The ACT Government is finalising the Master Plan for the Curtin Group Centre. The community has taken a significant interest in the development of the Master Plan.
Key messages from the community included:
- retain the village character in the centre, in particular the low-scale building heights around the central courtyard. There was a general view that tall buildings are out of character in the retail core area.
- that parking availability is considered to be central to the centre’s convenience and function
- strong support for improvements to walking and cycling connections, and
- strong support for improvements to open spaces, including the western open space.
The community was clear that they did not want any taller buildings around the Curtin square that would overshadow and impact on the comfort and livability of the square.
The Draft Master Plan includes the following principles:
Buildings may be considered above two storeys and to a maximum of 18 metres (up to 5 storeys), where they achieve the following:
- Achieve a ‘human scale’ to the central courtyard by maintaining a single ground floor storey at the edges of the existing central courtyard and a minimum building setback of 3 metres above the ground floor level.
- Maintain sunlight to the central courtyard by ensuring that buildings do not overshadow the central courtyard beyond the shadow cast by a notional 5 metre high wall (also known as a solar fence) measured from the ground level at the boundary adjoining the central courtyard.
- Buildings do not overshadow living spaces of adjacent dwellings.
- Buildings are designed to reflect the local character of the group centre.
- The development contributes to the mix of uses and/or housing diversity of Curtin.
Visual Impact Assessment
Development proposals above two storeys should also be supported by a visual impact assessment, at development application stage, that considers views and potential impacts on main public spaces, views from approach routes (Carruthers Street) and outlines how the design of the development mitigates any impacts on the broader landscape setting and visual environment of the centre.