A controversial demonstration housing project in Canberra's inner south will be able to go ahead, after Planning Minister Mick Gentleman signed off on an amendment to the ACT's planning rules.
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Mick Gentleman has approved a territory plan variation to allow for the construction of a manor house project in Griffith, which has attracted publicly expressed local opposition and support in equal measure.
"This will allow people to live in an apartment and still have a backyard. With room for a communal veggie patch and play equipment, this type of home can suit downsizers, families, and singles looking for a sense of community," Mr Gentleman said in a statement.
"We want every Canberran to have access to green space and the opportunity to stay connected to their community."
The change covers just one block on Blaxland Crescent, where architect Rob Henry has designed a project of four two-to-three bedroom units in a two-storey building.
Variation 375, which was first notified in February 2021, will allow Griffith Section 31 Block 6, an RZ1 block opposite St Edmund's College, to be redeveloped into a manor house. The variation will not have any wider effect.
More than 530 submissions to the draft variation were received with the overwhelming majority opposed to the variation. But of the submissions, more than 470 were a form letter. Just four submissions supported the draft variation.
Opposition to the project has been led by the Griffith/Narrabundah Community Association, which has argued homeowners do not want the surprise of a four-unit dwelling being built next door to them.
"The scale, bulk and height of the Manor House proposal is based on the same footprint of what is permitted under the current provisions of the Territory Plan for a single dwelling. The Manor House proposal aims to integrate with existing dwellings within the suburb," information tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday said.
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The project is part of the government's demonstration housing project, which allows developers and architects to put in applications to bend the territory's planning rules to try out new forms of housing that could be rolled out more widely in the future.
"Where a proposal has been chosen under the Demonstration Housing Project, the proponents are afforded the opportunity for a one-off site-specific Territory Plan variation where existing planning requirements would otherwise prevent such a development," an explanatory statement tabled in the Legislative Assembly said.
A consultation report said community critics had raised concerns about a lack of consultation, the effectiveness of the demonstration housing scheme, and concern over high-density dwellings in the inner south.
Greater Canberra, a community advocacy group that campaigns for more affordable housing in the capital's established areas, welcomed the variation of the territory plan.
"The demonstration housing project is an important effort to show how new kinds of medium-density housing can help address our housing crisis. Of course, a few demonstration projects aren't enough - the government must ensure that the results of the project are evaluated in a timely manner so we can expand 'missing middle' housing choices all over Canberra," the group's secretary, Andrew Donnellan, said.
The group was formed after an open letter was circulated, calling on the government to support the project. and reject "opposition to density and development" that comes from "misplaced fears [trapping] Canberra in an unsustainable vision of the past".
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
