Molonglo's 70,000 residents will have a genuine town centre, says Suburban Land Agency

Mr Adam said the SLA had indicated that initial residential space could later be converted to commercial use, but the Forum rejected this approach. “We have never seen it happen, and the reason is simple,” Mr Adam said. “Developers will build to the minimum compliant standard. They do not add the ceiling heights, loading access, servicing and fire ratings that a real commercial conversion needs. “Once a unit is sold, titled and lived in, converting it back needs owner consent, body corporate agreement, re-approval and a lease variation. At scale, it does not occur. ‘Convertible later’ becomes ‘residential forever’.” The Forum wants to see guaranteed anchors in which space is identified for a large-scale government or private sector tenancy, with the land withheld from sale until a tenant is secured. It says there should be committed employment space across the Town Centre Core, Eastern Gateway and Noisy Sub-Precinct, rather than one retail pocket owned by a single landowner and commercial development delivered in the first construction stage, not deferred to future years.