'Tragedy of commons': Fear of construction as Gowrie buyer revealed

Graham Potts' Amalgamated Property Group has been confirmed as the buyer of the former Gowrie Court flats in Narrabundah, while the sale of Strathgordon Court in Lyons has fallen through.

Amalgamated was fronted by a "friend of the company", JGS Property managing director James Service, at an auction for three former ACT public housing blocks on Thursday, a spokesperson said.

Amalgamated Property Group's principal Graham Potts, pictured here at a parliamentary inquiry in 2017, has been confirmed as the buyer of Narrabundah's sought-after Gowrie Court.Credit: Karleen Minney

The developer's confirmation means that the most sought-after blocks - the former Stuart Flats in Griffith and Gowrie Court in Narrabundah - are in the hands of two of Canberra's most prominent developers.

Amalgamated, which was at the centre of the controversial Glebe Park government land sale, snapped up the 13,775 square metre, 177-unit Narrabundah block for $20.35 million.

Morris Property Group - fronted by director Barry Morris and a man unknown to agents, Tony Yeend on auction day - left with three out of four Stuart Flats blocks for a total $55.62 million.

Both Amalgamated and Morris Property Group said it was "early days" for the projects but it is understood they would be used for residential purposes.

Daniel Bisa of Bisa Property, which was behind the East Hotel in Kingston, took home the last of the Stuart Flats blocks with the potential for 32 units for $3.62 million.

Morris Property Group director Barry Morris grins after making one of three winning bids for the Stuart Flats on Thursday.Credit: Elesa Kurtz

Bids for the former Strathgordon Court in Lyons - the only development to require that 70 of the possible 492 units be affordable housing - had come in below the reserve at $13.6 million on auction day.

Post-auction negotiations have fallen flat and the 23,289 square metre block would be available over the counter this week, an ACT Suburban Land Agency spokesperson said.

Residents had not been surprised about the lack of public or affordable housing in the developments as the three blocks are part of the ACT's asset recycling initiative, Griffith Narrabundah Community Association president Leo Dobes said.

But there was some concerns with the high densities of the former Stuart Flats and Gowrie Court - 484 units in Stuart alone and 661 combined with Gowrie - and how it might affect parking.

"We think that [more than] 600 units is quite excessive for that area, mainly because of traffic concerns," Mr Dobes said.

"Our worst fear is that a lot of tradies and other people are going to park or verge onto the median strip [on Captain Cook Crescent] and it's going to compact the soil and potentially cause a lot of damage for trees.

"Trees are part of the inner south, that's why people want to live there, but by constructing the units it's almost like a tragedy of commons. They're going to affect what is there and perhaps destroy it."

Residents had a good relationship with the ACT government but would like to see a parking plan created and enforced, Mr Dobes said. Enforcement was "where the government always falls down".

"Manuka is already full of traffic with people having had bad experiences at the crossings going to the shops. If the people at the flats shop at Coles, you're going to have a steady stream of shopping trolleys dumped [near Manuka plaza]," he said.

The ACT government lodged development applications for the demolition of the three former public housing blocks in 2018 but it is now up to the developers to demolish the sites themselves.