Move over Sydney and Melbourne: Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud names the VERY surprising city he says has the most potential for spectacular development in Australia
- Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud said Canberra has the most potential
- He said the capital was laid out with space and had a mix of houses and offices
- Sydney and Melbourne have now become too dense and overpopulated
Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud has touted Canberra as the Australian city with the most potential for development.
The property expert said both Sydney and Melbourne had become too dense to offer exciting opportunities for growth and new buildings, The Herald Sun reported.
In comparison the ‘garden city’ of Canberra was full of wide-open spaces and had a thriving CBD with a mix of offices, houses and workshops.
The host of British television program Grand Designs, Kevin McCloud, has touted Canberra (pictured) as the Australian city with the most development potential
Speaking at the National Press Club on Monday, Mr McCloud said: ‘I’m going to say the one city which shows the potential … is probably Canberra.
‘It hasn’t been overdeveloped so it has potential.
‘There’s a mix of houses, offices and workshops and the planning constraints have been relaxed to allow that mix.’
McCloud singled out Canberra’s Kingston Foreshore development for praise, saying the ‘entirely different model’ mixes houses, offices and workshops in a way that encourages people to ‘share resources, share public space and share amenity’.
He said the relaxation of planning constraints to allow the development was a step forward.
Mr McCloud started out as a theatre set designer before moving into manufacturing and lighting.
However, for the last two decades he has made a name for himself as the host of Grand Designs and as the editor of the Grand Designs magazine.
In that time he has helped build the Grand Designs brand, which focuses on modern architecture and design in Britain.
The property and design expert said he had visited Sydney (pictured) and Melbourne and thought they were already too dense
The ACT Government’s City Plan scheme has been in place since March 2014 with the aim of creating an ‘over-arching strategic framework’ for Canberra’s future development.
‘Primarily, future development in the city centre will be based on five “character areas” that typify the activities and character of the different parts of the city centre,’ a government statement read.
‘The City Plan will help determine development and growth, and ensure projects and infrastructure are delivered efficiently and effectively.’
Mr McCloud (pictured) said Canberra’s open spaces and relaxed planning constraints meant it was perfect for development opportunities