Last week, a petition signed by over 500 local residents to save the Hawker Shops car park from being destroyed by a large new Woolworths development, through a direct sale from the ACT government to the company, was presented to newly elected Ginninderra Member Chaika Barry. Also present was the other Liberal member for Ginninderra, Peter Cain, who is also part of the Planning Committee, where the petition should now go for further examination. The petition was organised by the Belco Party and the Friends of the Hawker Shops. Local resident and car park supporter Vicki Hill, Belco Party convenor Angela Lount, and committee member Alan Tutt (a Hawker resident and shop owner at the centre) were also present.
Later that day, Chaika Barry and Peter Cain released an excellent social media video highlighting the need for a proper inquiry before the government proceeded with the direct sale. (I suggest readers visit their websites and Facebook pages to watch it.) Local radio also picked up the story.
The problem was, as is often the case with this government, a lack of consultation and an attempt to present the local community with a fait accompli.
For the life of me, I don’t know why this government always tries to ram planning proposals through the Assembly without proper consultation.
“There was what some residents, like Vicki Hill, described as a sham consultation, which most residents didn’t even know about. It asked simplistic and leading questions such as, ‘Do you want a better supermarket?’
The Hawker Shopping Centre currently has a village feel about it. It’s divided up into four or more different buildings that all complement each other in an open, roomy, natural environment. There is also a large car park on the Springvale Drive (Weetangera) side, allowing people to park with their trailers and enabling elderly residents to park within 20 to 30 metres of the current supermarket.
The proposed redevelopment would take over that large car park between the shops and Springvale Drive, with two of the hubs set to be bulldozed and replaced by a two-storey Woolworths spanning over 9,000 square metres (approximately two hectares). The development would extend from near Belconnen Way to the current southern boundary of the shopping centre near the Shell service station.
At the very least, the Planning Committee, to which this petition must now be sent, should conduct a full consultation before any proposed sale by the government takes place.
I would imagine that with a full and proper consultation and examination, any flaws in the proposal could be addressed, leading to a more sensible course of action. This could still allow for the redevelopment of the shops without destroying the amenity of the area, which has served the local community so well to date.
I also see the new Treasurer informing us that we are now over a million dollars further in debt this year than last year. Helpful advice to Chris Steele, defer stage 2B of the tram to Woden for 15 years and that might help alleviate your problem.
