Belconnen’s Growth Spurt: What More Apartments and the Move Away From Gas Mean for Local Plumbing
Belconnen is entering another major period of change.
The Suburban Land Agency recently offered three large sites in the Belconnen Town Centre for sale, with the potential for up to 750 new homes across buildings reaching 12 storeys. The proposed density is considerably higher than originally planned and has prompted discussion within the community about whether local infrastructure and amenities will keep pace with development.
A separate 315-home build-to-rent affordable housing project is also under construction nearby, adding to the number of apartments and multi-residential developments taking shape across the area.
One particularly significant requirement for the newly released sites is that they must be developed without gas connections. Solar power, electric vehicle charging and all-electric building infrastructure are expected to be incorporated from the beginning.
From a plumbing perspective, this shift is important. It changes how hot water systems are designed, installed and maintained, particularly in larger apartment buildings with hundreds of residents.
At the same time, plumbers in Belconnen are still working on established homes built during the suburb’s original expansion throughout the 1970s and 1980s. This means new all-electric apartment buildings and older homes with ageing pipework now sit side by side.
To understand what these changes mean in practical terms, we spoke with Ethan Wyborn from Born Plumbing, a local plumber servicing Belconnen and the wider Canberra region:
https://bornplumbing.com.au/plumber-canberra/locations/belconnen/
Ethan explained what the suburb’s growth means for homeowners, renters, body corporates and people considering buying into one of Belconnen’s new apartment developments.
“Belconnen is changing quickly. What has that meant for the type of work you’re doing?”
“It has created a real mix of work,” Ethan says.
“On one side, we’re doing more strata and multi-unit plumbing than we used to. Apartment buildings have shared plumbing infrastructure, common service areas and ongoing body corporate maintenance requirements that you generally don’t have in a standalone house.
“On the other side, we’re still working on plenty of Belconnen’s original homes. A lot of those properties are now 40 or 50 years old, so you have two very different generations of plumbing infrastructure operating within the same suburb.”
According to Ethan, apartment plumbing also requires a different approach to maintenance.
A plumbing issue in a standalone home may affect one household. In an apartment building, a problem involving a shared water supply, sewer line, hot water plant or plumbing riser can potentially affect multiple units.
That makes accurate diagnosis, clear communication with building managers and planned maintenance particularly important.
“How does a gas-free apartment development change the plumbing requirements?”
“The biggest difference is usually the hot water system,” Ethan explains.
“Without gas, the building will generally rely on electric or heat pump technology, in line with Canberra’s shift away from gas appliances toward electric hot water systems. That changes the way the system needs to be designed, the amount of space required for equipment and how the plumbing and electrical trades need to coordinate during construction.
“In a large apartment development, you also need to make sure the system can meet demand when a lot of residents are using hot water at the same time. It requires proper capacity planning rather than simply choosing a system based on the number of apartments.”
This planning may include decisions about whether each apartment has an individual hot water unit or whether the development uses a centralised system shared by residents.
Each arrangement has different installation, metering, maintenance and repair requirements.
“For people buying into a new apartment building, it’s worth asking what type of hot water system has been installed,” Ethan says.
“Find out whether it’s an individual or shared system, who is responsible for maintaining it and how the building has accounted for peak demand. These aren’t always the first questions buyers think to ask, but they can affect reliability and ongoing costs.”
“What plumbing problems are you seeing in Belconnen’s older homes?”
“In the older homes, age is one of the biggest factors,” Ethan says.
“Some properties still have sections of original copper or galvanised steel pipework. Over time, pipes can corrode, develop leaks or become restricted internally, which can lead to reduced water pressure and ongoing maintenance issues.”
Small leaks can also remain hidden inside walls, ceilings, cabinets or below floors. In some cases, the first visible sign is water staining, mould, damaged paint or an unexplained increase in water usage.
Many established Belconnen homes are also being renovated as new owners move into the area or existing owners update properties that have not had major work completed for decades.
“Renovations are often when older plumbing problems are uncovered,” Ethan says.
“Once walls, bathrooms or kitchens are opened up, you may find deteriorated pipework, previous repairs or plumbing that no longer meets current requirements. It’s much easier to account for that before the renovation begins than after the project is already underway.”
“Are tree roots still a major cause of drainage problems in the area?”
“They can be, particularly around older properties with mature trees,” Ethan says.
“Tree roots naturally seek out moisture. If an older sewer or stormwater pipe has a cracked joint or damaged section, roots can enter through a very small opening and gradually create a blockage.”
Common warning signs include toilets draining slowly, gurgling sounds, recurring sink or shower blockages, unpleasant drain smells and wastewater backing up through lower fixtures, the same signs Icon Water lists among the leading causes of blocked pipes across its network.
Simply clearing the blockage may restore flow temporarily, but recurring problems can indicate that the pipe itself is damaged.
“In those situations, a CCTV drain inspection can help locate the exact problem,” Ethan explains.
“It allows us to see whether the issue is tree roots, a collapsed section, a displaced joint or something else before recommending a repair.”
“Is demand for plumbers increasing as Belconnen continues to grow?”
“There is definitely more variety and volume than there used to be,” Ethan says.
“You have new developments being constructed, apartment buildings requiring ongoing strata maintenance and older homes reaching the stage where their plumbing needs to be repaired or upgraded.
“There are also people renovating before selling and buyers updating homes after moving in. All of those things create demand at the same time.”
For property owners, this means planned plumbing work should ideally be booked before it becomes urgent.
Emergency repairs will always happen, but inspections, upgrades and renovation plumbing can generally be organised in advance. This provides more time to assess the issue properly, compare repair options and coordinate the work with other trades.
“What should someone check before buying an apartment in Belconnen?”
Ethan recommends finding out as much as possible about the building’s shared plumbing infrastructure and maintenance history.
“For a new apartment, ask what type of hot water system the building uses and who is responsible for servicing it,” he says.
“For an established building, review the body corporate records and look for recurring plumbing problems, water leaks, drainage issues or major repairs that may be coming up.”
Potential buyers may also want to understand:
- Whether hot water is individually supplied or centrally managed
- How water usage is metered and billed
- Who maintains shared plumbing infrastructure
- Whether the building has experienced recurring leaks or drainage problems
- Whether any major plumbing upgrades have been recommended
- How quickly the body corporate responds to maintenance issues
These details can help buyers understand both the condition of the building and the potential for future special levies or repair costs.
“What advice would you give people living in Belconnen now?”
“For anyone in an older home, consider having the plumbing assessed if it hasn’t been inspected for a long time, particularly if you’re planning a renovation,” Ethan says.
“Pay attention to changes in water pressure, recurring drainage problems, water stains, damp smells or unusually high water bills. Those can all be early signs that something needs attention.”
For apartment residents and owners, understanding which plumbing components belong to the individual unit and which are managed by the body corporate is equally important.
“If you’re moving into a new apartment, ask questions about the hot water system and the building’s maintenance arrangements,” Ethan says.
“The plumbing may be new, but larger shared systems still need proper servicing and management. Knowing who is responsible before a problem happens makes everything easier.”
The Takeaway
Belconnen’s growth is doing more than changing the suburb’s skyline. It is creating a new mix of plumbing requirements across all-electric apartment developments, strata-managed buildings and established homes that are now several decades old.
New developments require careful planning around electric and heat pump hot water systems, shared infrastructure and peak demand. Older properties face a different set of challenges, including ageing pipework, hidden leaks, deteriorated drains and tree root intrusion.
Ethan’s advice for residents on either side of that divide is straightforward: pay attention to early warning signs and deal with plumbing issues before they become emergencies.
A planned inspection or repair is usually easier to manage than a sudden failure affecting a home, renovation or entire apartment building.
