All recent comments on applications from ACT Planning & Land Authority, ACT

While I support the establishment of an Eating Disorders Clinic in the ACT, I question whether this is the best site for the clinic. Such a facility should be co-located with other health support services.
It is worth noting that the ACT government has neglected the Molonglo Valley and the use of this land should be put towards a service that benefits the community of the Molonglo Valley. Any other blocks left in the Molonglo Valley that are designated for community use MUST be reserved for the benefit of the local community and not to appease a certain sector favoured by the responsible minister. We urgently need services such as a police station; library or sporting facilities for older children and this project is taking away land that could be used for such services. It is disappointing that the responsible minister, who is supposed to represent our area, does not support the local community and that the ACT Planning & Land Authority is so dismissive of local needs.

Dear Relevant ACT Government Officials,
The 'alert' shows dual occupancy, swimming pools, etc.
The .pdfs show a 20sqM shed.
Which is true? And can you update your website accordingly, please?

The block size is under 800 square metres, so why is a dual occ being proposed here?
The block is inappropriate for basement car parking - it will be a squeeze and the owners will inevitably prefer to park in the street.
The existing house is not suitable for renovation, so a knockdown and building a freestanding single house to replace it would suit the block and the neighbourhood.
Let's not allow random quick-buck developments all over Ainslie and let's keep Ainslie's character.

The developers who put three units on this block did so (legally at the time) with maximum building cover and chose to keep the front house small in order to maximise the size of the two back units. The current owners chose to buy the front house knowing the heritage and building site requirements. I don't think it should wash as an argument to step over the threshold, that an owner doesn't feel able to live in a small house - using Australia's large average house size as an argument. In any case, the market for small houses in Ainslie is going to grow with ageing and downsizing and this would fit with housing policy in an ageing population and environmental considerations. If the current owners don't feel they can live in a small house they can purchase one elsewhere in Ainslie. It's concerning that, if allowed, this would set a precedent and be the thin edge of the wedge for excessive building footprints, when the canopy and green space protection is a Greens commitment for Canberra. It's important to hold the line, particularly in the actual heritage precinct of Ainslie. I'll add that the application is not in keeping with heritage standards in any case. Any side extension should be in the same materials as the existing house. To allow this plan would erode the heritage significance of the street frontage.

I don’ think we really need international companies to do business in our suburban shopping centres and take away from our local businesses such the Chisholm Takeaway, Lisas Chinese Restaurant,Baan Latsamy Thai Restaurant, Smokin Joes Pizza and Gril which are already struggling following the pandemic.

KFC is owned by Collins Foods Limited and franchises three brands — Sizzler, KFC and Taco Bell in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Thailand and Japan. It has 217 outlets in Australia, do we want one in our local shopping village? And do they need more business?

That section of the chisholm village is already traffic congested. Suggest that a KFC is more suited on the Monaro Highway.

Sounds good. Could consideration be done to doing something similar (ephemeral pools, landscaping, increasing vegetation) on Block 16 Section 56 Monash (behind and beside public housing development) as after wet weather pools seems to form on this land and it could do with more vegetation.

As a regular dog walker it was great to have access across this block to the walkway in between 187 and 189 Clive Steele Avenue, so as to reach the green area behind Harkness Street. Could there please be a public access path made along this block so as to have direct access from Isabella Pond to Clive Steele Avenue and the walkway. Public access path could be on the border with the Catlereagh Terrace townhouses

Without fully understanding 'all of the above'
As a former 'Soil Conservation Investigations Officer' (and other land management/planning roles in the 1980s/90s)
And with some familiarity with the particular area, including before the lake was filled:

I'm all for it!

We are concerned to learn that the ACT Planning and Land Authority has released a Development Application from Housing ACT to demolish 11 Wells Gardens in Griffith ACT and to replace the current single dwelling with three supportive housing units.

We are supportive of public housing. However, as one of Canberra’s oldest suburbs this proposal goes against preserving the heritage and outlook of the street by adding a condensed cluster of multi-unit dwelling. The justification for the significant expansion of the site is inadequately explained or justified.

Having been deeply sensitive to the traditional aesthetic of the street in our own building development application, the proposal fails to meet a common good as it diminishes the suburbs heritage value, contravenes previous Government assurances, and creates a double-standard in terms of expectations levied on private development applications.

For this reason we strongly advocate that this proposal should be comprehensively and immediately rejected.

I have not inspected this DA, but in principle I strongly support any proposal to erect an attractive single solid carport no more than 3m high over an existing residential driveway. The high probability of severe thunderstorms, and the risk of damage or injury associated with hailstorms and high winds, mean that practical carports are increasingly needed. They are especially important for an ageing population, and for families with small children.

It would be helpful to encourage the construction of carports that provide environmental benefits, such as collecting rainwater (via gutters and downpipes feeding into an adjoining rainwater tank); mounting solar panels or other alternative energy systems; or charging electric vehicles. Making these structures DA exempt, and producing information guides, would assist consumers and encourage more uptake.

Hoo Bloody Ray. Can they be painted in safety Orange? Any chance of solar powered flood lights, especially out the back?

I am a resident and a member of the Body Corporate Executive Committee at 4 Wilkins Street. These blocks are immediately in front of our apartment building, Mawson Court.

It has come to our attention that once these blocks are consolidated, there are plans to build a 4 to 6-storey residential/commercial building. The plans for these buildings were created over 7 years ago. The demographic of the area has changed significantly with many first time, young and affluent, owners now living at Mawson Court. Owner occupancy is at 60%. We are seriously concerned that the proposed buildings once the blocks are consolidated will obstruct our views (thereby decreasing their value), block the sunlight (I saw from the plans submitted in 2017 that a sun assessment has been conducted but request a second evaluation) but also increases the congestion in the area. This congestion was exemplified during the pandemic when the roads were blocked as people from Farrer, Torrens, Pearce, Swinger Hill, Isaacs, and Mawson, went to the shops to buy supplies.

We need to have a guarantee that these 6-story buildings will NOT be built in front of a well-established feature of Mawson (even with its gritty past) - and that a proper consultation reviewing plans from 7 years ago are conducted.

Yours sincerely and very concerned.

Will this impede on the Erindale Skatepark (which is heritage register nominated) behind the curch?

Hi I own the property behind all 3 listed properties I’d really prefer if only single storie houses were built as I have small children and like my privacy and don’t want windows overlooking my yard and I don’t like the idea of so many houses being so close to my fence line if I wanted people write next to me I would have bought in one of the new suburbs it’s a quiet street now but I feel more houses will not have enough parking and will cause cars to park in the streets

Unfortunately, preparing submissions on both the draft Urban Forest Bill and draft Planning Bill (hundreds and hundreds of pages of legislation) has meant that I missed seeing this DA during the statutory notification period. Dickson Residents Group is concerned that adding to the existing car parking at the college may have a number of potentially undesirable impacts that deserve careful consideration. 1. The location of the proposed carpark is likely to interfere with future cycle path connections, which are especially important to service this secondary school facility in the long term to maximise active travel opportunities 2. The Garden City Cycle Route is expected to link with the College and be built in the next 2-3 years 3. The latest heritage research shows an ancient aboriginal track that by the 1840s had become a coach road and eventually became a stock route traversed the site of Dickson College. There are multiple maps in the National Library's holdings that show this route and it warrants appropriate recognition and protection.

I support the replacement of the 9-11 Harris Place houses to provide modern supportive housing.

But this proposal replaces two houses with five multi-occupancy units in a small dead-end street. Increased traffic and lack of street parking will have a detrimental effect on street amenity and landscape. Waste collection trucks already have difficulty getting access to kerbside bins.

The significant excavations will also threaten protected trees on the boundary of the property. All these objections could be addressed by building less units with a smaller overall footprint.