prime position next to the Ainslie shops and surrounded by the heritage-listed Wakefield Gardens park, a new community hub will help our local community groups thrive and be a place for activities that build community connection.

Local residents have already clearly expressed their desire for a replacement community meeting place to be built here. In September 2025, 634 residents signed the Reimagining Wakefield Gardens: A Bold New Community Vision petition to the Legislative Assembly. It requested the Assembly call on the ACT Government to:

• fund and plan a community hub at the 91A Wakefield Gardens site
• consult with local community members about the best use for the site, and
• set a commencement date for the reactivation of the site.

In late 2025, the government’s Shaping the Future of 91A Wakefield Gardens consultation invited us to again share our ideas for the site’s future, telling us the demolition of the existing building would create ‘an opportunity to reimagine how this space could best serve the community in the future’.

The government’s listening report from this consultation reports locals want a heritage-compatible, ‘community centre that is inclusive, accessible, and affordable’ on the site. ‘Respondents envisioned a space for playgroups, workshops, events, and services that cater to all age groups and backgrounds.’

But, the listening report failed to mention the residents’ petition to the Legislative Assembly, particularly its call for redevelopment certainty on the future of this community facility.

Last year, local independent MLA, Thomas Emerson, also led his own community consultation on the 91A building and surrounding Wakefield Gardens park, putting forward a vision for a revitalised community space and multi-purpose community building.

Last week, The Canberra Times reported Mr Emerson as saying, ‘One clear call I’ve heard from local residents and community stakeholders is that they want to see this building redeveloped not in isolation but as part of a broader revitalisation of the Wakefield Gardens precinct.

‘I’m looking forward to continuing that engagement with a focus on ensuring what happens next at Wakefield Gardens is driven by a genuine partnership between our community and the government.’

Why a bigger park and no building?

So why, after inviting us to step-up, dream big and participate in decision-making on the best use of this site, is the government now announcing a ‘landscaping’ project and not the community hub residents have called for?

Obviously, for the government, landscaping is far cheaper than building the simple and accessible community space that residents have supported. But why not plan now for a community hub to be built when funds permit, rather than letting the idea slip off the table?

This site has a proud history of community service that we would like to see continued. It was a base for the Canberra Mothercraft Society from the 1920s–1990s, Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Services from 1998–2005, and was a Child Health Clinic in the 1950s and 60s.

Communities need meeting places. Ainslie lost another valuable community building, the old preschool and community building in Bill Pye Park, in 2021. With the acceleration of climate change our elected representatives need to be making communities safe and building spaces we know will be needed. We need our existing community use spaces to be valued, maintained and revitalised not removed.

After 20 plus years of government neglect, we are concerned the announcement of demolition and landscaping at 91A Wakefield Gardens means a new build on the site is on the never never.

We are asking Rachel Stephen-Smith and the ACT Government to listen and hear what the community is seeking, which is that a timeline and budget be provided for the replacement of this about to be lost facility.

Register here if you would like to receive an invitation to a community meeting to discuss the future of the 91A Wakefield Gardens site.

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