ACT Greens planning spokesperson Jo Clay today discovered the ACT Government counts knock-down rebuilds as infill development, counting towards its target of 70% infill development in the ACT. This means the ACT is seeing more urban sprawl and less urban infill.
“Today the ACT Government revealed they are counting knock-down rebuilds towards their targets to deliver new infill housing. But those rebuilds don’t increase our infill housing supply – it’s creative accounting,” said Jo Clay, ACT Greens Spokesperson for Planning.
“We’re in a housing crisis. This counting method means the ACT Government could show they’re meeting their 70% infill targets when they have not increased infill housing supply at all.
“ACT Government has a commitment to build at least 70% of new dwellings within the ACT’s existing urban footprint. This is in the Parliamentary and Government Agreement and the ACT Planning Strategy. The ACT Greens want to go further. We’re calling for at least 80% of new dwellings to be built within our existing footprint, with a view to no more urban sprawl.
“The ACT Government has been telling us they’re meeting the current 70% target for six years. But their method does not accurately count how much additional housing is delivered. We are hearing loud and clear from the community through the Missing Middle Campaign, and through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – we need more infill development.
“This 70/30 target is meant to reduce environmentally destructive sprawl. It’s meant to deliver enough additional housing supply in existing urban areas so that less greenfield development is required. But the way they are counting, it is delivering more sprawl and delivering fewer homes in existing communities, near existing amenity and transport corridors.
“Canberra is having a crucial conversation about Missing Middle and how we build high-density. We need to get this right.
“The ACT Government must only count homes towards their infill targets where they are adding additional supply to our housing stock. They must correct how they count dwellings towards these targets and refocus efforts on delivering more housing in our existing urban areas.”
Background:
– A knock-down rebuild is replacing like for like on a block.
– The full Parliamentary and Governing Agreement commitment can be found here
– The answer to the Question on Notice can be found here.
