More Canberrans seek townhouse-style living

Developers are fielding growing demand for townhouse-style living as people look for living options between compact apartments and traditional homes on blocks.

Baby Boomers are driving much of that demand as they enter their retirement years and look to downsize to an option that has single-level living and low maintenance courtyards on small lots.

But younger buyers, too, are looking for a third way between high-rise apartments and homes in new suburbs.

Project planning director for the Independent Property Group, David Shearer, says multi-level villa and terrace-type housing is fast replacing apartments as the preferred housing type in urban infill projects in the inner Canberra suburbs.

“Many younger buyers consider this type of living preferable to the demands of a house and 400 square metres of land,” he says.

“A terrace gives them all the living and outdoor entertaining space they need.”

Shearer says this demand has seen development approvals for apartments reconsidered and redesigned as townhouses and points to examples like Kingsborough in the Kingston Foreshore and the Raiders site in Braddon.

“Dickson, too, has a great example with Stockdale45 – that offers 17 terrace-type homes, each with a double garage and courtyard, instead of the 25 apartments that could have been there,” he says.

But Shearer says more needs to be done for retirees who want to downsize into a single-level home on a smaller lot size close to the city.

“Current planning rules make it challenging to get approvals for these type of developments in areas where people who wish to ‘age-in-place’ want them,” he says

His sentiments are supported by leading architect and former president of the Australian Institute of Architects ACT, Tony Trobe, who believes the townhouse is missing from Canberra’s building “typology”.

“There’s a need for townhouses and there’s a demand. We have people who are retiring and want to downsize into their local neighbourhood,” he says.

“The relevant RZ2 zoning laws that cover townhouse-type developments in the older suburbs are quite prohibitive meaning downsizers have to consider moving away, perhaps even to the new suburbs.

“They don’t want to do that – they want to stay close to their doctors, chemist, shops, family and friends,” Trobe says.

Award-winning architect, Terry Ring, agrees with Shearer and Trobe that the regulations that limit townhouse developments are stringent, but he says that developments can be given the green light by working closely with government planners.

“We’ve had successful townhouse developments in Yarralumla, O’Connor and Dickson among others,” he says.

“The Yarralumla project saw us get approval for six executive townhouses on what had been two blocks.”

Rings says smaller blocks aren’t the only factor for retiring downsizers.

“They still want plenty of living and entertaining room. They just want a space they can make maximum use of without the maintenance issues,” he says.

Director-general of the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate Dorte Ekelund says the ACT government is aware of the growing demand for townhouses in established suburbs as people seek to downsize “in place”.

“The challenge is to get the balance right between enabling development to meet the medium-density housing demand for townhouses, dual occupancies and lower-rise apartments while also achieving urban design principles to protect and enhance existing character and amenity in the established suburbs,” she says.

Cover property

2/10 Hutchins Street, Yarralumla
$1.3 million-plus
3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 parking
Auction on Saturday, November 19, 2pm, onsite
Inspect on Saturday from noon-12.30pm
​Belle Property Kingston, Louise Harget 0412 997 894; Shane Zwajgenberg 0419 698 899

Classic lines and interiors characterise this executive level townhouse in one of Canberra’s most highly sought locations.

Architect Terry Ring of Architects Ring and Associates has ensured each of the six luxury homes in the prestigious Balmoral enclave has its own look, personality – and privacy.

Number 2 embraces the ideals of grand proportions with seamless indoor and outdoor entertaining.

The north-facing residence is wonderfully bright, further emphasising the generous dimensions of its internal rooms and spaces.

The grand entry opens to a wrought iron staircase within a mezzanine void. A formal lounge, highlighted by detailed cornices and wide skirtings, enjoys an open fire, shared with the dining room that has access to the terrace.

A galley-style kitchen, featuring European appliances and stone benchtops, leads to a spacious family room that also opens onto further outdoor living options.

A ground floor bedroom with ensuite and terrace access offers the option of living on one level with further guest rooms upstairs along with a library/study.

There is also a double garage.

This exclusive lifestyle address is a few minutes stroll to lakeside parks, the Yarralumla shops, a primary school and, of course, easily accessible to all Inner South locations.