OBJECTIVE — Provide flexible opportunities and appropriate locations for establishing and growing business

Employment location has been central to the planning of the ACT and is still important to achieving an efficient transport system, effective government investment in infrastructure and the location of facilities and services and achieving a stronger and more diverse economic base for the future of the city and surrounding NSW. The current trends, and availability of land within the existing town centres and Civic, indicate that there will be continued employment growth within these areas. Over recent years retail trends have affected different retail sectors and floor space locational requirements within the ACT. In the retail sector, greater flexibility and choice in retailing is warranted in locations appropriate to changing retail trends.

Policy response

• Decisions on the location of major employment growth will be guided by principles that will seek to:
• concentrate employment in activity nodes well serviced by public transport and supported by a complementary range of services;
• each of the activity nodes to accommodate no more than 5–10 per cent of total employment in the ACT;
• improve the vitality of Civic;
• reduce commuting time; and
• attract skilled and high-technology industries to the ACT.
• There will be three major employment corridors that will ensure maximum use of existing and upgraded transport infrastructure and minimise the journey to work:
• An east-west corridor of activity nodes from Belconnen, through Bruce (including the University of Canberra) and the Australian National University at Acton, Civic, Russell, Campbell, Barton and Parkes through to Fyshwick, the Canberra International Airport and Queanbeyan. This corridor includes major education institutions, health and sporting facilities and key office employment locations in Civic, and the Central National Area. It also includes the significant centre of Fyshwick.
• A primary north-south corridor characterised by a series of well connected nodes, from Gungahlin Town Centre, including Mitchell, through to Dickson, Civic, Deakin and the Woden and Tuggeranong Town Centres.
• A second north-south corridor along the Majura and Monaro Highways, from Majura Valley through to Symonston and the Jerrabomberra Valley, including the existing Hume industrial area. This corridor is identified for the growth of industrial, broadacre commercial, tourism, recreation and transport related activities when additional land is required (ie, over the medium to long term). This largely industrial area also intersects with the Canberra International Airport and Fyshwick, providing good access to these areas for heavy vehicles without the need to travel through the centre of Canberra.
• To encourage a more sustainable urban form, a mix of land uses will be encouraged in areas that have been previously dominated by single land uses. This will include residential development within the Barton and Russell areas and along Northbourne Avenue to complement the employment provided in this area.
• Opportunities will be provided in a range of locations for premises of different types, sizes and costs to meet the needs of various sectors of the economy. This will include in strategic locations facilitating co-location of complementary businesses and research centres.

Actions

• Sufficient land will be released in Civic to meet demand for office space and encourage greater employment growth in the central city area.
• Initiate a variation to the Territory Plan and pursue amendments to the National Capital Plan to ensure that the three employment corridors reflect their strategic role.
• Develop a retail strategy to provide the necessary flexibility in retailing within the ACT and reflect changing retail patterns.
• Further investigations will be undertaken to identify in detail potential land for industrial and related employment purposes in the corridor along the Monaro Highway in Jerrabomberra, Symonston and Majura.

Outcomes

• Employment growth focused in Civic, town centres and activity nodes.
• Maximised clustering effect of similar or complementary industries.

Monitoring indicators

• Office vacancy rates in Civic and the town centres compared with other activity nodes.
• Office floor space in Civic and town centres as proportion of total ACT.
• Retail floorspace in Civic, town centres and activity nodes as proportion of total retail floorspace in ACT and Queanbeyan.
• Changes in industrial floorspace in activity nodes and industrial areas.
• The number of jobs in Civic and the town centres as a proportion of total.
• The number of jobs in each activity node relative to jobs in the town centres and Civic.
• Retail vacancies in Civic compared with town centres.