South Bruce Photos 1984

Greg Dunstone has rediscovered some photos taken in South Bruce in 1984. Thank you for sharing them with us.

Click on any of the photos if you'd like a closer look.

If you would like to share any historic South Bruce photos, stories or records, then please use the Contact Us page to get in touch.

 

Portus Place, 1984

 

 

Looking west from Portus Place, 1984

 

This is the “Health Services hostel” in 1984, before the road was moved. It is now part of the Retirement village.

 

Looking to the west along Jaeger Circuit, 1984

South Bruce, 1984

 

Portus Place, 1984

"To protect, retain, integrate and reinforce the site's unique landscape qualities" - Residential development conditions for South Bruce homes 1980

Greg Dunstone has found a copy of the residential development conditions for South Bruce homes, from the early 1980s. Thank you for sharing it with us.

  The conditions include the need to:

• protect, retain, integrate and reinforce the site's unique landscape qualities
• to reduce the scale of the buildings
• integrate the landscape with Gossan Hill reserve
• visually screen carports and garages
• use a harmonious range of natural colour materials.
  

Here's a scanned copy of the residential development conditions for South Bruce homes.

If you would like to share any historic South Bruce photos, stories or records, then please use the Contact Us page to get in touch.

South Bruce whole of suburb lease 1980

 

Greg Dunstone has found a copy of the head lease for South Bruce, from 1980. Thank you for sharing it with us.

The lease sets out certain conditions for A.V. Jennings, such as:

• 12 months to commence construction of up to 154 private homes
  
• 48 months to complete construction of the homes
• rules about water mains, sewer lines, footpaths, car parks, playground, electrical, telecommunications, and so on.

Here's a scanned copy of the lease. 

The lease was subsequently withdrawn because of a lack of construction progress. The decision to withdraw the lease was front page news (archived on Trove here).

The article text is:

Home-site leases withdrawn

By FRANK LONGHURST, City Reporter

Leases to three home sites in the A. V. Jennings South Bruce housing estate have been withdrawn from the company by the Minister for Territories and Local Government, Mr Uren, and the sites arc expected to be offered at future government lease auctions.

A spokesman for Mr Urcn's departmen said yesterday that the leases had been "determined" because A. V. Jennings had not complied with a condition of the City Area Leases Ordinance which required that construction of a house must begin within six months of the issue of the lease.

When the company had not begun building on the sites within the specified six months, it had been granted extensions of several months. However, when the extensions had expired recently the company still had not begun construction and Mr Uren had "determined" the leases, the spokesman said.

The ACT manager of A. V. Jennings, Mr Daryl Simmons, said yesterday that the company was seeking legal advice but he declined to make further comment.

Mr Uren had warned last year that because of the shortage of serviced land in Canberra, land buyers were required to comply with the specified development conditions of leases — which for residential sites normally require that construction must begin within six months and be completed within 12 months.

The A. V. Jennings housing development in South Bruce differs from standard ACT suburban land servicing projects in that the company was granted development rights to the overall site and the right to sell house and land packages and, in limited cases, individual homesitcs.

The department insists that A. V. Jennings is not entitled to compensation for the cost of developing the three withdrawn sites and it is believed the cost of servicing may have been up to $70,000.

Had they been sold to A. V. Jennings clients who had paid deposits, the sites would have attracted between $30,000 and $35,000 each.

The determination of the three leases is the first such action since the department decided late last year to get tough with lessees who delayed construction. But it is known that the department has issued notices to about 270 buyers who have been overdue in developing their sites — asking them to "show cause" as to why the sites have not been developed.

Most of those had been granted extentions, after satisfying the department they had due causc for delaying development, and many others were "under review" by the department.

As of yesterday, no other cases were before the Minister for determination but the department warned again that developers or private buyers who failed to comply with the conditions of a lease were liable to have the leases withdrawn.

If you would like to share any historic South Bruce photos, stories or records, then please use the Contact Us page to get in touch.

 

 

 

Free landscape, environment and design consultancy with every home - 1980s

 Greg Dunstone has rediscovered this South Bruce promotion produced by A.V. Jennings in the early 1980s. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Click on the image if you'd like a closer look.

If you would like to share any historic South Bruce photos, stories or records, then please use the Contact Us page to get in touch.