07 January 2026
The Yarralumla Residents Association has lodged a detailed submission on the amended BLOC DA for "significant development for demolition of existing building, construction of a new 5 storey mixed-use development and associated communal facilities, basement carparking, tree removal, landscaping and associated works."
YRA Submission on the BLOC Amended DA202443505
The BLOC building occupies a large block on the corner of Novar and Bentham Streets at Yarralumla shopping centre so its proposed redevelopment will affect our community - those who live, work, play, shop, have businesses here - and their use of our local centre during the estimated two years of construction. We encourage you to take an interest and to share your views in a submission to the ACT Government.
Click on the following link to submit your response:
https://forms.act.gov.au/smartforms/servlet/SmartForm.html?formCode=1251
If you make a submission and would like to share it with YRA you can email it to us at info@yarralumlaresidents.org.au
The Amendments to DA 202443505 are stated as including: revisions to the traffic impact assessment report, five visitor parking spaces added to the basement, safety measures for basement movements, alterations to waste collection arrangements, removal of restaurant/café uses on the ground floor, provision of shadow diagrams, amendments to proposed planting to increase native species and inclusion of a Commercial Needs Assessment.
- None of the DA Amendments effectively address the significant issues and problems with the original DA 202443505 for the proposed development.
- None of the concerns on scale, impact and compliance previously raised by the YRA have been addressed.
The YRA does not support the Development Application.
Overview
The Yarralumla Business and Shopping Centre is designated a Local Centre Zoned CZ4 that specifies a maximum of 2 storeys.
The proposed 5 storey development replaces the existing 2 storey building which has 850m2 for office/professional suites and consulting rooms. Office space, to be located on the ground floor, will be less than half that of the current building. This is to be topped by 4 storeys of 14 spacious 3 and 4 bedroom luxury apartments with gold level liveability standards and lounge and indoor pool/spa/sauna facilities (Source: National Capital Design Review Panel advice).
Developments already underway at the Canberra Brickworks and Forestry Place in Yarralumla within 200m of the DA site will see infill of 680 new dwellings which include a large range of spacious and luxury apartments suitable for independent living and ageing in place.
In this light, the following justification put forward for this development is not valid.
“The proposal provides an alternate typology of living in Yarralumla specifically designed for local downsizers.” and “to provide larger apartments which are not readily available in the market, which are adaptable and allow ageing in place”.
More luxury residential apartments are not required in the Local Centre which provides for commercial business and shopping needs.
Breaching the CZ4 zone requirement of 2 storeys and the loss of commercial space at the local centre to provide a further 14 luxury apartments cannot be justified.
Scale of development
The scale of the proposed development is without justification; it will have a significant impact on the community, amenity and character of the suburb, it is not in keeping with local context; it does not meet the CZ4 Zone requirements for height; it will significantly reduce the business capacity of the centre by removing half the office space; and it far exceeds the capacity of the site (Section 56 Block 22 Yarralumla) to accommodate the proposed development without compromising planning and building regulations and policies. This is particularly the case with:
- the 5-storey height in a 2 storey CZ4 zone at a “Local Centre” that lacks any justification
- commercial floor space reduced below the 50% mandatory requirement from existing area – which is non-compliant
- impractical and unsafe commercial waste management and collection that is non-compliant
- utilising the neighbour’s property nature strip for residential waste collection of 17 bins breaches regulatory requirements; does NOT provide space for the neighbour’s own bins; and is non-compliant
- no ability to store demolition and construction materials on site as 95% of site is subject to deep excavation – major impact on the centre during construction taking up existing parking places and nature strips
- no ability for trades and deliveries to park during construction without taking away parking from the business and shopping centre users and/or blocking Bentham Street - parking at the shops is already at/over capacity
A development of this scale should not be approved under the current planning framework.
The revised plans can be found at https://www.planning.act.gov.au/applications-and-assessments/development-applications/browse-das/development-application-details?da-number=202443505&amendment-version=S179B
The new planning framework under which plans are assessed can be found at The new Planning Act - City and Environment Directorate - Planning
Original DA documents and Submissions on the original DA
There were 65 submissions lodged in relation to the original DA that either provided personal views or supported the YRA position on this development.
The YRA's submission highlighted inconsistencies/non compliances with ACT planning requirements in relation to building height, waste management, car parking, vehicular access, pedestrian safety, traffic impacts, assessment data and shadowing. The potential impact on neighbours, businesses and shoppers will be particularly felt throughout the two-year building program.
The Development Application and the 65 submissions can be found on the ACT Governments Planning website.
- Link to the YRA submission
- The 65 submissions are here and the Development Application is here on the ACT Government website. The DA reference is 202443505.
