An artist’s impression of the proposal from Hindmarsh Drive. The disallowed Building E is at left and Building F is behind it in the north-west corner of the site. Images: Cox Architecture.
A proposal for a 492-unit residential precinct on a prime corner block in Lyons has only won partial approval, with two of the six buildings failing to meet the mark.
Canberra developer Phillip Domazet submitted plans for the project on the corner of Hindmarsh and Melrose Drives in 2023 after buying the land in 2019 for $16.4 million.
The pandemic delayed plans to develop the site, which was home to the Strathgordon public housing flats. They were demolished in 2020 and the site has been fenced off and empty since then.
The site is opposite Westfield Woden shopping centre and close to other Woden Town Centre facilities such as the library and the new CIT and transport interchange.
The plans show six buildings ranging from three to nine storeys high set around a 3000 sqm central park, with the higher ones adjacent to Hindmarsh and Melrose Drives, and the smaller ones next to the Woden Gardens building.
But the Territory Planning Authority could not approve the nine-storey Building E on Hindmarsh Drive or the three-storey Building F, both on the west of the 23,290 sqm site, due to unaddressed concerns about potential stormwater flooding.
The proponent had submitted plans for a swale to prevent flooding, but this was deemed insufficient to stop water reaching living areas and car parking.
The site plan shows how the project’s six buildings sit on the 23,290 sqm piece of land in Lyons.
TCCS advised that the proposed swale would not prevent flooding to the building line, noting retaining walls were no longer shown along the western site boundary and that the proposed buildings would not be ‘liveable’.
“Building F has habitable uses on the ground floor, which therefore may not be suitable in a flood event as they are potentially vulnerable to flooding,” the Decision says.
“While Building E has parking within the building on the ground floor, this area appears to be the more flood-prone part of the block and therefore, even with such development, may be subject to damage to property and evacuation issues.”
This part of the site will require amended plans to ensure that the buildings cannot be inundated during storms or heavy rain.
A view of the proposed development from Melrose Drive.
The TPA imposed a number of conditions on the rest of the project, which it approved.
The proposal only included one (260) and two-bedroom units (232), but it will have to make the dwelling choice more diverse by adding a number of three-bedroom apartments to the mix.
“While the demand for larger apartments may be less in the area, this does not remove the need for a range of apartment types to be included in the development,” the Decision says.
An improved paved pedestrian and cycle path network connecting to the surrounding network will also need to be provided on the site.
Other changes required include the removal of a car ramp on Building A to be replaced with a ground-level driveway, modifications to the podium car park’s elevations, materials, colour and texture to make them more interesting to look at and adding variety to the building facades to make them less repetitive and uniform.
Comment was sought from the proponent.
