18 March 2025

Steel flags bigger block consolidations to boost 'missing middle' housing in suburbs

| Ian Bushnell
Join the conversation
23
Chris Steel at the National Press Club

Planning Minister Chris Steel addresses the ACT Property Council. The government wants to clear the way so more housing can be built. Photo: Ian Bushnell.

The ACT Government is looking at allowing greater consolidation of blocks to promote the development of more ‘missing middle’ housing in existing suburbs, including RZ1 residential areas.

It is also planning to bring all parties together to work on ways to boost the number of homes being built overall in the ACT and support the aims of the National Housing Accord.

Planning Minister Chris Steel told the ACT Property Council on Tuesday that he was considering broader block consolidation provisions as a key reform to permit more low-rise, medium-density housing in the ACT.

In a major speech on his planning agenda for the year, Mr Steel said larger consolidated blocks would allow developers to build more homes in a single project, increasing the viability of a development.

READ ALSO Your builder went bust – now what?

Mr Steel said any reform would happen in tandem with the new Missing Middle Design Guide being developed to ensure desirable outcomes for future residents and streetscapes.

“Consolidation of multiple blocks allows missing middle housing developments to be better balanced across a larger site and provides room for living infrastructure such as trees that will make these homes a better place to live,” he said.

The government was planning a draft Major Plan Amendment to the Territory Plan to remove barriers such as this to missing middle housing, but it would also support the Design Guide, which would promote existing suburban character, landscape and amenity, and innovative design responses to the new planning system.

Mr Steel said more missing middle housing would provide a greater diversity of housing types and mean more choices for buyers.

Broad community consultation on these two measures was expected to start in the coming months, with the government aiming to embed the changes into the planning system by the end of this year.

The government worked closely with consultants Urbis and Stewart Architecture to develop the draft Design Guide and Major Plan Amendment alongside local industry representatives and practitioners.

“The insight from this engagement has been invaluable, and feedback from organisations like the Property Council and local design practitioners has been built into the current drafting for consideration by government,” Mr Steel said.

“I am confident that these reforms are feasible and will deliver the outcomes of more homes being built ahead of consultation with the broader community.”

Mr Steel also announced that the government would bring together relevant agencies and industry to clear away regulatory barriers to boost the supply and affordability of new housing.

The first meeting to develop this “productivity agenda” would be a part of the existing Planning and Construction Industry Chief Executive Reference Group (PACICERG) next month, to which Mr Steel would be inviting representatives from agencies that have a role in building and planning approvals, such as Evo Energy and Icon Water.

“Similar to the red tape reduction taskforce, this work will identify specific targeted and agreed reforms to inform future regulatory change with the aim of supporting the supply and affordability of housing,” he said.

But Mr Steel said that lease variation charges and developer licensing would not be on the table.

Mr Steel used the occasion to highlight the government’s move to ban third-party appeals to ACAT for public housing projects through the Territory Priority Projects Bill, calling on Liberal planning spokesperson Peter Cain, sitting in the audience at the National Press Club, to support it.

READ ALSO Australia can learn from Singapore and transform public housing to solve our crisis

He also indicated that the review of the Urban Forest Act would also speed up new housing by being better aligned “with government priorities”.

The property industry finds tree canopy rules and what denotes a regulated tree can often lead to delays in approvals and increases in costs for developers.

“There’s a very practical instrument that’s on the table that could be disallowed by the ACT Legislative Assembly,” Mr Steel said.

“We want to make sure that that gets through, which will have practical benefits in terms of providing new housing.”

Mr Steel also said the planned merger of Transport Canberra and City Services, the Environment Planning Sustainable Development Directorate, and Access Canberra later this year would also help to speed up approval times.

“This is about ensuring that we bring land use planning together with transport planning and using executive functions of government to ensure that the existing and new residents are connected with transport, infrastructure, jobs and services,” he said.

Join the conversation

23
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest
Capital Retro11:41 am 19 Mar 25

The motor traffic problems that will ensue have to be addressed too.
The suburb where I live has gone mad with redevelopments where 1980 single residences on large blocks are being replaced with duplexes and as many townhouses that can be squeezed in to the plot ratio.
Where there were two cars at an address there are now ten and the feeder roads into the suburb cannot cope with the traffic. Better public transport is not the answer.

I was just thinking as I was reading this “better public transport is the solution to this” – then I hit your last sentence. Care to explain?

Public transport is for poors.

Oh, cool. More dog boxes.

Not sure if people are aware about the Inquiry into the Planning (Territory Priority Project) Amendment Bill 2025. The following is an extract from Legislative Assembly Scrutiny Report 2

Planning (Territory Priority Project) Amendment Bill 2025 1.19

This Bill adds “a development proposal related to a public health facility” and “a development proposal related to public housing” to the meaning of “territory priority project” under the Planning Act 2023. A “territory priority project” is exempt from third party ACAT review.
Deadline for a response is by the 21st March 2025.

Under this Bill people will not be able to object and all development will be passed automatically if related to public housing or a public health facility paving the way for development that may not be suited to the designated area.

If you feel strongly about this you can respond through this email.

LAcommitteeEnvironment@parliament.act.gov.au

This statement is incorrect.

The government has to declare any such project a “territory priority project” prior to it following this path.

It doesn’t apply to every project that falls under the definitions.

So people object using ACAT. That is what it is there for Steelo, just the same as being able to vote. Your system allows for bad builds. Perhaps you should live in one of those units!!

Steel wants to keep the developers happy. You’d think they are the only ones voting.

Interesting to see what is happening in Vic. No reason that’s also not the case here.

Wayne Ramsay7:16 pm 18 Mar 25

So Mr Stuff up will spend how much on this now? It’s his own governments policy’s that made Canberra a high density city, now that we, the people have finally got through to them that, that’s not what we want, he’s looking into it?

Capital Retro6:26 pm 18 Mar 25

Canberra now another day closer to becoming Steel’s vision of Germania.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.