No 'convincing argument' why NCA should manage this Canberra suburb, residents say (original) (raw)

An altered plan for high-rises around a key inner south intersection has been labelled deficient by a community council while residents say they fear their homes being managed by a federal agency.

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Several residents living in "missing middle" apartments around the Hume Circle on Canberra Avenue say it is still not clear to them why the National Capital Authority wants to make a dangerous roundabout and residential homes an area of national significance.

Staffordshire Terrace residents Ludmilla Milo, Kayte Davidson, Kevin Gibbs and Richard Vorobieff outside the complex. Picture by Keegan Carroll

However, Staffordshire Terrace resident Kevin Gibbs said he wanted the apartment complex on Sturt Avenue to be excluded entirely from the NCA's precinct.

"We don't have the same protection [we] have if we stayed in the ACT government, there's processes we'd go through to object to [changes] and do things like that. Once we become part of the NCA, we've no recourse," he said.

"We're still ACT ratepayers, but we don't have the levels of avenues to go through to prevent [developments] happening."

He said he believed residents were having trouble selling their apartments due to the uncertainty surrounding the precinct plan.

Another terrace resident, Ludmilla Milo, said it was still unclear why the NCA should have control of the area in the first place.

"They've not made a convincing argument for why there should be a designated area... just high-density residential, is that of national significance?" she said.

Mr Gibbs and several other residents said they would be happy for development on the north side of the roundabout, which is dominated by businesses and industry.

An NCA spokesperson said common concerns from Griffith community members were "explicitly addressed" through proposed changes to land use and building heights.

"DA102 was proposed to recognise the national significance of the area to enable planned urban renewal in a manner consistent with the Griffins' Plan for Canberra; and to improve housing supply supporting the national agenda. In honouring the Griffins' plan and the circular geometry, there is not a proposed update to DA102 that would remove the residential area of the Staffordshire Terraces from the precinct," the spokesperson said.

"The NCA also proposes a continued coordinated mechanism between the NCA and the ACT government to oversight the ongoing process for Hume circle precinct."

Inner South Community Council chair Colin Walters said in a letter to federal Territories Minister Kristy McBain that the revised proposals were "deficient" and had "failed to alleviate serious concerns held by the community".

"The significance of the proposal as a precedent should not be underestimated. One of its main motivations appears to be to circumvent the planning processes which have been enacted by successive ACT governments," he said.

The Hume Circle roundabout on Canberra Avenue. Picture by Keegan Carroll

A parliamentary committee hearing into the NCA is set to be held on Wednesday, June 10.

Following endorsement by the NCA board, which is made up of chief executive Karen Doran, chair Terry Weber and architect Professor Helen Lochhead, the updated draft amendment can be submitted to the Minister for Local Government and Territories for consideration for approval.

Mr Weber's term as chair is set to end on June 12, 2026.

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