Page 3502 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 23 November 2021
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make popular local shops even better, with funding in the budget to upgrade 11 of Canberra’s 90 shopping centres over the next four years with upgrades at Campbell, Narrabundah, Gwydir Square in Kaleen, Duffy, Evatt, Kippax, Macquarie, Monash, Calwell, Lanyon, Brierly Street at Cooleman Court as well. These investments will benefit eight of Canberra’s 66 local shopping centres and three of Canberra’s 19 larger group centres.
We know that Canberrans love their local shops, and this will help to stimulate economic activity right across Canberra, whilst renewing infrastructure in our suburbs. Not only will the upgrades boost local construction and support local jobs but they will lead to improved local shopping precincts which will benefit the small businesses there as well as the residents that regularly use them.
MS ORR: Minister, what upgrades will the ACT government be considering for local shops?
MR STEEL: I thank Ms Orr for her supplementary. We understand that local shops are community hubs and we want these upgrades to respond to community priorities and needs. Residents in Duffy, Campbell and Kaleen have already provided their feedback on upgrades in their suburbs. This has helped to inform the final designs for those shops. For example, feedback was provided on the importance of landscaping, tree planting, the need for accessibility, safety and spaces to allow the community to gather and spend time with friends and family. With that in mind, designs for the upgrades were released around a month ago which incorporated that feedback.
For Gwydir Square in Kaleen, the government will provide a new public toilet, more car parks, better landscaping, more seating and a shade infrastructure at the playground. Upgrades at Duffy shops will also include a new public toilet as well as improved landscaping, a new playground and more active travel connections with new paths. At Campbell community feedback has emphasised making the shops more accessible by improving paths, car parking and landscaping.
With Campbell, Duffy and Kaleen the first shops to have construction commence, community consultation will soon begin on the remaining eight shops, which will give residents in those suburbs the opportunity to have their say on the upgrades and amenities that they would like to see at their local neighbourhood hub.
MR PETTERSSON: Minister, when can the community expect construction to begin?
MR STEEL: I thank Mr Pettersson for his supplementary. I am very pleased to say that the first round of tenders for Campbell, Duffy and Kaleen have already been released, and given the designs for these upgrades are shovel-ready we anticipate the successful tenderers will be in a position to commence construction on these three centres early in the new year.
We then hope to progress community engagement with the remaining eight communities to get their views on the types of upgrades and amenity that people would like to see at their local shopping centre. The feedback from this engagement
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