Conservation Council ACT vice-president Ian Falconer hopes the agreement with Village Building Company to establish an enforceable community pet containment policy becomes a precedent for new fringe suburbs.

The agreement will add between $600 and $700 to the price of a new home at the proposed North Watson heritage estate on the corner of the Federal Highway and Antill Street.

But community groups feel the ACT Government has let them down by approving the development without having in place protection for rare woodland bird species and traffic calming measures.

They said under pressure they had signed the agreement to make the best of a bad situation after rushed negotiations.

Village Building Company managing director Bob Winnel said had the North Canberra Community Council, Conservation Council, Friends of Mt Majura and Watson Community Association taken their objections to the Civil and Administrative Tribunal he would have had to cut back employees and sub-contractors.

But now with an agreement achieved Village Building could begin marketing blocks in about six weeks.

The groups' requests for a nature trail, revegetation, weed control, signage and clauses requiring dog and cat owners to keep their pets within their property or on a leash were all reasonable.

For more on this story, see the print edition of today's Canberra Times.