Since I started working with GCC almost four years ago, I’ve been lobbying Planning Ministers Simon Corbell then Andrew Barr, and every planning official I can, for an overhaul of the ACT Territory Plan to ensure future subdivisions are designed so that passive solar design is not just possible, but also hard to get wrong, no matter how careless the builder.

Coupled with this, I’ve hammered the need for changes to the Residential Zone Code to ensure setbacks ensure people can build passive solar homes without their solar access being blocked by inappropriate surrounding design.

The ACT Planning and Land Authority (ACTPLA) finally started working on these changes through a series of “Sustainable Futures” workshops. Recently they released the culmination of this work and lobbying: two draft Variations to the Territory Plan that seek to make exactly these changes.

Representatives from several Community Councils have had two very good workshops with ACTPLA and TAMS staff, working through the drafts, known as TPV 301 and 303. TPV301 will ensure that 95% of all blocks in new estates have dimensions and orientation that will allow passive solar designed homes to be built on them and with minimal overshadowing. TPV303 introduces a new concept of a ‘solar fence’ that will ensure shadowing from a residence does not block winter sun access to homes to the south.

Why is this important? An example is my own home, where ample quality windows facing north mean that any sunny winter day will see the home reach 23 degrees inside with no artificial heating, saving us a fortune.

We made a lot of suggestions for improving the drafts, across numerous topics including people movement (as opposed to road design), street tree selection, viewscapes, car parking, water efficiency and street light pollution.

Submissions on the drafts close 23 August 2010.