But ACT Housing Minister Yvette Berry has moved quickly to reassure that Ainslie Avenue's public housing blocks are safe for now, insisting she won't consider any redevelopment options until the needs of tenants have been "sought and understood".

The government's planning directorate has contracted consultants Purdon Planning to examine the development potential of five public housing sites on the prime Reid corridor: Ainslie Flats, Braddon Court, Jerilderie Court, Kanangra Court and Reid Court.

The consultants have been asked to examine various redevelopment options to determine which would achieve "highest use" and the "best return to the territory".

That could be apartment or townhouse complexes or mixed-use precincts, the contract stated.

The planning experts have been told to examine potential developments which include a mix of private, community and social housing.

The consultants need to be mindful of the prospect that all or some of Jerilderie Court, Kanangra Court could be heritage listed in the future. The ACT Heritage Council rejected the listing of the 118-unit Kanangra Court complex in 2015.

But all redevelopment options must include at least the same number of public and community housing dwellings as there are at the moment, according to the terms of the $170,000 contract.

A planning directorate spokesman said Purdon's work was part of "early" studies looking at the future of the multi-unit public housing complexes.

The spokesman said the government had not made any decisions about redeveloping the precinct, nor the individual sites.

A report was expected to be handed to Ms Berry and urban renewal minister Mick Gentleman by the end of 2020, which could consider the potential timing and scope of future development options.

Any future redevelopment would be subject to government decisions, including the budget process, and would not occur until tenants had been consulted, the spokesman said.

Ms Berry strongly re-enforced that final message, saying she would "not consider any redevelopment of the precinct until the government has worked with tenants on their needs".

"My focus in the housing portfolio is to put tenants first and I asked that future consideration of these sites not occur until the needs of tenants could be sought and understood," Ms Berry said in a statement.

The future of the Ainslie Avenue housing blocks - in particular Kanangra Court - was called into question last year after the ACT government announced plans to sell off 700 ageing units to help fund the next stage of its public housing renewal program.

The rolling five-year program involves the refurbishment of 1000 homes and the addition of 200 homes to the territory's overall public housing stock.

More than 12 months on, the ACT government has still yet to detail exactly which units will be sold off as part of the program, which has a $600 million price tag.

The ACT government's previous public housing renewal program saw the redevelopment of 1288 flats across Canberra.

It saw the demolition of a number of prominent, and valuable, inner-city public housing complexes, including the Northbourne Flats.