Page 2368 - Week 07 - Thursday, 27 August 2020
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Planning—artificial grass
(Question No 3177)
Ms Le Couteur asked the Minister for Planning and Land Management, upon notice, on 3 July 2020:
(1) During Question Time on 18 June 2020, in response to the question “will the Territory Plan variation for living infrastructure which was under consultation earlier this year also count artificial grass as green space?” and the Minister’s response that stated “It does, depending on what it is used for. I can advise, of course, that living infrastructure can be artificial grass.”; under what circumstances would the draft variation allow artificial grass to be considered living infrastructure, and what is the benefit of doing so.
(2) How does the draft variation treat artificial grass with respect to (a) planting area, (b) open space (private/communal) and (c) site coverage.
Mr Gentleman: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) Areas of artificial grass over a permeable surface can be counted towards planting area under the draft variation. Artificial grass may be considered a suitable alternative for low maintenance gardens, for elderly or infirm residents who are unable to care for lawns or in locations where access for lawnmowing is not feasible. Where properly constructed, artificial grass provides a suitably draining substrate, similar to a grass lawn.
(2) (a) The draft variation definition for planting area is:
“an area of land within a block that is available for landscape planting and that is not covered by buildings, structures, vehicle parking and manoeuvring areas or any other form of impermeable element that impacts permeability of the ground surface (i.e. terraces, pergolas, patios, decks or pools)”
A key consideration is related to the permeability of the ground. Properly constructed artificial lawns can be permeable when they are laid over a permeable substrate and can include tree plantings. If artificial lawn is laid over concrete or other impermeable substrate, then it would not be counted towards planting area.
(b) The Territory Plan definition of private open space is:
“an outdoor area within a block useable for outdoor living activities, and may include balconies, terraces or decks but does not include any area required to be provided for the parking of motor vehicles and any common driveways and common vehicle manoeuvring areas. Up to 25 per cent of any part of private open space may be roofed over, except that a balcony may be entirely roofed over”.
The definition does not specify the ground coverage type, only that it not be substantially roofed, or used for vehicle parking or manoeuvring areas.
(c) The draft variation definition of site coverage is:
“the proportion of actual site covered by buildings, including roofed terraces, pergolas, patios, decks and balconies but excluding any part of awnings, eaves and the like”
The definition does not specify ground finishes, only areas covered by buildings.
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