Mr Barr said he would not allow any development at the site until after the cricket Test scheduled for the summer of 2018-19 - other than some minor upgrading work inside the stadium itself.

"I need to say clearly that this area cannot be a construction zone during the Test match and so we will obviously be adjusting development plans .. to take account of this most significant announcement," Mr Barr said, referring to the announcement of Canberra's first cricket Test.

The government would upgrade the media section of the oval, install a big screen, and do some other relatively minor works for the Test match, but otherwise there would be no work inside the venue or outside for at least three years.

Since it was announced in February, the bid from the GWS Giants and Grocon to redevelop the sportsground and surrounding land has been a political headache for the Barr government. The Giants and Grocon put an $800 million development proposal to the government, seeking the right to build up to 1000 apartments and other commercial development on the land in return for upgrading the stadium.

The bid has attracted significant opposition from local residents and others concerned about the development of open space for high-density living. It has also attracted controversy over the involvement of former Labor deputy chief minister David Lamont, and Pierre Heutter, the husband of Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris and a former staffer of Mr Barr, who are both working on the bid with the Giants and Grocon.

On Wednesday, Mr Barr said even if and when the government accepted the unsolicited proposal from the Giants and Grocon, it would still require a Territory Plan variation.

"In reality what we're talking about is no significant change to the Manuka precinct ... for the next three years at least," he said. "But the discussions on the broader planning framework now have those three years to run."

GWS Giants chief operating officer Richard Griffiths was unfazed by the news.

The announcement of a Test had not come as a surprise to the consortium.

"We were aware that there was some hard lobbying to secure a Test match, and there's been some media about test matches elsewhere in Australia. We think it is a fantastic fillip for the community.

"It actually prosecutes our case to bring international cricket, national events, AFL events, this stadium requires an upgrade."

Mr Barr's announcement would not impact on the timing of the Manuka Oval development, he said.

"We always knew it was going to be a long and thorough process. We'll continue to undertake the course that we've commenced. We've lodged a concept to government, we're consulting with the community and we'll continue to work with government in the pursuing months or years."

The timing of construction hadn't been determined, he said.