Page 1668 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 18 May 1994
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The guidelines are not variations to the Territory Plan, but the authority followed a process of consultation and adoption very similar to that for Territory Plan variations. The process involved seeking and accepting public comment from 11 September 1993 to 30 December 1993; modifying the guidelines to take account of the issues raised during the public notification period; referring the revised guidelines to the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee, which in turn held public hearings on the guidelines; and revising the guidelines further to take account of the committee's recommendations. The guidelines were adopted by the Planning Authority on 16 May 1994 and the results of that process are before the Assembly today.
By way of background, the Territory Plan permits a variety of residential forms in all residential areas, subject to a number of codified controls that include a two-storey height limit. The Territory Plan also defined an area with three-storey development in part of Canberra's inner north known as area B1. The B1 area is roughly 1,000 metres wide, spanning both sides of Northbourne Avenue from Mouat and Morphett streets in the north to Civic and Reid in the south. The guidelines deal with five main issues: Urban design and streetscape; protection of the amenity of existing residents; environmental standards for residents of new developments; energy efficiency; and social mix.
The Assembly's Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Infrastructure has played an extremely active role in examining the draft guidelines, considering in detail the comments made by the public, and proposing amendments and inclusions in the final document to ensure that the highest standards of design excellence are achieved in redevelopment projects in the area. I heartily endorse the work of the committee and I would like to thank them for the excellent work they have done.
The B1 area is a large one and redevelopment will take place over a long timeframe. It is therefore vital that residents who choose to remain are not disadvantaged. Inevitably, redevelopment must have some impact on established residents, but I am confident that the application of the guidelines' provisions in respect of setbacks, height and landscaping will reduce impacts to an acceptable minimum. Planning is not a static process and we must learn by experience. I have, therefore, decided that the guidelines should be reviewed by the Urban Design Advisory Committee and that they should apply until 1 July 1995. Developments resulting from the application of the guidelines will be carefully monitored and the guidelines will be reviewed in a year's time, in consultation with the public, the development industry and professional institutes.
Policies for the Kingston-Griffith redevelopment area were adopted by the National Capital Development Commission in 1973 and much of the area has since been redeveloped. The NCDC policies were extinguished by the Territory Plan, and guidelines were therefore needed to cover the remaining development areas. The draft guideline document for Kingston-Griffith issued for public comment was essentially a reformatting of the NCDC policies. Having gone through the B1 guideline exercise, the PDI Committee felt that many of the finalised B1 guideline provisions should be incorporated into the Kingston-Griffith document. I heartily endorse that view, and members will see that the final Kingston-Griffith guidelines are closely comparable with the B1 guidelines.
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