Townhouse development in Old Red Hill should be stopped, a heritage consultant to the ACT Government, Professor Ken Taylor.
Professor Taylor recommended the Territory Plan be amended with the aim of protecting Old Red Hill’s cultural heritage significance.
Some residents welcomed the report yesterday but were concerned that the Heritage Council’s draft citation based on the report was vague and could permit townhouses and multi-resident dwellings.
The citation, made public on Tuesday night at the same time as Professor Taylor’s report says: “”Multi-dwelling developments shall not be permitted unless it can be demonstrated that the proposed additional dwellings do not affect the existing streetscape or landscape or are not visible from the public domain.”
The Minister for Planning, Bill Wood, said it was too early to say whether that would preclude multi-dwelling development.
Old Red Hill is bounded by Mugga Way, Moresby Street, Arthur Circle, Monaro Crescent and Flinders Way.
Comments can be made on the draft citation until next month. If the area gets listed all development has to go through a heritage approval process.
Ann Howarth of the Old Red Hill Preservation Society said Professor Taylor’s report had made it clear there should be no multi-dwelling development, but the draft citation would make it possible, if, for example, hedges were high enough.
“”The issue have moved to the “hedged’ and “hedged-nots’,”she said.
The president of the Canberra Conservation Council which chairs the Save Our Cities Coalition, Jacqui Rees, said, “”There seems to be a sleight of hand here. The Taylor recommendation is quite clearly for no townhouses. The Heritage Council has resorted to mumbo jumbo.”
The council should state clearly no townhouses in Old Red Hill. Further the moratorium on the 50-50 in-fill policy called for by Independent Michael Moore and supported by the Liberals should be implemented pending an independent inquiry.
Chris Scott, a principal of Scott Brothers which is proposing townhouses on a site in Wickham Crescent, said he had not given up.
He was proposing 10 units on a site of 10,000 square metres and he still had deposits from 10 people, nine of whom came from the area. His development would protect the streetscape. The demand was there for his high-quality development which was a more efficient use of the land.
He criticised Professor Taylor for not consulting with his architect and with residents who supported redevelopment.
Mr Wood said, “”The matter is somewhat out of my hands. There is a process to go through, but I hope it is coming to an end so we can have certainty.”
Professor Taylor, of the University of Canberra, found that Old Red Hill is an important part of the residential planning history of Canberra and has cultural significance.
He recommended that the original street tree species be retained and replanted as necessary and “”all other species established in the street verges by lessees are to be removed and replaced with the original species”.
He recommended: the very low residential density be maintained; no tree over three metres be removed without approval following horticultural assessment; verges to be grassed and hard material removed; no additional or widened driveways be allowed.
He said: “”The development of townhouses would not be in keeping with the cultural heritage significance of Old Red Hill.”
Another proposed development just outside the area, in Tennyson Crescent, has had eight planning objections lodged against it at the end of the appeals period. Residents have more than 500 signatures on an anti in-fill petition which they will present to MLAs.
The developer says the building imprint will be less than 35 per cent. At present the block was not being used well.