The Hume Circle roundabout, around which major development will now be possible. Photo: Ian Bushnell.
The controversial rezoning of land around Hume Circle to allow apartment buildings up to 15 storeys tall has been referred to a parliamentary committee inquiry.
Regional Development, Local Government and Territories Minister Kristy McBain has written to the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories requesting the establishment of an inquiry into National Capital Plan Amendment No. 102 – Hume Circle Precinct.
Ms McBain approved the amendment earlier this month after the National Capital Authority revised its proposal in response to community opposition.
A spokesperson for Ms McBain said the referral acknowledged the high level of community interest in the amendment, which opens the way for the precinct to become one of the densest in Canberra.
The inquiry would consider the National Capital Authority’s consultation process; the different stages of high-level strategic planning and whether this process can be improved; and the long-term planning approach for community infrastructure, open space, transport and utilities for the precinct.
A Steering Committee, comprising representatives from the NCA and relevant ACT Government agencies, was already being established to support a coordinated approach to future planning for the precinct.
Committee member and ACT Senator David Pocock welcomed the referral, saying the NCA needed to rebuild trust with Canberrans after the way it initially conducted community consultation on this project.
Senator Pocock has been calling for an inquiry for weeks and said it would provide greater transparency, help rebuild trust and allow issues to be canvassed in detail.
Building heights will vary across the Hume Circle Precinct. 15 storeys will be allowed at selected sites, subject to certain conditions. Image: NCA.
The NCA, which has been talking with development consortium Jega since 2023, proposed DA102 in January, arguing that it would revitalise the areas around the Hume Circle roundabout bordered by Narrabundah, Griffith, Kingston and Fyshwick.
It also said it would restore the original Griffin plan for a radial street system and eastern gateway to Canberra.
But the proposal was lashed as rewriting history by a Griffin expert and attacked by community groups and existing residents for the scale of development it would unleash.
Even the ACT Government was alarmed at the density it would allow and the infrastructure it would require.
In response, the NCA scaled back the density, although 15 storeys will still be possible in selected sites, and included more planning detail and requirements.
Senator Pocock said these were welcome, but the proposal still lacked much of the detail seen in previous amendments to the NCP.
He contrasted planning for the Hume Circle Precinct with that for Constitution Avenue.
“Constitution Avenue included indicative cycleways, integrated urban art and signage, car parking, building height and form, active frontage, indicative streetscape design, indicative road structure, public transport pathways, access and circulation and indicative main pedestrian connections,” he said.
The Territory Planning Authority and the Suburban Land Agency had raised red flags about the impact on the nearby East Lake Urban Renewal Project, population densities that would require matching infrastructure and services – such as schools, shops, roads and utilities – and a lack of provision for open space.
Original Article published by Ian Bushnell on Region Canberra.
