Northbourne Avenue territory plan variation approved by ACT government

The new rules apply to blocks between the intersections of Barry Drive and Cooyong Street; and Antill Street and Mouat Street.

The variation will allow for planning policies in the ACT government's city and gateway framework, unveiled in 2018, to be implemented.

Many of the changes are technical and relate to rules around building setbacks, separations, internal dwelling and landscapes. It would also create a Northbourne Avenue Corridor precinct.

The variation also sets building heights. Parts of the corridor in Dickson have a maximum building height of 32 metres. Most of the road would have a maximum building height of 25 metres, or 27.5 metres where a residential apartment complex has a two storey or mezzanine unit.

Heights of buildings on the intersections of Macarthur Avenue and Wakefield Avenue would be governed separately by the National Capital Plan.

It also sets out that in apartment blocks with more than 40 units, 20 per cent must have at least three bedrooms.

The ACT government received 19 submissions in its consultation. Some submissions indicated issues with the plan being overly prescriptive, did not respond to issues of climate change and it should have included a heritage assessment.

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The wider gateway framework sets out a long-term plan for Northbourne Avenue and a linear corridor roughly 1km east and west of the avenue. It has the aim of creating a "visually stunning boulevard".

Building along Northbourne Avenue has accelerated in recent years due to the development of light rail. This week it was revealed the number of dwellings in the second-stage light rail corridor could more than double if planning controls were changed to encourage higher density development.

A study of the broader light rail corridor area, between Parliament House and Woden town centre, found the area had the capacity for almost 30,000 dwellings.

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