Changes from the first comprehensive review of the National Capital Plan since 1991 move a step closer to being adopted on Thursday, and look set to be approved by the Turnbull government before Christmas.
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A meeting of the National Capital Authority board will consider submissions to draft changes to the plan, the key mechanism of federal control of territory planning. Amendment 86 will then go before Territories, Local Government and Major Projects Minister Paul Fletcher to be signed off by the government.
The changes to the 335-page plan, first proposed in June, have been considered in two rounds of community consultation on an exposure draft prepared by the authority. They could see the parliamentary triangle's East and West blocks adapted for use as hotels, offices, restaurants, cafes or retail spaces and outdated Commonwealth government office buildings at Anzac Park East and West redeveloped.
The planned sale of the CSIRO's 701-hectare Ginninderra field station could go ahead and the Royal Australian Mint site in Deakin would be rezoned to become a designated area for national use. Other changes include rezoning of land at the corner of State Circle and Canberra Avenue in Forrest from community use to mixed use for development, following a request b the ACT government's Land Development Agency in January 2014.
Changes to the authority's power over the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee River corridors, Namadgi National Park and the Tuggeranong Valley come as chief executive Malcolm Snow recognised the ACT government's maturity in planning decisions.
The revised plan would allow residential development west of the Tuggeranong town centre, across the Murrumbidgee River, but see the authority maintain its control over areas of "national character" including the parliamentary triangle and major roads into Canberra.
Control over prominent hills, ridges and mountains in the inner city, including Mount Majura, will rest with the authority.
Mr Snow said all formal submissions received during the final consultation period would be considered, while Thursday's meeting would also discuss any required changes to the draft plan amendment.
"If the board is happy with what management has recommended, then we will stick to our timeframe and have a recommendation to the minister prior to Christmas," he said.
The authority had undertaken a careful and considered process to make the changes, Mr Snow said, including by publishing the exposure draft of the planned actions and placing importance on community feedback.
He said the exposure draft had proved an effective litmus test to measure community feeling about the plan and had provided an opportunity for consideration of stakeholder views.
"That process delivered a lot of very good feedback to us about how people felt about the changes we were planning on making.
"We are also very pleased with the strong endorsement we got, about the principles that we were applying and expressing through that exposure draft. That gave us the encouragement to proceed to a formal draft amendment going out for consultation, which is the process that has just finished."
Already strong opposition has seen plans for some current federal protections to be removed from Haig and Telopea parks dropped from the revisions. Proposals for Lake Burley Griffin's west basin, a key development site for the ACT government, and City Hill have not been changed in the latest draft.
The areas attracted submissions from groups concerned about overdevelopment and loss of heritage linked to designs by Walter Burley Griffin for the capital.
"We have this strong commitment to community engagement and I think in this case it has proved again a very valuable approach for the authority," Mr Snow said.
"I think what people will ultimately see is a plan which has struck a very appropriate balance between protecting national significance, while at the same time recognising that the ACT government is a mature government and can accept greater accountability and responsibility for what we regard as local planning considerations."
