The pattern of Canberra development changed markedly yesterday with the approval by the ACT Government of a four-year land development plan.
Gone are the days of relying on new discrete suburbs and townships. In the next four years more than half of new dwelling sites will be in urban renewal so that less than half will be in the new suburbs in Gungahlin and Tuggeranong.
Canberrans can expect about 1700 dwelling units a year, nearly all medium density, to be constructed within or immediately next to the present built up area.
The aim of the planners is to take advantage of existing educational, recreational and cultural amenities and save on infrastructure costs like sewerage, electricity and roads by building within or adjacent to developed areas.
However, planners say green areas will not be affected. With the exception of two sites, all areas planned for development have been the designated for residential or other development by planners in the past.
The Minister for Environment, Land and Planning, Bill Wood, said, “”Never-ending suburbs have an increasing social, environmental and budgetary cost.”
The program is for the release of 13,560 dwelling sites in the four financial years to 1995-96. This is about 3400 sites a year. Of these, 6300 will be greenfields sites in news areas and 7260 will be urban renewal.
Several major urban renewal areas have been identified.
West Belconnen is to go ahead in four stages of 400 dwellings a year beginning in April next year. West Belconnen has been the subject of much community angst in the past two years with some residents urging development in greenfields in Gungahlin. West Belconnen was divided into four areas; only Area B and C are in the program. Area C will be developed first.
North Watson, bounded by the Federal Highway, Antill Street and Stirling Avenue will go ahead in three stages of 200 units a year beginning in October next year.
North Duffy, between the Cotter Road and Warrangamba Streets will go ahead in three stages of 100 units a year from October next year. The area includes the site nominated several years ago for a mobile-home village which was abandoned after maxworthyite protests from nearby residents.
A large site in Richardson bounded by Johnson and Ashley Drives and the floodway will house 300 dwellings over three years from October next year. This contains a heritage site, the Tuggeranong Homestead, and any development would have to take account of heritage requirements.
Melba Flats redevelopment this year will be for 200 units.
The whole question of how Canberra will develop has caused great community concern since the publication of the Draft Territory Plan in November last year.
That plan identified dozens of areas in the territory for investigation for development. They were marked in pink on the map and became known in planning a development circles as “”pink areas”.
The pink areas, many of them open areas in the city area caused community alarm that green space would be developed. On the other hand, developers wanted to get hold of as much of it as possible because it would attract top prices with lower development costs. Conservationists have been conserned about heritage values in existing areas, but keen to stop the urban sprawl into adjacent rural land. The planners have been in the middle.
Before the last election the Government announced it would withdraw the “”pink areas” from the plan except two areas in West Belconnen (now to go ahead) and it would look at individual “”pink areas” from time to time.
In the next four years only other two pink areas will go ahead: Duffy and Richardson. All other areas to be part of the urban renewal have already been designated residential or in the case of Watson for entertainment, accommodation and leisure.
None the less, the developments will have to go through the planning process under the Land Act, which includes a requirement of public consultation. In some cases this might mean a development will not go ahead or that it is modified.
The program includes about 200 dual-occupancy developments a year over the four years and about 300 redevelopments (such a Kingston townhouses and one-off consolidations). These are subject to objection, in some circumstances, by neighbours.
The greenfields sites in Tuggeranong and Gungahlin will be released in April, 1993, and in October 1993, 1994 and 1995. As a general principle, larger sites will have a mix of detached, medium and high density and smaller sites will be medium density.
The urban renewal program envisages development of about 800 units a year on vacant sites in the city area over the next four years.
This financial year’s vacant-site program includes the following: Page Block 30, Section 11 15 units (near the school); Holt 50 units 55/49; Belconnen 110 units 36/55 near Emu Bank; Florey 100 units 4/145 near Coulter and John Cleland Drives; O’Malley 40 units 2 and 4/32 near Kareelah Vista; Mawson 100 units 20/47 old-people’s units on Wilkins Street; Bruce 150 units Section 33 Fernhill Park; North Lyneham 20 units at the top; Kambah 13 units next to Drakeford Drive after the expiry of a 10-year moratorium given by the NCDC; Woden Valley High School 150 units; Monash 120 units for old people.
Next financial year’s program includes: Oaks Estate 10 units; Spence 10 units 3/36; Fadden-Gowrie 100 units; Kambah 25 units at Section 530.
1994-1995 includes: Phillip 80 units at Section 100, 101, 102 and 130; Latham seven units 1/71; Melba four at 10/56; Giralang 13 at 1/48; Hughes 40 at Section 28; Stirling 70 at Section 24; Mawson 20 at Section 58; Hawker 70 at 3/2.
1995-96 includes: Flynn 9 at 1/39; Hawker 10 at 24/28; Latham 44 at 1/69; Bruce 27 at 3/21; Higgins two at 8/23; Holt seven at 54/24; Kaleen seven at Section 44.
Mr Wood said the program would provide extra population in areas that were declining. This would help their viability.
“”Urban renewal is a major plank in our platform of structural change and it has received strong support in our consultation leading up to the budget,” he said.
The 50-50 urban renewal-greenfields split would reduce environmental damage and demands on future budgets. The program provided for a variety of housing styles. The Unit Titles Act would be revised to make strata titles easier for smaller units.
“”In releasing the program for the next three years, the Government recognises the community’s right to be fully informed in regard to proposals for future residential development,” he said. “”The Government has listened to Canberra residents who wish to preserve their residential amenity.”
Planners hope the West Belconnen development, perhaps the most contentious, will save on the building of another school. The last one in Tuggeranong cost $7.2 million. They hope the extra population will help Kippax and other shopping centres and give vitality to schools at McGregor, Charnwood and Fraser.