The ACT's peak business, property, planning and architecture groups have united amid concerns about revised plans to reshape Northbourne Avenue and the Federal Highway, declaring changes made to the original proposal could jeopardise planned projects and constrain future development on the light rail route.
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The show of unity will put pressure on the National Capital Authority to make further tweaks to proposed planning rules designed to pave the way for 37,000 new dwellings along the corridor in the coming years.
But it could also rile up residents in Canberra's inner north, who successfully pushed for scaled-back height limits along their stretch of the corridor early last year.
The ACT branches of the Property Council, Master Builders Association, Planning Institute of Australia, Institute of Architects and Institute of Landscaped Architects, along with the Canberra Business Chamber, have lodged a joint submission to the authority outlining their "shared concerns" with planning and design rules proposed in the City and Gateway strategy.
The strategy, which is a collaboration between the ACT government and the authority, proposes to raise building height limits along sectors of the corridor in order to create a "visually stunning" entrance to the national capital.
Property Council ACT executive director Adina Cirson said the industry groups strongly supported the premise of the strategy, but believed its primary goal could be undermined if the proposed planning and design rules were given the green light.
The groups are most concerned about changes made to the draft plan following community consultation early last year, including to proposed building heights along the Downer section of the corridor.
A proposed 18-metre height limit for buildings between the Barton Highway and Phillip Avenue was lowered to 12 metres after a community backlash.
About 40 submissions to the original plan opposed the 18-metre limit, expressing concern that developments of that scale would increase traffic, block sunlight to neighbouring properties and fundamentally change the character of the inner north suburb.
A 22-storey height limit earmarked for land at the intersection of Federal Highway and Phillip Avenue was also removed from the final plan.
In the joint submission, the industry groups called for the original height limits to be reinstated, which they said were "modest to begin with".
It stated the changes had threatened the viability of some projects planned for the corridor, and created uncertainty for other landowners.
"The further reduction will constrain future development well below the densities needed to support the long-term viability of the light rail project," the submission stated.
The submission said proposed design rules for new developments on the corridor were too rigid, an approach which the groups said "rarely lead to innovative or creative design outcomes".
It broadly supported new internal design standards for apartments, including increased minimum floor space and larger balcony areas, but said onerous requirements could make some projects economically unviable which, in turn, would undermine the City and Gateway strategy.
The groups said that in general, the proposed planning rules did not "reflect a holistic view of the greater urban needs of the Canberra community", and appeared intent on delivering on a "low-density agenda".
"The light rail route is an appropriate location to accommodate greater density and building height," the submission stated.
"By reducing the development potential for this part of the corridor - against the best practice transit-orientated development principles, as successfully applies in many cities around the world - it is likely that much of this opportunity will not be able to be realised."
Ms Cirson, who, along with Master Builder Association of the ACT chief executive Michael Hopkins, is spearheading the cross-industry push, said the groups wanted to work collaboratively with the National Capital Authority to deliver the best outcome for industry and the community.
She last month met the authority to discuss the industry groups' concerns, and has another meeting scheduled for early April.
Submissions to consultation on the guidelines closed on March 4.
The feedback will reviewed by the authority's board, before recommendations are presented to the federal assistant minister for regional development and territories, Susan Ley, for approval.
The authority was contacted for comment.
