Estate plan lodged for next stage of Denman Prospect

The next stage of Denman Prospect in the Molonglo Valley will contain more than 800 dwellings, including nearly 300 single residential blocks.

Purdon Planning for Capital Estates Development has renotified the development application for the Stromlo Reach Estate Development Plan.

The EDP outlines plans for 295 single residential blocks and 15 multi-unit sites to accommodate 544 dwellings for a total of 839 homes.

Just over half the single blocks will be in the 451 to 650 sqm range (160), with 19 being 250 sqm or less, six 250 to 300 sqm, 93 between 351 and 400 sqm, and 17 more than 651 sqm.

Land has been set aside for a school and oval, a neighbourhood park at the southwest edge, and an irrigated community recreation park at the other end.

The treatment of Cravens Creek will include the construction of water-quality ponds on the edge of the community park.

The nearly 84-hectare site is undeveloped land along the western edge of the suburb of Denman Prospect and to the northwest of Denman Prospect 1B Estate.

The EDP seeks to subdivide Block 11 and Block 12, Section 1, with most lots to be within Block 11, which has already been assessed environmentally.

Block 11 is to be subdivided into RZ1, RZ4 and RZ5 blocks and a Community Facilities Zone block reserved for the future school.

Block 12 was recently exempted from an environmental impact statement and is proposed to be zoned NUZ3 – Hills Ridges and Buffers space, as well as elements of RZ1 and RZ5.

The DA says that across the EDP area, there were expected to be 310 blocks of various housing typologies, most zoned RZ1, but with some also zoned RZ4 and RZ5 for medium-density apartments and townhouses.

Blocks located in the northeast corner adjacent to Holborow Avenue are set to contain affordable apartments to meet the requirements of the Deed of Agreement.

These will total 400 as part of Stage 3 of the Borough development and will be offered through a community housing provider at 75 per cent of market rates.

A 60-metre wide Asset Protection Zone (APZ) at the western edge of the development will guard against bushfires.

The developer reviewed the development layout at the urging of the Conservatore, who was concerned about impacts on Block 12’s ecologically sensitive areas.

This included minimising impacts to a high-quality vegetation area and retaining the remnant trees.

As a result, the revised development footprint more than halves the direct area of impact in Block 12 from 16.1 ha to 7.14 ha of native vegetation.

A road was also realigned to avoid impacts to the remnant trees.

But three areas of Box Gum Woodland within the proposed EDP development area will be impacted – two along Uriarra Road and one within Cravens Creek.

The DA says that from a Commonwealth EPBC perspective, impacts to the Box Gum Woodland are accounted for under the Molonglo Valley Strategic Assessment, provided that the total area of impact does not exceed 110 ha across the full area it covers.

CED plans to apply for all Box Gum Woodland impacted under this proposal (potentially 0.54ha) to be counted against the 110 ha budget.

It has already made design changes to minimise impacts on Box Gum Woodland within the site and will explore further ways to do so.

Comments on the DA close on 19 October.