How you had YourSay:

Thank you for sharing your ideas on the proposal to develop a Housing ACT site in Williams St, Watson. A Listening Report and Comments Chart is currently being prepared, capturing what we heard with an analysis of your comments, feedback and ideas and will be made available shortly.

The community had the opportunity to have their say by:

• sharing ideas on the feedback forum
• emailing us at housingactrenewal@act.gov.au
• talking to us on site at Williams St, Watson on 1 September 2018

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 want to hear your ideas on the proposal for a tri-occupancy development at 19 Williams Street Watson.

The new development will include:

• Three 2-bedroom Class C Adaptable houses, each with a private garage, that will be accessed from a single driveway in the existing driveway location
• Provision for visitor parking on site
• 6 star energy efficiency rating which means that it will be cheaper to run
• Retention of three large eucalypts which will enhance communal open spaces and maintain the landscaped character of the suburb. These trees will be protected during demolition and construction

The proposed development is in close proximity to local shops, schools and public transport options available along Knox and Antill Streets.

The accessibility of the site and opportunities for tenants to walk to the nearby schools, shops and transport will provide people with the opportunity to get involved and participate in their local community.

We will use your views to:

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

Thank you for reviewing the concept plans and sharing your ideas on the development of a tri-occupancy development at 19 Williams Street, Watson. By developing new and improved properties, we ensure safe, affordable and secure housing choices are in place for everyone.

19 Williams Street, Watson

Housing ACT is proposing to replace the existing 4-bedroom dwelling located at 19 Williams Street, Watson, with three 2-bedroom Class C Adaptable houses over the large site. 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.

Each 2-bedroom unit will be provided with a garage, which will be accessed from a single driveway in the existing location. Given the narrow street frontage of the block, and its location on a bend, provision has been made for visitor parking on site.

There are three large eucalypts on the site which will be retained and a tree management plan will be prepared to ensure they are protected during demolition and construction. These trees will provide a lovely backdrop for the private and communal open spaces within the development, but also maintain the landscaped character of the suburb. As part of clearing the rest of site, the invasive species will also be removed (i.e. ivy and bamboo).

The proposed development is in close proximity to local schools, shops and public transport options available in the Inner North. The accessibility of the site and the proximity to the nearby schools, shops and transport will provide people with the opportunity to get involved and participate in their local community.

Our commitment

Housing ACT is committed to providing public housing 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.

The 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 houses 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

19 Williams Street, Watson

The proposed development is in close proximity to local shops, Dickson College and public transport options available along Knox and Antill Streets.

The accessibility of the site and opportunities for tenants to walk to the nearby shops, transport and schools will provide people with the opportunity to get involved and participate in their local community.