UNCERTAINTY surrounds the light rail route to Woden following the inclusion of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge on a major heritage list.

It comes after Lake Burley Griffin and adjacent lands, including both Commonwealth and Kings Avenue bridges, were added to the Commonwealth Heritage List.

The listing – which has taken 12 years – was signed off by federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley before the election was announced. It also includes Scrivener Dam, Stirling Ridge, Yarramundi Reach, and Attunga Point.

The Lake Burley Griffin Guardians have welcomed the lake’s inclusion on the list saying it shows “respect” for the lake as the “central feature” of Canberra.

But the group’s members are unsure how the listing will affect stage 2B of Canberra’s light rail route, set to run across the lake via the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge.

“We really don’t know how the listing will affect the light rail crossing the lake,” said Juliet Ramsay of the Lake Burley Griffin Guardians.

“We haven’t seen final plans for the light rail, we just know vaguely that there are plans to put a new bridge between the two expanses of the Commonwealth Bridge but we don’t know what else.

“How the new bridge is designed and how it fits with the existing bridge will need to be considered…all the things that are valuable about the lake will have to be protected.”

In the listing document – released by the government – Ms Ley said she had examined the Australian Heritage Council’s assessment as well as public comments provided to the council, and was satisfied the lake met heritage listing criteria.

“The construction and completion of Lake Burley Griffin demonstrates the push for national development during the years immediately after Federation and before the First World War, and again after the Second World War, under the Menzies government,” the minister’s declaration says.

“The lake’s design reflects the influence of three major urban design movements including the City Beautiful movement, the Garden City movement and International Modernism.”

The listing document also stated the lake had environmental significance, and is home to threatened species like the striped legless lizard and Murray Cod.

“We are pleased with the listing… the lake has suffered a lot over the last few years, there have been some unfortunate impacts in terms of developments so this way it can be protected, hopefully,” Ms Ramsay said.

A nomination for Canberra the Planned National Capital to be included in the National Heritage List was rejected by minister Ley.