3 May 2018

Belconnen Town Centre going up in planning blueprint

| Ian Bushnell
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Belconnen Master Plan aerial view

DV342 is designed to guide the development of the Belconnen Town Centre for the 10 to 20 years. File photo.

Buildings up to 27 storeys will be allowed in the Belconnen Town Centre under changes to the Territory Plan proposed by the ACT Government that are now out for public consultation.

Draft Variation 342, which is designed to guide the growth of the Town Centre over the next 10 to 20 years, will also accommodate Geocon’s already approved 28-storey Republic development on the corner of Emu Bank and Eastern Valley Way, which will be the ACT’s tallest building.

It will ensure building setbacks for development above 12 storeys, and identify areas through the centre where active frontages and awnings will be required to provide amenity and all-weather protection for pedestrians.

Maximum building heights in the high-density residential zone adjacent to College Street will also increase from five storeys to six.

There is also strategic rezoning in Belconnen’s commercial zones and trades and services area, with several blocks along Lathlain Street moving from trades and services to commercial business and urban open space to promote activity and revitalise the area to the west of the mall.

DV342 also seeks to reduce the scope for conflict between residential and commercial use. It proposes that ground and first floor residential use be restricted in some areas and commercial adaptable lower floors to be required in some areas, and incompatible residential development be prohibited in existing trades areas to encourage the redevelopment of industrial trades on Lathlain Street.

It also permits a supermarket up to 1,500 square metres within the CZ2 commercial business zone near the Emu Bank and Eastern Valley Way intersection.

Minister for Planning and Land Management Mick Gentleman said that the ACT Government was implementing the key recommendations of the Belconnen Town Centre Master Plan, which was finalised in late 2016.

“Belconnen residents, local businesses and organisations were very involved in the master planning process through several rounds of consultation,” he said.

Public consultation on DV342 closes 22 June 2018.

For more information go here.

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Blen_Carmichael7:54 am 05 May 18

People live in Belconnnen?

Alan James,
Why are units price falls a bad thing?

The government is trying to get some more affordable housing in the ACT, seems like they might actually be achieving it, along with their long stated goal of increased density in town centres and along major transport routes.

Capital Retro8:26 am 04 May 18

The word is that the lenders have already reduced the amount of money they are prepared to lend on units in Canberra. There are already many that were purchased with virtually no deposit and the purchasers have been unable to complete which puts them back onto the already oversupplied market. The ones that were able to settle now have properties which are “under water” (owe more than they are worth”).

Capital Retro,
I’m unsure of your point?

Are we now supposed to feel sorry for property investors who have overextended themselves?

It’s not like the government hasn’t flagged their land development strategy for at least the last 5 years and probably longer. Anyone that didn’t know there was going to be a larger amount of medium and high density dwellings being constructed really hasn’t been paying attention.

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