Page 4147 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 21 September 2011
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sort of traffic flows this development could bring into their neighbourhood. Another person said:
… we are keen to see a shopping centre in Giralang. Priority number one is to have something done with the current dilapidated site. As to what happens at the site: the fact that the proposal is to introduce a large supermarket also doesn’t alarm us. Having said that, we wouldn’t be too concerned either if the proposal was only for a couple of cafes and a restaurant.
Another said:
I have heard both sides of this debate and have a strong view that small local neighbourhood shops offer the right blend of convenience and price to customers, not the dominance by Woollies and Coles across Canberra. Such larger chain supermarkets should only be allowed to trade in large shopping complexes, so the traffic and development associated with them does not impact upon neighbourhood centres. We should be encouraging smaller family owned supermarkets existing in neighbourhood centres, and giving these business owners our support.
Another comment was:
The Kaleen IGA/shopping centre has strong patronage and community feel, partly as it’s next to a primary school. Giralang residents should have the same, but not a larger monstrosity that sucks the life out of the retail communities in the surrounding suburbs.
And finally:
I live in Giralang and have concerns about the proposed shopping centre. We were influenced to buy in Giralang by the availability of a small, lively shopping centre. Within months of moving in everything closed down! I welcome the return of a local shopping centre. However, I am very concerned at the scale proposed. It would be lovely to be able to walk to the shops and pick up some groceries or some fresh bread or have a meal with my family. However, I don’t need another Woolworths. I will continue to do the bulk of my grocery shopping outside of Giralang—Kaleen, Belconnen and Gungahlin are all conveniently located when a large supermarket is required. Surely the purpose of the local shops is to be a community hub, to encourage residents to walk to the shops and make small purchases that can be carried home, to sit and enjoy a drink or a meal, to provide something different from the large supermarket chains.
That is what I think we should be aiming for in the area of Giralang. And not just Giralang; there will be other neighbourhoods across the ACT where we need to be looking at what is right to build this community hub.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (11.10): There are a few matters that need to be put on the record in response to some of the comments from Ms Hunter. First of all, she said that Ms Le Couteur’s motion was not about the supermarket policy. I think it would be useful, before Ms Hunter spoke to motions, if she read the motion or at least talked to her colleague about it, because when we get to the guts of the issue—and yes, of course, there is a lot in this about Giralang, and the issues in relation to Giralang are
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