It is understandable that Canberra's citizens become highly engaged and often polarised when planning issues are debated. The national capital is blessed with a beautiful landscape and clean air, and retains the charm of the bush capital. Its citizens love living in a vibrant, multicultural city and are determined to preserve their privileged lifestyle, particularly against what they see as unnecessary change.
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So, if a neighbour builds an edifice that casts a shadow over your bungalow in winter, how mad does that make you? Very, of course - what is the point of having plenty of winter sun if it does not warm your house or hit your solar system?
It should be fairly straightforward to build houses to take advantage of passive solar heating. The sun is low in the northern sky during the cooler months. It has ever been thus. Therefore, tall, glass areas facing the north will allow the slanting sunlight to heat the interior. Conversely, generous eaves will block the scorching summer sun, which follows a higher trajectory. An energy-efficient house with a modest array of photovoltaic panels will save the householder a lot of money over the years.
Therefore it was concerning to hear claims earlier this month from design experts that many of the blocks in new parts of the city are facing the wrong way. Disappointingly, few of the blocks in the new suburb of Lawson have a long, east-west axis to optimise their exposure to the northerly winter sun. Of course, that orientation also exposes a long western wall to the intense heat of the summer sun. Residents in houses with this trait know exactly how all that works, as the city burns again this week during a series of high-temperature days.
Into this mix comes the ACT government's planning laws that prevent people from building houses that cast shadows over their neighbours' yards. The rules are intended to ensure south-facing houses have access to sunlight. Every block must have a ''northern boundary'' that has a higher level of protection. However, this has produced unintended results.
The change to the definition of a northern boundary has discombobulated the ACT's housing industry. Territory builders are struggling with the change and complain the rules are forcing them to build ''wedding cake'' designs to fit houses on new blocks and comply with the solar access requirements. On east-west blocks, houses are being located to the north to try to prevent overshadowing the neighbour to the south in winter. If trees are planted on their empty land to the south of the block, however, this could result in more overshadowing. People who have invested in passive solar houses could find they are sitting in the dark.
Clearly a compromise is needed to balance the competing interests without eroding residents' amenity and enjoyment of living in this great city. It is clear we need to live closer together and we need to get along with our neighbours in a medium-density environment. Higher density, with its inherent two-storey dwellings, and solar access tend to work against each other.
The amount of usable land in the territory is finite, and it is a precious resource, for people seeking their dream home and for the government seeking revenue from sales. It is also clear houses are much bigger now than when the territory was established. A visitor cannot but be astonished at the difference between the humble ''govie'' in O'Connor and the McMansion in outer Gungahlin. The widespread use of airconditioners in the larger abodes has resulted in skyrocketing electricity consumption and increased the need for and desirability of solar power.
The government was preparing to roll back the solar-related laws by reverting to the previous definition for northern boundaries but in the push-and-pull of this debate, has scrapped that idea, after complaints by environmentally minded building firms and ACT Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury. So far it appears the government has been unable to address the problems raised by the building industry while at the same time ensuring improved solar access. It is to be hoped the new variation to be drafted after talks with builders will strike the right balance in this debate.