Page 1916 - Week 07 - Thursday, 13 August 2020
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I am pleased to present the City Renewal Authority and Suburban Land Agency Amendment Bill 2020. This bill facilitates the revitalisation of the iconic Sydney and Melbourne buildings. These landmark heritage buildings are a significant element of Canberra’s history and continue to be a defining feature of our city, framing the gateway to Northbourne Avenue and City Hill. You would be hard-pressed to find a Canberran who does not have some connection to the buildings, and they would be recognisable to most Australians who have visited Canberra.
It is important that we continue to preserve our city’s heritage and character, whilst ensuring that our city continues to be a great place to live and visit. Unfortunately, a significant portion of the Sydney and Melbourne buildings’ common areas have deteriorated over the decades. This is not because of action or inaction on the part of government or the properties’ multiple private owners. Rather, this problem is largely connected to the buildings’ unique tenure arrangements.
Usually, multiple properties within a building are unit titled. Unit-titled properties have a body corporate that manages the common and public-facing areas of that building. The Sydney and Melbourne buildings, however, were sold off and built as individual lots between 1927 and 1946, reflecting the real estate practices of the era, well before the introduction of strata title. Importantly, these arrangements did not give rise to the creation of a governing body charged with maintaining the Sydney and Melbourne buildings’ common areas and features, such as the buildings’ facades, colonnades, lighting and tiling. This legal arrangement is still in place today. Each lot owner maintains their individual sections. As a result, the condition of the buildings is inconsistent.
Today, through the introduction of this bill, the government is taking action to revitalise the Sydney and Melbourne buildings and ensure that we have a modern legal framework to support their future. These landmark buildings can, and should, reflect Canberra’s world-renowned legacy as a planned national capital, and our commitment to ensuring that our city continues to grow in a way that is characterised by high quality architecture, public spaces and streetscapes that strengthen sustainability, connectivity and, most importantly, livability. Canberrans recognise the significance of the Sydney and Melbourne buildings and support efforts to realise their full potential.
Prior to finalising this legislation, the City Renewal Authority consulted with the buildings’ owners and tenants and the wider community through workshops, briefings and surveys. The authority received more than 600 responses during the consultation period, with 88 per cent who submitted coming from the broader community. The overwhelming majority of respondents identified the Sydney and Melbourne buildings as important architectural features of our city’s CBD and were supportive of the government’s plan to improve their condition. The Sydney and Melbourne buildings’ property owners also recognise the opportunities and benefits stemming from these improvements, and they recognise the benefits of being able to work together to achieve a good outcome.
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