National Capital Plan Amendment (No. 102 – Hume Circle Precinct) Instrument 2026

law://au/li/2026/f2026l01013@2026-11-13

Contents

1Name#

This instrument is the National Capital Plan Amendment (No. 102 – Hume Circle Precinct) Instrument 2026.

2Commencement#

These Regulations shall come into force on 17th March 1987 and shall have effect as from 25th November 1982.

(1)Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Commencement information
Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Provisions	Commencement	Date/Details
1. The whole of this instrument	The day after this instrument is registered.

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

(2)Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.

3Authority#

This instrument is made under section 23 and paragraph 19(1)(a) of the Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988.

4 Schedules #

Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1 · Amendments

National Capital Plan #

1 Section 1.2 Designated Areas

Repeal paragraph 9, substitute:

Designated Areas comprise:

Repeal Figure 1: Designated Areas, substitute:

2 Section 4.0 Designated Areas

Repeal paragraph 1, substitute:

Figure 12 identifies each precinct within Designated Areas. Precincts numbered 1-16 and Canberra Airport from the Central National Area.

Repeal Figure 12: Designated Areas precincts, substitute:

3 Section 4.1 The Central National Area

Repeal paragraph 1, substitute:

The Central National Area includes the following precincts:

4 Section 4.12.1 Lake Burley Griffin and Foreshores Precinct locations

Repeal Figure 113: Lake Burley Griffin and Foreshores Precinct location, substitute:

5 Section 4.12.4 Land use for Lake Burley Griffin and Foreshores

Repeal Figure 114: Land use for Lake Burley Griffin and Foreshores Precinct, substitute:

6 After Section 4.18 CSIRO (Black Mountain) Precinct Code

Insert:

4.19 Hume Circle Precinct Code #

This is the new section.

The Hume Circle Precinct is located at the junction of Canberra Avenue, Sturt Avenue and Wentworth Avenue. Broadly, the outer boundaries of the circle are formed by McMillan Crescent and extend to the southern boundary of Mildura Street and the western boundary of Dalby Street.

Figure 145 illustrates the location of the Hume Circle Precinct.

Figure 145 Hume Circle Precinct location

The Griffins’ plans for Canberra envisaged the main avenues and approach routes as axial lines and principal ordering elements of the city. The sequence of arrival to the National Capital and the Central National Area was consciously orchestrated in the Griffins’ plans through a series of gateways and scenic approaches.

The junctions between the main avenues were planned to be important gateways to the National Capital marked by elegant nodes framed by mixed land use and urban form. Hume Circle is part of the major eastern approach route, and completes one corner of the triangle between Mount Ainslie, Capital Hill and Hume Circle.

Within the 1918 Griffin Plan, a circular street layout was adopted for the Hume Circle Precinct with surrounding blocks subdivided by a series of radial streets emanating from the centre of the Circle with urban form situated on land adjacent the Hume Circle circumference. By completing Hume Circle (through an extension of McMillan Crescent), establishing the radial geometry, and establishing an enhanced urban form, many aspects of the 1918 Griffin Plan can be retrieved in a modern context.

Urban renewal of the Hume Circle Precinct will provide an opportunity to revitalise, embed design excellence, and celebrate Canberra’s unique landscape character while placing high value on human scale public places that prioritise pedestrians, cycling, and public transport. It will enable more people to live in proximity to employment hubs, social and cultural infrastructure, and sustainable public and active travel transport options.

Hume Circle Precinct will become a prominent mixed-use precinct linking the central south-east to Parliament House via Canberra Avenue to Commonwealth Avenue into the city centre.

This will be supported by an integrated greenspace network with broad tree-lined corridors that emphasise the radial axis from Hume Place and integrate outdoor dining and street parking to create active and attractive spaces. It will ensure a unified landscape and built form that responds to vision, place, community, character, and function.

There is a National Capital interest in ensuring that:

Land use for the Hume Circle Precinct should be in accordance with Figure 146.

Figure 146: Land use for the Hume Circle Precinct

Permitted land uses for ‘Land Use A’ are:

Permitted land uses for ‘Land Use B’ are:

Permitted land uses for ‘Land Use C’ are:

The indicative urban structure for Hume Circle Precinct reflecting the objectives for the Precinct and the potential opportunities for the future of the precinct is illustrated in Figure 147.

New development within the Precinct should support the national significance of the Precinct, through reinforcing and reinstating Griffin Plan elements where possible.

There is opportunity for future changes to road alignments, block configuration and open space arrangements as development proposals contribute to the renewal of the Precinct and delivery of the indicative urban structure reflected in Figure 147.

Where road arrangements change, land may become available for other uses and would be considered under a Land Use category as appropriate to its relative location to other sites and their land use (refer Figure 146) and which would best contribute to achieving the indicative urban structure shown in Figure 147.

Figure 147: Hume Circle Precinct indicative urban structure

A new shared way through Sub-Precinct C completes the Griffin geometry of the Outer Circle of McMillan Crescent. The shared way will be primarily pedestrian in nature, with limited vehicle use accommodated within low-speed shared zones. It will have an asymmetric cross section with a one or two-way flush carriageway and landscape zone to the centre, and wide pedestrian walkways along the built form edges.

The New Shared way should:

The Causeway Radial will form the primary north-south visual connection reinstating Griffin’s original Causeway alignment. It will function primarily as a linear park with a strong landscape character and facilitate pedestrian and cycle movement through wide paths.

The Causeway Radial should:

The East-West Radial emanating from Hume Place will form the primary east-west pedestrian link through Sub-Precinct C, from Hume Place toward Dalby Street. It will have a strong landscape character and function as a linear park with a generous central landscape zone and wide pedestrian walkways along the built form edges.

The East-West Radial should:

A Town Square open space located at the intersection of the Completed Outer Circle and the East West Radial will provide amenity and outdoor recreation facilities for residents and the public alike. It will contribute to the appeal of development and the well-being of residents. Its central location provides good visual and physical accessibility.

The Town Square should:

Maximum permitted building heights in the Hume Circle Precinct should accord with the following principles:

Except for Sub-Precinct D, building height above these maximum height principles, may be considered where one or more of the below criteria are met and it is approved by the National Capital Authority:

Building elements above the maximum height limits are permitted to accommodate roof top plant and equipment and to facilitate roof top access and enjoyment of roof top spaces including communal gardens and recreation spaces. No habitable room is permitted above maximum height limits.

In all circumstances (except for Sub-Precinct D) an absolute maximum height limit of 15 storeys (no more than 50 metres or RL617 whichever is lower) applies.

Figure 148: Maximum permitted building heights for the Hume Circle Precinct

Building form should address the key structuring elements of the Precinct and reinforce the proposed Griffin geometry.

Building design should consider the establishment of podium level structures with a street wall which reinforces the proposed geometry and provides legibility while supporting pedestrian movement and landscaping strategies.

Building massing should reinforce the proposed geometry at podium levels, with towers allowed to orient to maximise amenity. A defined street wall height of 4-6 storeys should create a clear framing of streets and open spaces.

Prominent urban markers may be created as wayfinding landmarks and key orientation points within the Precinct, supported by street-wall buildings that follow the radial or axial geometry that accentuates the pedestrian experience at ground level.

Building length should be minimised and articulated with a high level of visual interest, through site links and recesses to minimise perceived bulk, and provide visual and physical permeability through a site and the Precinct.

Built form should be articulated to respond to important building elements such as pedestrian entries and corners. Vertical and horizontal articulation should be incorporated into built form to create rhythm, visual interest and aesthetic appeal.

Vehicular access driveways should be minimised in width to minimise visual impact.

Development proposals must provide separation distances that contribute to the urban form of the area and amenity for apartments and open spaces between buildings.

For apartment buildings, separation must safeguard visual and acoustic privacy, outlook, natural ventilation, and daylight access within dwellings.

Minimum separation distances for buildings are to conform to:

Building height	Minimum separation distance
	Between habitable rooms/balconies	Between habitable rooms and non-habitable rooms	Between non-habitable rooms
Up to 4 storeys (12 metres)	12 metres	9 metres	6 metres
Up to 8 storeys (28 metres)	18 metres	12 metres	9 metres
9 storeys and above (>28 metres)	24 metres	18 metres	12 metres

Where land uses other than residential are proposed, office windows and the like should be considered as habitable space. Service and plant areas, or circulation spaces, should be considered as non-habitable.

Building separation distances may need to be increased to achieve adequate sunlight access and privacy for building occupants, and to improve communal open space and public domain outcomes.

Development proposals should demonstrate:

Buildings should respond to their orientation through sun shading strategies where appropriate. The consideration of façade articulation, depth, and external sun shading elements should contribute to the overall architectural expression of buildings and create visual interest and human scale at the street interface.

The landscape structure and character of the Precinct should contribute to reducing the urban heat island effect and create cool, comfortable, shaded environments.

The Hume Circle Precinct should include a spectrum of publicly accessible spaces, including streets, public, communal spaces and private spaces that will be places of respite and recreation. They will support natural systems and biodiversity, whilst managing urban heat, water reticulation and quality.

Streets, publicly accessible and private communal open spaces should complement each other and collectively contribute to amenity, deep soil planting, and connectivity. The open space elements should together form a cohesive and connected public domain.

Private open space at ground level should complement the public open space network by adding to precinct connectivity, providing through-site links, enabling views of private open space from the public domain (and vice versa), and adding to precinct tree canopy cover, and landscape area.

Streets and other connections through the Precinct should offer options for safe, attractive and convenient travel for pedestrians, cyclists and other modes of transport.

Where possible, the active travel network should cater to both commuter and recreational needs and provide separation both spatially and by visual character where appropriate to prevent conflicts between pedestrians and other modes of transport.

Pedestrian and cycle networks should be planned to connect to existing and future active travel infrastructure and offer connections to the surrounding neighbourhoods and local destinations.

The provision of shade, street furniture, lighting and wayfinding must be incorporated into the design of pedestrian and cycle networks.

Design of these networks must also demonstrate universal access and facilitate ease of movement for all users.

A series of tree lined streets, shared ways and pedestrian connections will provide access, amenity and connectivity throughout the Precinct.

The street hierarchy and structure should:

Parking must be carefully planned and designed to avoid dominating the public realm or adversely impacting landscape amenity within the Precinct.

On the major avenues - Canberra Avenue, Wentworth Avenue, Sturt Avenue - carpark and service vehicle access should be avoided and structured or large surface car parks are not permitted.

Car parking should be accommodated in basements or in above-ground structures concealed from public areas by habitable building façades. On-grade parking is discouraged.

Consolidated basement parking should be prioritised between buildings where possible to support limited access points and reduced impact to the ground level of buildings. Consolidated basements will also support the achievement of deep soil planting and landscape amenity principles in publicly accessible spaces.

On-street car parking and conveniently located bicycle parking to support retail uses, pedestrian amenity, and after-hours activity should be provided. Additional parking should be provided for bicycles, motorcycles, and vehicles owned and operated under car-sharing schemes.

There is no mandatory minimum parking provision rate in the Precinct. Car parking for new developments is subject to individual assessment and approval by the National Capital Authority.

Development proposals must demonstrate that buildings will be Electric Vehicle (EV) ready and accommodate EV charging infrastructure. This includes parking spaces that have appropriate wiring, a covered outlet, and a final connection point for an EV charger.

EV charging infrastructure should also be considered in public car parks and in streets.

Sufficient planting area, canopy trees, deep soil zones and water sensitive urban design measures will be provided to enhance living infrastructure, support healthy tree growth and minimise stormwater runoff.

Urban heat island effects will be reduced through limiting impervious surfaces and provision of canopy trees and plants.

Threats to biodiversity such as noise, light pollution, invasive species incursion or establishment, chemical pollution, or site disturbance should be avoided or minimised through good design.

Development must be respectful of heritage buildings.

Environmental risks, including noise, bushfire, flooding, contamination, air quality or hazardous materials should be appropriately considered for the development of site.

No new gas network connections are allowed to all new or existing developments including redevelopments.

Development proposals that include plans for residential apartments will be required to meet the residential apartment design principles set out below.

The floor or internal wall of a daytime living area of no fewer than 70% of apartments in a building receive a minimum of 3 hours direct sunlight between 9 am and 3 pm at the mid-winter solstice (on 21 June).

No more than 15% of apartments in a building receive no direct sunlight between 9 am and 3 pm on 21 June.

At least 60% of apartments in the first 9 storeys of a building achieve natural cross ventilation. Apartments at ten storeys or greater are deemed to be cross ventilated only if any enclosure of the balconies at these levels allows adequate natural ventilation and cannot be fully enclosed.

All habitable rooms, including bathrooms and toilets, should be naturally ventilated. Building design should demonstrate consideration of the building’s orientation to maximise capture and use of prevailing breezes, depths of habitable rooms, openable windows and the use of awnings and louvres to funnel breezes. Light wells must not be the primary air source for habitable rooms.

Overall depth of a cross-over or cross-through apartment should not exceed 18m, measured glass line to glass line.

Measured from finished floor level to finished ceiling level, minimum ceiling heights are:

Apartments are required to have the following minimum internal areas:

Apartment type	Minimum internal area
Studio	40m²
1 bedroom	50m²
2 bedroom	70m²
3 bedroom	95m²

A work-from-home space will add a minimum of 6m² additional area.

In each case, an additional bathroom will add 5m² extra area, and an additional bedroom will add 12m² extra area.

The minimum floor area figures exclude area for balcony and car parking facilities.

Storage allowance within dwellings is included in the stated figures.

All habitable rooms have an operable window in an external wall with a total minimum glass area of not less than 15% of the floor area of the room. Courtyards, skylights and high-level windows (with sills above 1700mm) may only be used as a secondary light source in habitable rooms. ‘Snorkel’ arrangements are not permitted as the only means of providing solar access to habitable rooms.

Requirements for private open space for apartments is as follows:

Apartment type	Minimum area	Minimum depth
Studio	8 m²	2 metres
1 bedroom	8 m²	2 metres
2 bedroom	10 m²	2 metres
3+ bedroom	12 m²	2.4 metres

Apartments at ground level or on a podium are required to have private open space of a minimum area of 15m² and minimum depth of 3 metres.

Development should provide a mix of apartment typologies that provide housing choice and affordability to households of all shapes and sizes.

A range of apartment types and sizes should be provided to cater for different household types. Flexible apartment configurations should be considered to support diverse household types and stages of life including single person households, families, multi-generational families, and group households.

For developments with 40 or more dwellings, a combination of studios or 1-bedroom dwellings, 2-bedroom dwellings and dwellings with 3 or more bedrooms should be provided at the following rates:

Larger apartment types should be located on the ground floor or uppermost level where there is potential for more open space and on corners where more building frontage is available.

For development proposals in the Hume Circle Precinct, the National Capital Authority may require detailed conditions of planning design and development specific to the development proposal (Detailed Conditions).

Where required, these Detailed Conditions will be subject to public consultation and approval by the National Capital Authority prior to an application for works approval.

Development proposals for which Detailed Conditions may be required include, for example, developments that extend over more than one block, involve the amalgamation or reconfiguration of blocks and/or which significantly contribute to the objectives for urban structure of the Precinct.

Detailed Conditions for a development proposal must address the requirements of this Precinct Code and provide development specific detail on, at a minimum:

Development proposals should be supported by relevant studies and information addressing the impacts on and/or contribution to the Hume Circle Precinct and surrounding areas, including:

Proponents should approach the NCA on the intent to prepare a development proposal for the Hume Circle Precinct and the NCA will confirm if Detailed Conditions specific to that development proposal are required.

Where Detailed Conditions are required they will be subject to public consultation of a duration appropriate to the scale of the development.

Detailed Conditions may be subject to independent review by the National Capital Design Review Panel or alternative independent body.

Detailed Conditions are subject to approval by the National Capital Authority.

Subsequent applications for works must demonstrate that proposals are not inconsistent with the National Capital Plan, this Precinct Code and the approved Detailed Conditions specific to the development where relevant.

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at legislation.gov.au, © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Compilations may have been reformatted.

National Capital Plan Amendment (No. 102 – Hume Circle Precinct) Instrument 2026

National Capital Plan Amendment (No. 102 – Hume Circle Precinct) Instrument 2026

1Name#

2Commencement#

3Authority#

4 Schedules #

Schedule 1 · Amendments

National Capital Plan #

4.19 Hume Circle Precinct Code #

Key facts

History · 1 version

Connections

1Name#

2Commencement#

3Authority#

4 Schedules #

Schedule 1 · Amendments

National Capital Plan #

4.19 Hume Circle Precinct Code #