Tony Trobe: Changes I'd make to Canberra's planning rules

About seven years ago in a Sydney Morning Herald article by Judith Ireland the following paragraph appeared:

“More recently, Canberra has been named by the Institute of Public Affairs as one of Australia’s 13 biggest mistakes, with cane toads and the White Australia policy. Last year, the Lonely Planet website nominated Canberra as readers’ second least favourite city in the world (with Guatemala City at No.1).”

Most people who live here would be offended by these sentiments. I am a “blow in” Pom who has, by design, chosen to live here of all other possible places under the sun. Canberra is not a mistake but it could be argued that some of the reactionary planning policies in recent years have significantly contributed to its perceived sterility.

If I were king for a day (or Donald Trump) there are some quick fixes that I believe could make a dramatic difference to the suburban fabric of Canberra. These are the targets of my “strokes of a pen” amendments to the planning rules:

1. A 35 per cent plot ratio is the maximum for dual occupancies in core areas where one dwelling does not directly front a public road. This rule is culpable in defeating many options for higher urban density and the ageing in place agenda. The bizarre corollary of this is that you are allowed to build a McMansion to 50 per cent of the block if you build only one dwelling. Go figure.

2. Why is Canberra restricted to only two-storey houses for most suburban areas? It is the bulk and scale of dwellings rather than the number of levels in them that matters. Let’s just have building envelopes.

3. Currently, you’re not allowed a basement and two additional storeys unless it is used for car parking only. Really? What difference does having a basement make to the amenity of neighbours?

4. Attics are virtually ruled out by the daft and rather arbitrary rule that, “if a roof pitch is over 36 degrees the space it encloses is no longer an attic”. Roof pitches under that angle are almost unworkable on modest houses.

5. Although the rules around Mr Fluffy blocks were supposed to encourage high-density development, they have become watered down like an over-dunked teabag to such an extent that the sensible siting of two dwellings on most blocks becomes highly problematic. Paradoxically, the allowable plot ratio ends up lower than that permitted for a single dwelling. Change the plot ratio please!

6. About 14 years ago the whole notion of being able to create higher densities in the general suburban areas (RZ1) was belted on the head. Say you have a big block in the ‘burbs and want to build another dwelling …well, you might as well forget about it as the allowable area for it will be tiny and unit titling is long since forbidden.

7. Local shopping centres are often sad places that could easily play a walk-on part in a post-apocalyptic movie. The planning framework needs to be reviewed to encourage redevelopment with higher densities encouraging developers and local communities to consolidate, invest and revivify.

The excessive rules that have been added to our gargantuan Territory Plan in recent years are much like a Segway; seemed like a good idea but don’t really work. To paraphrase Thomas Edison; the planning code has not really failed, just found 10,000 ways that don’t work. The code palpably fails to promote and stimulate the building of the vibrant city we all want and make it immune to the barbs of the outsiders. A more adventurous attitude from our political masters would be a little thing that makes a big difference.

Tony Trobe is director of the local practice TT Architecture. Is there a planning or design issue in Canberra you’d like to discuss? Email tonytrobe@ttarchitecture.com.au and at ttarchitecture.com.au