A development proposal for nine supported housing units in Ainslie to accommodate vulnerable women has been signed off by ACT Minister for Planning and Land Management Mick Gentleman under ‘call-in’ powers. Minister Gentleman said the planning system is an area of government that can and should be used to facilitate housing options for vulnerable members of our community. “The ACT Government is committed to secure housing options for households of all incomes. This development offers a practical and lasting way to support those who need a hand,” Minister Gentleman commented.
Minister Gentleman explained that the YWCA initially lodged a development application in November 2020 seeking permission to build 10 units for vulnerable single women who may have experienced domestic and family violence. The Minister added that following the assessment process, which includes community consultation, the independent planning and land authority approved YWCA’s development application. The authority’s decision was then overturned by the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal in 2021 after an appeal by a group of Ainslie residents.
YWCA revised its design and lodged a new development application for nine units in February 2022. It is this second development application that Minister Gentleman has approved.
“After careful consideration of the concerns raised by members of the community, I have used my call-in powers to approve this project and enable construction of these supported housing units to begin as soon as possible,” Minister Gentleman commented “We have imposed a number of conditions on the development, including measures to safeguard protected trees on the site and the adjacent park, which were among the neighbours’ concerns.”
Following Minister Gentleman’s approval through the call-in process, the approval of the development application cannot be reviewed by a third party in the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.