ACT Planning Minister Mick Gentleman has used call-in powers to approve a community organisation's second attempt to build housing for vulnerable women at an Ainslie site.
YWCA Canberra's development application for 10 supported accommodation units for older women experiencing poverty and women fleeing violence was initially approved in April 2021, before a residents group successfully challenged the decision in the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Mr Gentleman is using his controversial call-in powers to green-light the second development application, meaning the decision can't be reviewed by ACAT again.
In October 2021, following a review filed by three members of the Ainslie Residents' Association, ACAT ordered the government's initial approval of the application be reversed.
The tribunal said the proposal did not meet various rules and criteria of the community and facility-zone development and multi-unit housing development codes.
The community organisation revised the design of the development, lodging an application in February for nine units.
Mr Gentleman said, "After careful consideration of the concerns raised by members of the community, I have used my call-in powers to approve this project and enable construction of these supported housing units to begin as soon as possible.
"We have imposed a number of conditions on the development, including measures to safeguard protected trees on the site and the adjacent park, which were among the neighbours' concerns."
Some community organisations including YWCA have used submissions to an ACT government review of planning regulations to call for third parties to be barred from appealing previously approved social and community housing development applications.
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