One of the novel aspects of debates about local planning laws and regulations is how technical and complex the rules are, requiring one to have an incredibly strong grasp of the Territory Plan, of ‘development codes’, ‘zone objectives,’ what is or is not permitted in particular zones, and the roles of different government agencies. Yet despite their opacity, these rules have fundamental implications for our streets and suburbs. They shape where we live and how we navigate our city, and yet it often feels like one must need tertiary qualifications in planning to understand them. In the past month, this …

The federal election campaign is in full swing, as evidenced by the corflutes dotted around North Canberra’s roads and front gardens. What makes this election different however is the wide range of candidates who are genuine contenders to represent North Canberra at a federal level. While many of the issues often raised by the North Canberra community generally fall under the jurisdiction of the ACT Government, we have been tracking the North Canberra-specific announcements by the federal candidates. A (non-exhaustive) list of such election commitments from the major candidates is detailed below. Labor has recently pledged $5 million for cycle …

While the phrase ‘urban renewal’ is often used to characterise the pace of development in North Canberra in recent years, the phrase feels particularly jarring when considering social housing tenants who have lived in North Canberra for decades who now found themselves facing a forced relocation away from their homes. As reported by the Canberra Times, hundreds of inner north ACT housing tenants have been served with eviction notices to facilitate the ACT Government’s ‘Growth and Renewal Program’. Last week, we released a statement requesting the ACT Government reconsider its decision to evict the tenants. Our statement also called for any …