An artist’s impression of UC’s proposed development on the Arscott House land. Images: UC.
The University of Canberra is poised to reap a windfall from a proposed mixed-use development after the ACT Government accepted a rezoning application for a piece of land the government originally gifted it in 2011 for student housing.
Currently zoned for community use (CFZ), the vacant Arscott House site on Aikman Drive covers just over a hectare.
Block 42 Section 65, Belconnen, sits across the road from the university and adjacent to John Knight Memorial Park and Lake Ginninderra.
Last July, UC applied for a major plan amendment, with extensive assistance from town planning consultants Purdon Planning and Cox Architecture, for its development proposal.
If approved by the Legislative Assembly, the amendment will allow for future multi-use development including residential, commercial and community services.
It is also proposed to amend the Belconnen District Policy in the Territory Plan 2023 to:
• set a maximum building height limit of 42m (about 12 storeys), with an ability to increase to an additional four storeys or 12m where design quality tests can be met.
• require development on the site to make a suitable contribution to the long-term provision of community and social facilities in the broader Belconnen area
• require development to limit overshadowing and overlooking of the adjoining school (UC Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra) to the south.
UC said rezoning of the site to Commercial CZ2 Business Zone was intended to align with the ACT Territory Plan and District Strategy and further contribute to the ACT Government’s commitment to provide an additional 30,000 homes in the ACT.
It said the proposed development of the former Arscott House site should contribute to the Belconnen Boulevard upgrade and integration with John Knight Memorial Park and complement UC’s Campus Master Plan.
Vice-Chancellor Bill Shorten said it would provide improved access between the UC campus and the Town Centre for students, staff, on-campus residents and the Belconnen community.
The site was considered for a convention centre with short-stay accommodation as part of the University’s Campus Master Plan launched five years ago.
“The university has since identified that these facilities can be accommodated within existing campus facilities and determined that a rezoning of the site would better serve the community,” Professor Shorten said.
The ACT Government gifted Arscott House to UC in 2011 as student accommodation and was considered for sale in 2016 but bulldozed in 2019.
The Territory Planning Authority has drafted the plan amendment for the public and government agencies to review and provide comment.
It will need to be approved by Planning Minister Chris Steel, may be scrutinised by an Assembly committee and will need to be approved by the Assembly.
UC should also have to pay a lease variation charge reflecting the uplift in the value of the land.
The 2011 property transfer attracted the attention in 2015 of then Auditor-General Maxine Cooper, who highlighted the Arscott House deal in a report into the ACT Government’s support to the university for affordable student accommodation.
It was reported in 2016 when UC was considering selling the property that Dr Cooper had said if Arscott House was no longer to be used for student accommodation and the university made a profit from it, it should make “an appropriate adjustment” to the ACT Government.
Dr Cooper’s audit report said the gift of Arscott House, an off‐campus student accommodation property valued at $9 million, was a contribution towards the UC’s participation in the National Rental Affordability Scheme.
It also allowed UC to report an amount of $9 million as revenue and in 2011 the university declared an operating surplus before tax of $10.1 million.
The report said the ACT Government lease associated with Arscott House stated that it was to be used “only for the purpose of educational establishment”.
