When Val Lambert decided four years ago to stop renting and buy her first home, a house with a "proper" backyard rather than an apartment was at the top of her requirements.
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"I really liked the idea of having a proper backyard for privacy, a real garden and a bit of breathing space to relax in. I know it sounds a bit old-fashioned but I'm really happy with my decision," Mrs Lambert said.
"We had rented a house in Jerrabomberra for many years and when it was time to buy, I qualified for a first home owners' grant so I did the sums on the value on offer between purchasing a new home in the ACT or NSW. Purchasing in NSW was certainly better value at the time."
She is one of the tens of thousands of people who have focussed their home-buying intent away from Canberra and across the border in NSW.
The ACT Liberals believe this trend is likely to increase further as the Canberra government's new planning strategy, released this week, shifts the emphasis from greenfields development toward higher density housing via urban infill.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr has put the emphasis firmly on apartment building in Canberra, saying that 70 per cent of future new homes will be apartments or units rather than free-standing homes.
The strategy defined the ACT as having room for only 29,000 new homes within existing greenfields developments from now through to 2041, which the ACT Shadow Minister for Planning, Mark Parton declared an "absurd" claim.
"The ACT is surrounded by open space and to turn our backs on greenfields development, as this report proclaims, is ludicrous," he said.
"The open market will be the decider here. And the market will support the need for greenfields development whether it's on this [ACT] side of the border or beyond."
The exponential growth in commuter cross-border traffic which will result from more greenfields development in fast-growing NSW suburbs such as Googong and Tralee has been flagged as a potential issue in the ACT government report.
The report says that 63 per cent of Queanbeyan-Palerang residents currently travel to work in the ACT.
By 2031, the report says the number of cross-border commuters will swell to 33,500, up from 18,830 in 2016.
"Regional and cross-border travel associated with [Canberra's role as a regional centre] . . . places pressure on the road network, which is already under congestion at key entry points and downstream at peak times," the report says.
A lack of road network efficiency is not just detrimental for border-hopping commuters but also generates problems for freight transport as Canberra relies almost completely on its road network for freight delivery.
Mrs Lambert, who drives into Kingston to work at a not-for-profit lobby group and on weekends is a wedding celebrant, said the extra daily commuting time over the border wasn't a big issue and she puts up with the traffic because she has the type of home she can afford, in an area she really likes. The Googong community, she says, has been welcoming and there are many young families in homes around her, which she likes.
"I looked at what homes I could afford in some of Canberra's newer established suburbs, like Crace, and the value for money just wasn't there. Also the block sizes were tiny; lots of big houses sitting on tiny blocks," she said.
"I also wanted an enclosed, secure backyard where the grandkids could often come and play out the back and I wouldn't have to worry about them. Kids need space," she added.
