How you had YourSay

From 1 November 2018 to 8 February 2019, we asked people to check out the indicative concept plan to understand what is being proposed on the blocks. At this early stage, we wanted to show the proposed shape and scale of the new development; i.e. where it will sit on the blocks, how much room it will take up, how high it will be in relation to the street trees. The design was further refined during the community engagement period, in response to feedback received throughout the process.

You shared your feedback on the development by:

• Logging in and commenting on the feedback tab
• Emailing us
• Talking to us at the Dickson Group Centre on two occasions

A What We Heard Report and Comments Chart has now been prepared, capturing what we heard throughout the community engagement process, and an analysis of your comments, feedback and ideas is now available. An updated parking and traffic assessment was completed in April 2019 which is available here.

We are looking at

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

We asked to hear your ideas on the proposal for a multi-unit development across the 6 contiguous blocks located at 26-34 Morphett Street & 11 Guthrie Street, Dickson (zoned RZ3: Urban Residential).

The new development will include:

• Up to 21 dwellings - comprising 18 units across three storeys and three separate townhouses
• Some Class C Adaptable dwellings
• Basement car parking and storage
• On-site waste collection
• Minimum 6 star energy efficiency rating

The units are designed to be spread across two separate buildings: one located at the corner of Morphett and Moncrieff Streets and the other at the corner of Morphett and Guthrie Streets. Situated between these two buildings are three 2-bedroom townhouses.

This configuration meets the requirements of the Inner North Precinct Code and helps to provides some articulation and visual separation of the built form.

We will use your views to:

We will use your ideas and feedback in preparing the Development Application for the development.

Please find below a concept plan for a multi-unit development at Blocks 1-6 Section 8 Dickson (located at 26-34 Morphett Street & 11 Guthrie Street). Please note that this is indicative only, to show the proposed scale of a new development. The appearance will be refined as the design progresses and at this early stage does not reflect the final built form.

By developing new and improved properties, we ensure safe, affordable and secure housing choices are in place for everyone.

Thank you for checking out the indicative site plans and sharing your ideas on the development at 26-34 Morphett Street & 11 Guthrie Street, Dickson.

26-34 Morphett Street & 11 Guthrie Street, Dickson

The proposed development is in close proximity to local shops and services at the Dickson Group Centre, schools and transport options available along Cowper Street and Northbourne Avenue.

The accessibility of the site and opportunities for tenants to walk to the nearby shops, community facilities, transport and schools will provide people with the opportunity to get involved and participate in their local community. The mixed dwelling type design, including some Class C Adaptable dwellings, will help to meet the varied needs of our tenants.

26-34 Morphett Street & 11 Guthrie Street, Dickson

Housing ACT is proposing to replace the existing 3-bedroom dwellings located at 26-34 Morphett Street & 11 Guthrie Street, Dickson with a view to develop 18 units and 3 townhouses across the large site. At least 25% of the dwellings will be built to Class C Adaptable standards. Adaptable housing ensures that people of all ages and abilities can live within the home and it can be easily adapted to meet changing household needs without requiring costly or substantial modifications. This is part of the ongoing commitment to revitalise the public housing portfolio.

The proposed development includes 18 new units, with a mix of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom dwellings. These units are spread across two separate buildings: one located at the corner of Morphett and Moncrieff Streets and the other at the corner of Morphett and Guthrie Streets. Situated between the two buildings are three 2-bedroom townhouses. This configuration meets the requirements of the Inner North Precinct Code, and provides some articulation and visual separation of the built form. The mix of dwellings will provide accommodation for a range of households, from single persons to larger families. Housing ACT is exploring tenure opportunities for this site, including public housing, community housing and affordable rental. This is in line with the recently released ACT Housing Strategy.

The proposed development is in close proximity to local schools, shops, health and community services, and public transport options available along Northbourne Avenue and Cowper Street. The accessibility of the site and opportunities for tenants to walk to nearby transport will provide people with the opportunity to get involved and participate in their local community.

The dwellings will be built to a minimum 6 star energy efficiency rating which means they will be more comfortable to live in and will be cheaper for our tenants to run.

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 a sustainable social environment. 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.

New buildings will be built to a 6 star energy efficiency rating which means they will be cheaper to run.

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