Block 16 Section 10 City - Demolition of the Existing Building and the Removal of Trees and Construction of Three Mixed Use Buildings and Associated Landscape Works

Update 26 July 2022

Update to public submissions 

The NCA has received consent to publish a seventh submission in relation to the 70 Allara Street Works Approval Application, totaling 7 of the original 12 submissions.

Proposal

The NCA has received two separate Works Approval applications for:

• WA102651 - Demolition of the existing building and removal of 13 non-protected trees landscaping reinstatement and disconnecting services.
• WA102762 - Construction of three, 9-storey mixed use buildings and basement car parking. A landscaped central plaza is proposed at ground level, which will connect London Circuit and Allara Street.

The NCA is seeking public comment on the design and quality of the proposal and any issues which the community considers should be considered as part of the NCA’s detailed evaluation of the applications.

Context

The redevelopment proposal for 70 Allara Street will be assessed against the provisions of the National Capital Plan.

The applicable planning and development policies were given legal effect in 2006 through Amendments 56, 59, 60 and 61 to the National Capital Plan which followed an extensive public consultation process. The amendments, which are supported by the ACT Government, were underpinned by a wholistic urban design and planning study, known as the Griffin Legacy undertaken by the NCA between 2002 and 2004.

The Griffin Legacy project appraised the Griffins’ plan and its relevance to the planning and development of Canberra in the 21st century. The Griffin Legacy proposed to restore the intended urbanity and vitality of the original Griffin vision for Canberra as a cosmopolitan lakeside city and to create vibrant, mixed-use precincts, government buildings and major national attractions. This was to be achieved by creating opportunities for renewal or redevelopment of underutilised sites within Central Canberra and through establishing an urban design framework to guide the quality of buildings and the public realm within Central Canberra.

Amendments 56, 59, 60 and 61 to the National Capital Plan have guided projects within Central Canberra for the past 15 years. These include the New Acton / Nishi complex, the redevelopment of Constitution Avenue, the bridging of Parkes Way by Kings Avenue and the recently completed ACT Government Office building. The West Basin renewal project currently under construction by the ACT Government and the proposed University of New South Wales campus on Constitution Avenue have also been enabled by these amendments.

These amendments are incorporated into Part 4 of the National Capital Plan under 4.1 - Central National Area, 4.6 - City Hill Precinct Code, 4.8 - Constitution Avenue and Anzac Parade Precinct Code and 4.7 - West Basin Precinct Code.

Have Your Say

Submissions can be made via email to WAconsultation@nca.gov.au from Saturday 28 May 2022 to 5pm 21 June 2022.

Please contact the NCA for further information on (02) 6271 2888.

Public submissions

The NCA received a total of 12 submissions regarding the 70 Allara Street Works Approval Application.

Submissions that included consent to publish have been uploaded to this page under the public submissions section (at the bottom).

Five submitters did not consent to have their submissions published.

The NCA would like to thank everyone who made a submission. We are reviewing all submissions and will release a public consultation report when the Works approval application assessment process is being finalised.