A change to the Phillip Precinct Code in the Territory Plan was approved by the Legislative Assembly in October 2018.
Upgrades to parks, pedestrian and cycle paths will require ACT Government funding, which will be dependent on further investigations, future budget bids and private sector contributions.
Several Territory-owned sites are already nominated for land release and will happen over time.
Opportunities to develop and redevelop existing sites for offices, residences and other uses will need to be taken up by private industry.
Recommendations for implementation – from the Master Plan
The process of change
This master plan is a non-statutory planning document. It can be implemented though:
- a Territory Plan variation, including a new precinct code for the centre
- sale of Territory-owned land, otherwise known as land release
- public domain upgrades
- commercial opportunities
- further studies
Implementation of the master plan will be progressive over the longer term as implementation is dependent on investment decisions by private business, land availability and capital works funding for public domain upgrades from the ACT Government. Each of the ways the master plan can be implemented are described in more detail below.
- Territory Plan Variation
The precinct code variation primarily provided for building heights and setbacks.
- Land release
There are several sites nominated for land release on the ACT Government’s Indicative Land Release
- Public domain upgrades
Infrastructure and public space improvements are required to realise the vision and some of the strategies of this master plan. There are opportunities for the private sector to contribute to the public domain through partnerships with the government or as part of off-site works.
Works undertaken by the ACT Government will involve further investigations by various government agencies and funding consideration through future government budget bids. Public domain upgrades that are undertaken by the ACT Government are based on a number of considerations including population growth, the age of existing assets and infrastructure and the wider budget context within the Territory.
- Commercial opportunities
Business, commercial developers and the wider community are responsible for taking advantage of opportunities identified within the master plan. A number of changes indicated in the master plan are on existing developed sites or require substantial investment. Therefore, implementation of the master plan will be progressive over the longer term as investment opportunities are realised.
- Further studies
Potential further studies include:
Woden town centre design manual
A design manual will outline a consistent design palette for the public domain in the town centre.
It will specify public domain elements such as street furniture, lighting standards, light poles, signage, pavement types and locations, and street trees. Opportunities to incorporate living (green) infrastructure should be incorporated.
Heritage assessments
Further heritage assessments are required for the objects and places identified in this document.
Pedestrian and cycle improvements
Investigations into the pedestrian and cycle improvements recommended in the plan will help the government understand the design challenges and potential costs. This will assist in prioritising the works over several years in a coordinated way and in parallel to other ACT Government capital works projects and private developments. The cost of any upgrades will need to be considered in the context of future budgets.