If you’ve ever thought moving into a new house was a stressful ordeal, spare a thought for the new owner of the magnificent Westridge House estate in Yarralumla.

The Tudor-style, heritage-listed Westridge House was auctioned off for $3.2million in December to the heir of the Tattersalls gambling fortune, John Adams Flynn.

Mr Flynn now faces a lengthy process of public consultations, federal ministerial approval and the consideration of both houses of Federal Parliament before the house can be rezoned to allow single-occupant residential use.

The estate is currently zoned as a community facility, and can only be used for education, research, medical care, religious or cultural purposes. For Mr Flynn to live in the house, the National Capital Authority must make amendments to the National Capital Plan to allow for single-occupant residential use.

That rezoning process has now begun, with the opening of a public consultation period, which will receive submissions until April 27.

Once the public consultation is complete, the rezoning will need to be approved by the Federal Minister for Regional Australia Simon Crean, before being considered by both houses of Parliament.

A public information session will be held at the National Capital Authority on March 22, at 5.30pm

With the sale of the house, the NCA had committed to initiating the rezoning process. There will be no changes to the building’s heritage status, and all of its heritage protections will remain in place.

For more on this story, see the print edition of today’s Canberra Times