Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00620:body:0:p61
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00620
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 166834–169772

appearance of West Block in relation to East Block, Old Parliament House and [the] Parliamentary Triangle and the Land Axis'.[108]  In this regard, there is alignment between the CHL entry for West Block and the Dugout and the CHL entry for the Parliament House Vista (ID 105466).
West Block forms part of the Parliament House Vista, a large area extending from the Australian War Memorial to the new Parliament House (Griffin's Land Axis), that forms the spine of the national capital and has been assessed as a place of historical, aesthetic and social significance to Australia.  As noted in the citation for the Vista:
The spatial setting of the buildings as features in the landscape reflects Beaux Arts planning concepts and the building masses and their careful location complement the significance of the overall landscape pattern.  Across the Parliamentary Triangle, the buildings of Old Parliament House, and East and West Blocks provide a distinctive Stripped Classical architectural patterned horizontal band, that contributes to the symmetrical overall patterning of the landscape.[109]
The HMP for the Parliament House Vista includes policies of relevance to West Block including, but not limited to, the following:
New Development
Policy 49 General provisions relating to new development
The following general provisions will be implemented:
          * new permanent development will not impact on the heritage values of the area nor on important spatial relationships between individual buildings and open spaces (eg. the relationship between the High Court and National Gallery, or between the Gallery and Sculpture Garden);
          * new permanent development in the area will be part of a planned approach which is in keeping with the values of the area.  Ad hoc development will be avoided … [110]

4.2.3               Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act, 1988 (Commonwealth)
The Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988 establishes the National Capital Authority (NCA) and requires the NCA to establish and administer a National Capital Plan (NCP).  The NCP, first gazetted in 1990, identifies and defines Designated Areas.  These are areas of the ACT that have been identified as having the special characteristics of the National Capital.  Policies for land use and conditions of planning, design and development within Designated Areas are set out in the NCP.  Approval from the NCA is required for all works proposed within a Designated Area.

National Capital Plan
The Parliamentary Zone is a Designated Area as identified in the NCP (Figure 44).  The following is an extract from Section 4.2.1 'The Parliamentary Zone and its Setting' of the NCP:
The National Capital and Seat of Government is the legislative, judicial, administrative, executive, ceremonial and symbolic centre of the nation.
The role of Canberra as the National Capital warrants high