National Capital Plan Draft Amendment 93 – City and Gateway Urban Design Provisions Technical Changes

The National Capital Authority (NCA) has released National Capital Plan Draft Amendment 93 – City and Gateway Urban Design Provisions Technical Changes (DA93) for public consultation.

The purpose of Draft Amendment 93: City and Gateway Urban Design Provisions Technical Changes (DA93) is to:

• introduce transitional provisions to address development applications submitted to the Territory planning authority prior to the commencement of Amendment 91 to the Plan
• clarify the term ‘building length’ as it relates to building separation requirements
• clarify design provisions concerning balconies and balustrades.

Background

Amendment 91 to the Plan came into effect on 4 April 2019. The amendment introduced detailed conditions of planning and design for sites flanking the Federal Highway and Northbourne Avenue. The amendment was the outcome of the two year long ‘City and Gateway urban design’ joint project between the NCA and the ACT Government. The City and Gateway project resulted in a planning and design framework to guide urban development in the city centre and along the gateway corridor for the next 25 – 30 years. The outcome provides for greater density, higher quality and more sustainable living and working environments within a landscape setting, appropriate to the National Capital.

The NCA has monitored actions since the finalisation of Amendment 91 so as to understand if implementation of the amendment has enabled the intended development outcomes and to identify any unintended consequences. 

The NCA has identified a handful of issues requiring immediate attention, including transitional arrangements for development applications, and uncertainty regarding the application of building length provisions and design requirements for balconies and balustrades. DA93 proposes a number of changes to the Plan to address these matters.

The NCA will continue to monitor outcomes along the city and gateway corridor to ensure that the planning and design provisions are producing the high quality design outcomes expected for this key approach route to the National Capital. DA93 does not preclude further amendment to the relevant planning and design provisions at a later date.

Submissions
The NCA welcomes written comments on DA93 from interested parties as part of the consultation process.
Submissions to DA93 can be: 

• emailed to draft.amendment@nca.gov.au
• mailed to Chief Planner, National Capital Authority, GPO Box 373, Canberra ACT 2601
• delivered to National Capital Authority, Ground Floor, Treasury Building, King Edward Terraces, Parkes ACT 2600.

Submissions are invited until close of business on Wednesday 4 September 2019.

Further information
Further information on DA93 is available by telephone on 02 6271 2888 or email draft.amendment@nca.gov.au