The ACT Liberal Party wants to give residents a greater say on development in their suburbs at the same making the development-application process more streamlined, under its planning policy launched at the site of the proposed Gungahlin Town Centre yesterday. Opposition planning spokesman Greg Cornwell said, “”We want a city with a bush environment that is well-serviced but one that we can afford to live in and maintain.”
He said the Liberals would begin the centre before the end of the year, as promised to residents, and would not allow the legless lizard to hold it up. The lizard would be relocated if the town centre could not be built around its habitat. The centre would be strata titled to allow individual businesses to own shops. The key points of the policy are: Local area planning advisory committees of local residents affected by redevelopment proposals. This was recommended by the Landsdown inquiry and the Government has promised a similar approach. A review of the Planning Appeals Board and the separation of the ACT Planning Authority from the Department of Land, Environment and Planning.
The authority is technically separate, but its staff is drawn from the department and it is in the same building. Automatic free renewal of residential and commercial leases. The Government says it will renew residential leases for an administrative fee (the earliest is about 20 years away) and commercial leases on payment of 10 per cent of unimproved value. Streamlining planning approval process with a one-contact-point for the whole process. However, developers will have to submit more detailed cross-section drawings which are easier for non-architects to interpret. Restrictions on dual-occupancy. These were recommended by the Landsdown inquiry and accepted by the Government.
They include: a two-dwelling limit on existing leases unless the lease is 50 per cent larger than adjoining blocks, any more to require block amalgamation; minimum 800 metre block for dual occupancy; a five-year moratorium in new areas; roofline limited to same a neighbour’s block; 35 per cent floor space limit. The Liberals would insist on extra treeline and landscaping requirements. A major difference with the Government is on betterment tax. The Liberals will limit it to 50 per cent which will make redevelopment cheaper. The Government says it will continue with 100 per cent betterment for all commercial redevelopment, including dual occupancy where the title is split.
A further difference is that neighbours must be consulted by the planning authority not the developer. The policy says the Liberals will support urban consolidation to enable efficient provision of community services while maintaining existing parks and recreation areas. The Liberals want land swaps with the Commonwealth Government to enable the redevelopment of the Kingston foreshore. The policy says the Liberals will not support the 16,000 square metre extension of the Tuggeranong Hyperdome until an inquiry into the ACT retail industry is completed. It will look at trading hours and future retail needs.
Some people affected by heritage orders on their property will be able to get financial compensation. COMMENT: The policy calls for balance between development and existing residential amenity, but the financial incentives to develop given in the policy (lower betterment and quicker process) would inevitably result in more redevelopment proposals than existing government proposals. The real test comes on handling that on the ground. The question is really whether the planning authority can be given the independence and intellectual and financial resources to ensure that development is empathetic to the existing environment and of a high standard.
It means changing the development mentality from the short-term, cost-cutting approach to striving for excellence and quality so that existing residents do not mind redevelopment, indeed, welcome it. Whether the Liberals can resist the pressure from developers to insist on those standards is possible but questionable. Against that the Government has a record over the past three years of allowing some fairly low-grade redevelopment around the town.