Chief Minister Andrew Barr pledged to develop the plan, to be advised by a panel of community representatives, in the wake of failed GWS-Grocon bid to develop the oval, weeks out from the October 2016 election.

At the time of the killing of the unsolicited bid, Mr Barr said the panel would determine the new master plan and that he received a "clear message from the community" for a "desire to be more involved in the future of the oval and its surroundings".

But since then, the government has quietly shelved the plans, to be revisited once its planned multimillion-dollar media centre is built, which is not expected to be complete until January 2019.

Residents in the area remain worried what the future may hold for both the oval precinct and the wider area, as the Canberra Services Club last week confirmed it planned either a $45 million development, or a sale, of its block next to the oval.

The club applied earlier this year to deconcessionalise the land, Block 1, Section1 5, Griffith, to make way for the development, or to capitalise on what its commercial value may be, should the application be approved.

Under the current 2013 masterplan, a hotel is allowed on the land, and club president Mike Kinniburgh has said the club would consider a mixed use development with a new club, residential and commercial space on the site, if it is not sold.

Kingston Barton Residents Group president Rebecca Scouller has called on the government to withhold any approval of the club's application until the new master plan, and any conservation and land management plans are completed.

She said residents believed Mr Barr had been "disingenuous" in his 2016 pledge, when he said the community panel would be set up by the end of 2016.

"The ACT Labor government has used its call in powers twice for Manuka Oval, initially for the lights and late last year for the media centre," she said.

"This does not give the community any confidence that their good ideas or concerns for the precinct will be heard.

"To hold off on convening a community panel until the media and broadcast facilities are completed shows contempt for the community and that Mr Barr's 2016 election promise was a hollow attempt to recover from the GWS/Grocon unsolicited bid fiasco."

Ms Scouller said the community welcomed the club's return to its "spiritual home" next to the oval, but there were concerns about the potential loss of "yet another parcel of community land for the profit of a club" and that privatisation of such land was becoming unsustainable.

Mr Barr referred all questions about the master plan to Planning Minister Mick Gentleman, who said the government had "deferred" forming the community panel to advise on the new plan until the media centre was finished.

He also said it was also deferred until after the National Capital Authority's review of the development control plan was completed, which was done in November last year.

"Any future development of Manuka Oval would be guided by the community through the development of the master plan," he said.

Mr Gentleman said that before the application to deconcessionalise the block was determined, he had to decide if it would be in the public interest against the requirements of planning laws and the Territory Plan.

Ms Scouller said any development on the site should also consider impacts on the future use of the oval and its "local heritage", the Forrest Fire Station, St Christopher's Cathedral, Telopea Park School and the nearby Manuka and Kingston group centres.

"We are not against development on the site but ask that it be considered as part of a comprehensive planning model," she said.