Canberra's Planning Rule Affects Manuka Oval Lights

By Lish Fejer

Stateline

Topic: Urban Development and Planning

Sunday, 31 May 2026, at 8:02 am

Manuka Oval's light poles are curved to follow a planning rule in Canberra's Parliamentary Zone.

The six light poles seem to be leaning because they are.

The 47-meter-high lights lean inward because they cannot be straight and still meet the city's rules.

A strict planning rule would not change, so the light poles had to.

Hitting the grass ceiling

Most people in Canberra do not know about the RL617 rule, but developers and architects do. It sets the maximum height for buildings in the Parliamentary Zone.

Rodney Moss said, 'When you look at Civic, it seems a bit short because of this rule.'

The height limit is 617 meters above sea level, which is the height of the grassy hill at Parliament House.

The height limit under the RL617 rule is 617 meters above sea level, the same as the hilltop of Parliament House's lawns.

Parliament House was designed so people could walk on its roof, putting them above the parliament.

This is what the RL617 rule was made to protect, along with other natural views in the area.

In 1990, the National Capital Authority made the height limit a key urban design rule to preserve the natural environment.

Parliament House's rooftop hill became the city's 'grass ceiling'.

Only the flagpole and the dome of the Australian War Memorial are above the invisible line.

The Manuka Oval light heads are shaped like a shovel.

The light's height was not quite right

In 2012, broadcast-quality lighting was being installed at Manuka Oval, and Mr. Moss had a challenge.

To have TV-quality light, the lights need to be a certain height, but that would put them above the limit.

The lights were bent to come down below 617 meters, and the light head was made into a shovel to maximize light.

Architect Rodney Moss says the angled design solved the height problem but made the lights more expensive to build.

The angled design solved the height problem, but it cost more to build.

If the pole were straight, it would be easier to build, but the leaning pole needs bigger footings.

The city that cannot grow up?

The RL617 rule does not apply everywhere in Canberra.

Some town centers are outside the rule, but as the population grows, the rule may need to change.

ACT government architect Catherine Townsend says it is time to talk about the future of Canberra's urban planning.

We need to discuss where the city is going and how it should grow.

We do not want the city to grow uniformly higher, but some taller, thinner buildings would be welcome.

There should be a discussion about what the community wants to see next.

A city center looking for an 'urban climax'

The RL617 rule keeps the city skyline low, like an invisible line across the horizon.

It leaves places like City Hill with unrealized potential, especially as surrounding buildings are finished.

Catherine Townsend says City Hill has unrealized potential due to the planning rule.

Ms. Townsend wants a landscape and skyline that reflects Canberra today.

What will we do with City Hill? Should we raise the height limits to make the city center more exciting?

Mr. Moss shares this thought.

He says the RL617 rule explains why Canberra seems to be missing something.

Canberra lacks an 'urban climax', a visual declaration of arrival.

You drive in and wonder, 'Where is the city?'

Sunday, 31 May 2026, at 8:02 am

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