ACT Planning Minister Confirms Heritage Protections within Hall Heritage Precinct Code

In response to enquiries from the Village of Hall and District Progress Association, ACT Planning Minister Chris Steel has confirmed that the Heritage Protections within Hall Heritage Precinct Code take precedence over the RZ1 subdivision provisions being applied elsewhere in the ACT.

Minister Steel has stated:
The ACT Government recognises the heritage significance of the Hall Village Heritage Precinct and the importance of preserving the village's established rural character, landscape setting and heritage values.

The significance of the precinct is recognised in the Gungahlin District Policy, including Assessment Requirement 24 relating to desired character and heritage. Assessment Requirement 24 states that development within Hall must be consistent with the desired character for the Village of Hall, as outlined in the "Hall Village Heritage Precinct" citation under the Heritage Act 2004.

Importantly, Assessment Requirements are mandatory requirements under the Territory Plan and form part of the hierarchy of planning provisions used in the assessment of development proposals.

Part A – Administration and Governance of the Territory Plan sets out the hierarchy and order of precedence between Territory Plan provisions. Where there is any inconsistency between provisions, District Policy provisions take precedence over Zone Policies and associated specifications.

In this case, the provisions within the Gungahlin District Policy relating to the Hall Village Heritage Precinct would take precedence over the generally applying Residential Zones Policy and Subdivision Policy provisions associated with MPA04 where inconsistencies arise.

The Hall Village Heritage Precinct provisions also contain specific requirements relating to subdivision and residential development. These include that no additional residential or commercial subdivision should occur outside the existing village grid subdivision unless directly associated with rural land use, that further subdivision or consolidation of residential blocks is not permitted, and that no more than one dwelling is permitted per residential block. Accordingly, any future development proposal within Hall Village would still need to demonstrate consistency with the Hall Village Heritage Precinct requirements and would continue to be assessed through the development application process against the applicable heritage and district policy provisions.

The ACT Government therefore considers that the existing Territory Plan framework appropriately recognises and protects the heritage values and character of Hall Village.