Page 3889 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 25 August 2010

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(iii) the existing infrastructure; and

(iv) developments which are proposed; and

(2) calls on the ACT Government to:

(a) commission a master plan of the Kambah Village site and surrounding environment, taking into account relevant economic, environment and social objectives;

(b) consult with local businesses, residents, community and sporting organisations and other people with appropriate expertise in preparing this master plan;

(i) the potential for the redevelopment of existing businesses and infrastructure;

(ii) the opportunities for new commercial and community activities; and

(iii) the existing road structure; and

(d) report to the Legislative Assembly with a completed Kambah Village Master Plan by the first sitting week in September 2011.

The focus of this motion is about shopping in Kambah, in particular the Kambah Village. And those of us that have lived in Tuggeranong or worked in Tuggeranong would know the area well. Kambah is, of course, the largest suburb in the ACT and when it was designed it was designed with about seven locations for retail activity.

I want to raise the matter of Kambah Village for three reasons: firstly, my observations over recent years of the state of this retail precinct; secondly, complaints I received when I visited the shop owners there with Giulia Jones, our Liberal candidate for my former seat of Canberra; and, thirdly, the changing nature of Kambah over the last 30 years.

I think it is appropriate to provide a short history of retailing in Kambah. When the suburb was planned as the first suburb in Tuggeranong it had seven retail sites identified because it covers a large geographic area, something akin to four times the size of an ordinary suburb. When Canberra was first planned, this structure of retail sites may have been appropriate. Ultimately, however, the reality of the presence of larger centres, particularly the Tuggeranong town centre, has had its effect on the commercial viability of some of these retail centres, as for instance, has the change in retail hours.

Of the seven sites, three are now closed. The Marconi Crescent site is now occupied by professional offices. The Livingston Avenue site remains shut and looks very run down and dilapidated. And the O’Halloran Circuit site remains vacant. Of the four operating sites, Castley Street has a single IGA store and looks in pretty good

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