Planning Reform Drive a Welcome Signal for Canberra Housing
The Property Council of Australia has welcomed comments today from the new Director-General of the City and Environment Directorate, Dave Peffer, as a strong signal that reform is on the agenda to accelerate housing delivery in the ACT.
Property Council ACT & Capital Region Executive Director, Ashlee Berry, said the new leadership message aligned with longstanding calls from the industry to cut red tape, fix post-approval bottlenecks and put good ideas into action.
"The comments we're seeing today speak to exactly the kind of leadership we've been calling for - one that backs public servants and focuses on delivering outcomes, not just ticking boxes," Ms Berry said.
"We've got an ambitious housing target of 30,000 new homes by 2030. That won't happen unless we shift the system from risk-averse to delivery-focused, and that's what this new direction promises."
Ms Berry said the Property Council had long advocated for planning processes that were faster, more transparent and responsive to Canberra's growing needs.
"If we're serious about unlocking housing supply and revitalising our city, we need to back planners to make decisions closer to the coalface. That means removing duplication, cutting approval delays, and giving great ideas room to move," she said.
"Better planning isn't about cutting corners - it's about cutting the layers that slow us down and sap confidence."
New housing data last week confirmed the ACT's residential construction pipeline is shrinking, with the latest ABS figures showing a 44 per cent fall in home completions and a 40 per cent drop in commencements during the March quarter. '
"Just 714 homes were completed, well short of the Territory's Housing Accord target of 1,047 dwellings per quarter, and only 427 new homes were commenced, down from 717 the previous quarter," Ms Berry said.
"The numbers are a clear warning sign that housing delivery in Canberra is slowing just as population pressures intensify. With feasibility challenges mounting and planning bottlenecks still unresolved, developers are hitting pause on projects that no longer stack up," she said.
The Property Council has called for a cross-agency Housing Taskforce to drive coordination across government, and reforms to zoning, lease variation charges and decision timeframes to make housing projects stack up.
"Canberra's housing system has been stuck in neutral, and Dave Peffer's fresh focus might be the jolt it needs. We've got high-calibre people in the public service and a ready-to-go industry. What we need now is a planning system that sets them up to succeed," Ms Berry said.
