HOUSING CHOICE: CANBERRA
What's this about?
We want to:
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Promote increased housing diversity to cater for the circumstances and lifestyle choices of all Canberrans.
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Showcase successful housing projects, both historical and recent, many of which would not have been built under
current planning policies.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
The Garden City variations to the Territory Plan (2002) were largely a reaction to poorly designed dual occupancy and multi-unit town house style redevelopment that had been occurring in an ad hoc manner across established suburbs. This policy curtails the opportunities for small scale townhouse development on amalgamated blocks to residential areas close to shopping centres (zoned RZ2), even though there are many blocks in the remainder of the residential area (RZ1) that are quite suitable for higher density redevelopment.
A WAY FORWARD
We’d like to see:
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A review of the planning regime with a particular focus on plot ratios and separate titling for dual occupancies, allowance for attics and basements and the number of dwellings allowed in medium density zones (RZ2).
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A review of the current zoning system, with its potential replacement by a more strategic and fine-grained approach that might identify sites for higher density housing, including near transport corridors, reserves and community facilities.
