New Things Being Built in Canberra
By: Anthony Feint
8th February 2024
There is always a lot of construction and development happening around Canberra. On this page, we keep track of some of the major projects being built in Canberra.
New Canberra Hospital Expansion
Canberra Hospital is undergoing a major expansion. The new 40,000 sqm facility includes a new emergency department, operating rooms, intensive care beds and a new imaging department.
Status: Under construction. It will be finished towards the end of 2024.
CIT Woden
Woden is getting a new CIT (Canberra Institute of Technology) Campus. The new campus will support 6,500 students each year. This campus will focus on IT, cyber security, business and hospitality.
The campus will also include a new public transport interchange to replace the pretty poorly designed existing Woden interchange. The new interchange will also include the light rail terminus. It will be located right outside the new school and within easy walking distance of the many new apartment towers in Woden.
Status: Under Construction. Due to be completed in 2025
New Canberra Theatre
The current Canberra Theatre is definitely showing its age. The New Canberra Theatre will have a 2,000-seat theatre. The current theatre only seats 1,200. The new theatre will be constructed next to the existing theatre precinct. The space is currently a carpark. The existing playhouse theatre will also be refurbished.
It's set to have a stunning design being created by international and local design consortium.
Status: Planning and Design
City to Commonwealth Park Light Rail
Currently, the light rail goes from Gungahlin Town Centre to the City. It's rejuvenated the Northbourne corridor. There are countless new apartment complexes along the line, as well as new hotels and other businesses.
The next stage of the Light Rail runs from the City to Commonwealth Park. The extension is just 1.7km long but will link the City to the bustling New Acton Precinct and the Lake. New apartment complexes are already being planned in City West, which should bring more life to that side of the City. More importantly, this part of the light rail will stop where a major new suburb in Acton will be constructed in the future.
This section of the light rail will be built using a "green track", which will use ground cover instead of concrete on different sections.
This is the most complex part of the Light Rail project. It requires London Circuit to be raised, and due to National Capital Authority requirements, it can't use overhead wires.
Status: Under construction.
Garden City Cycle Route
On the west side of Northbourne Avenue, there is an excellent bike path that runs into the City and connects to Gungahlin and Belconnen. The east side of Northbourne Avenue doesn't currently have any notable cycling infrastructure. The Garden City Cycle Route will run through Watson, Downer, Hackett, Dickson, Ainslie and Braddon. It will connect all of these densely populated inner north suburbs with the City.
The first stage of the build will be constructed in Braddon and Ainslie.
Status: Construction is starting soon. The contract will be awarded in early 2024.
EPIC Upgrade
EPIC, or Exhibition Park, will be getting a major upgrade. The venue currently hosts music festivals, the Canberra Show, weekly markets and much more.
Stage 1 of the redevelopment will include a new large multipurpose exhibition hall that can accommodate larger exhibitions and gala sit-down dinners for thousands.
Status: Planning and Design
New Stadium in Canberra
The ACT Government is currently reviewing a number of sites to build a new sports stadium. A stadium won't be built in the inner city. The idea has been explored (numerous times), and it was found to be significantly more expensive than other options, as well as space limitations and infrastructure challenges.
The current front runner for the new stadium location is on the Corner of Haydon Drive and Battye Street in Bruce. It's currently a sports oval and the old location of Canberra Raiders HQ.
While there are certain news outlets that believe a new stadium is the most important thing in the history of Canberra and that they would rather have it over public transport, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure, many Canberrans don't see it as a huge priority.
Status: Study
New National Convention Centre
Design work is currently underway on a new Convention Centre Precinct in Canberra's city centre. The new convention centre will be able to hold a wider range of events which currently bypass Canberra due to space constraints of the current facility. The new facility will have a capacity of 7500 people. Currently, the NCCC can only accommodate 2460 people.
Status: Study
Acton Waterfront Suburb and Park
A future estate will be built on the New Acton Waterfront. It will extend the City down to the Lake. The bulk of the new precinct will be built where there are currently a series of carparks.
The first stage of the project was to realign the Lake and crate a new boardwalk. This part of the project has been completed. A new park next to the Lake is currently being designed.
Status: Planning and Design
New FOGO Plant
Currently, a few suburbs in Canberra have organic waste pickup. This will soon be expanded to the entire City when a new FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) facility is built in Canberra.
The new facility will be built in Hume and will be able to process more than 50,000 tonnes of waste each year. It will convert the organic material into compost.
Status: Planning and Design
Belconnen Skatepark Half-Pipe
Belconnen is getting a new half-pipe. The competition standard half-pipe will be built alongside the existing Belconnen Skatepark.
Status: Construction starting in March 2024. It will be completed in 2024.
Kippax Centre Upgrade
A completely new Kippax Fair will be constructed to replace the existing shopping precinct. There will be two new full-line supermarkets, 450 underground carparks, a new skatepark and a community hub. 300 new homes will also be included in the new build.
Status: Planning and Design
Northside Hospital
A new public hospital will be constructed in Bruce. A new hospital is needed to meet the demand of a growing Northside population. The new hospital will be built on the existing Calvary Hospital site, and once complete, it should more than double the current capacity our public hospitals currently deliver. Construction is estimated to begin halfway through this decade.
Status: Planning and Design
Kingston Arts Precinct
The precinct is home to some of Canberra's oldest buildings, including the Powerhouse. A new Art Precinct will be constructed here and will house a number of arts associations and groups. There will also be both residential and commercial space that maintains that is in keeping with the historic nature of the site.
The precinct will replace the carparks and empty space that is currently next to the Glassworks.
Status: Planning and Design
Canberra Arena - Ice Rink
A new ice sports facility will be built on Rowland Rees Cresent in Greenway (Tuggeranong). The facility will include two international-standard ice sheets for figure skating, speed skating, ice hockey and broomball. There will also be two dedicated curling sheets, which is a first for Australia. There will also be an Olympic-standard indoor rock climbing facility. The arena will have a capacity of 3600 spectators.
This arena will be home to Canberra's Ice Hockey team, the CBR Brave.
Status: Planning and Design
Will All of These Projects Be Completed?
Many of these projects are still in the planning stage and may yet be cancelled. You can email your local member to see where they stand on each individual project.
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