How you had YourSay:

Thank you for sharing your ideas on the development plans for public housing blocks on Lowrie Street, Dickson. A Listening Report is now will be available to show you what we heard with an analysis of your comments, feedback and ideas.

During consultation, the community had the opportunity to share ideas and feedback by:

• Sharing comments on YourSay
• Attending an information kiosk
• Attending a Community Council meeting
• Writing an email and hard-copy submission

We are looking at:

As our city expands, we're planning for a Canberra that's inclusive, innovative, healthy, smart, active and fun. By redeveloping our properties, we ensure safe, affordable and secure housing choices are in place for everyone.

We want to hear your ideas on the redevelopment of the current ageing and vacant duplexes in Dickson (see the Location tab).

Housing ACT is proposing:

• consolidation of the blocks zoned RZ4 Medium Density Residential, to a total site size of 2,668m2
• to demolish the existing houses
• to construct 20 new dwellings
• a mixture of one, two and three bedroom units across three storeys, which will include two adaptable Class C units - providing easier access for people who have a disability, such as the use of a wheelchair or mobility aids
• basement car parking for 31 cars
• provision on site for 5 visitor car parks
• 6-star energy efficiency
• retention and protection of mature street trees during construction.

How we used your views:

Following a comprehensive consultation process, which has taken all feedback into consideration, the Development Application (DA) for this proposed development has now been lodged.

All DA's are subject to their own consultation process more information can be found here

Our commitment

Housing ACT is committed to providing public housing in all suburbs across Canberra, to build communities that are diverse and vibrant that enable people to achieve positive social and economic outcomes.

We are committed to collaborating with the community, to build neighbourhoods that are inclusive and welcoming, that offer safe and affordable housing to those who need it most.

What we do and why

Housing ACT provides tenants with safe, affordable and appropriate housing in sustainable social environments. We provide housing to those Canberrans most in need including people in extreme financial hardship who are unable to find accommodation elsewhere.

Public housing makes up about 8% of all housing in the ACT.

• 25% is located in Belconnen
• 18% is located in Woden and the inner south
• 23% is located in the inner north
• 21% is located in Tuggeranong

Shape and scale of the Development

New developments will be modern, energy efficient and include a mix of sizes to suit different tenant requirements, including properties that can be adapted in the future, to enable tenants to age in place.

The buildings will be built to a 6 star energy efficiency rating which means they will be cheaper to run. The buildings will include adaptable living apartments which means that it is easier for people who have a disability, and may use a wheelchair or mobility aids, to live there.

A variety of materials and building features will be used, along with existing vegetation to blend the development into the streetscape. The scale and form of the new buildings will seek to reduce the visual impact of the development from the street, and will be in scale with the neighbouring buildings.

Who are our tenants?

Public housing tenants include a broad range of people including a high proportion of older people (approximately 26% are aged over 65 years), women (64%), as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and people with disability (63% of our tenants access the disability support pension).

Approximately 75% of our tenants live in single person or single parent households. About 27% of our tenants are children under the age of 15 years.

Some of our tenants stay in public housing for only a short period of time, until they can ‘get back on their feet’. Others stay in public housing longer-term.

The range of our tenants means that the housing we provide needs to be diverse to meet the needs of different people. We provide family homes, single-person apartments, accessible housing and housing that is close to essential services such as medical services and public transport.

Building better housing

Redeveloping our properties allows us to ensure that safe, affordable and secure housing is made available for vulnerable Canberrans who need it – now – and into the future.

More than 70% of our housing stock was built before the 1990’s, therefore building new public housing and redeveloping existing public housing allows us to replace older stock with modern, more contemporary designed buildings with improved energy efficiency.

It enables us to apply a ‘salt and pepper’ approach to development to reduce concentrations of disadvantage, and build well-designed dwellings that look and feel like other housing in the neighbourhood.

Delivering public housing close to essential services helps to ensure that the varied support needs of tenants can be accommodated and it is an important step in supporting some of our community’s most vulnerable people.

Housing ACT looks to the following principles when designing new public housing:

• Quality design – consistent with the existing and future character of the suburb
• Transparent, honest and open communication with the surrounding tenants and community.
• Liveable design – a more flexible, easy to access and navigate, liveable space, designed to have a positive impact on tenants and the neighbourhood
• Design that enhances the streetscape
• Design that aims to promote a sense of pride for tenants, harnessing a supportive community for both the tenants and the wider community, ensuring that tenants feel safe and comfortable within the new housing development