A 320-home sustainable village slated for Watson

A “sustainable local village” of 320 homes is on the cards for Watson’s north.

A development application has been lodged for the 4.4-hectare site, currently occupied by Southern Cross Ten Austereo.

It is positioned on the corner of Aspinall Street and Negus Crescent and next to the Canberra Carotel Motel and Caravan Park.

If approved, the site will house a mix of townhouses and apartments, as well as a childcare centre and commercial units.

The development application was lodged by HTI Group, the team behind Turner’s Midtown precinct, which is taking shape on Northbourne Avenue.

HTI Group director Jon Tanchevski said the Watson site fits well with the company’s niche of transforming underused spaces into precincts that benefit the wider community.

Named after the Copenhagen district, Norrebro, Mr Tanchevski said the development will have a village feel and amenity aimed at filling a void in the suburb’s north.

“It is quite a large development, but the premise behind it is sustainability,” Mr Tanchevski said.

“We’re creating a number of community gardens within the village and sustainable initiatives regarding power consumption and water usage.”

The $74 million project will be delivered in three stages and take between four to six years to complete.

Upon completion, Norrebro will house 186 two and three-bedroom apartments and 134 two, three and four-bedroom “terrace-style” townhouses.

The DA listed a restaurant, small shop, gym and health facility as potential commercial tenancies.

Mr Tanchevski said the commercial side of the development “will be led by what the community is after”.

With more development on the cards for Watson, including about 100 townhouses to the south of the site, Mr Tanchevski said this part of the suburb would benefit from the additional services.

“The positioning of [the commercial units] is at the north-western corner, the front end of the site, making it accessible for the local community,” Mr Tanchevski said.

“It will add complementary services to the existing Watson shops and the childcare centre will be enough to cater for the community.”

One hectare, or one-quarter of Norrebro, will be public open parkland with adventure play spaces.

Community consultation sessions were held in August and September 2016 and Mr Tanchevski said residents were particularly receptive to the amenity the development will provide.

Mr Tanchevski said housing will target a “complete cross section” of the community, including first home buyers, young families and downsizers.

If approved, construction could begin in late 2017. The application is open for public comment until January 18.