Swings and Roundabouts: The trouble with suburban shopping centres
Despite the continuing demolition of small shops by Coles and Woolies, there is still demand in the region for local supermarkets.
Of course, it depends on which developer has secured the land as to the level of services you can expect.
There’s great news out of Googong for developers CIC and Mirvac. Queanbeyan City Council has given the go-ahead for the local shops which will comprise a sophisticated mix of apartments, cafés, retail, a pub and, of course, a supermarket.
From the start, Googong has been seen as an innovative precinct, with its ‘Speak Googonian’ campaign gathering plenty of attention, and the ‘Googfest’ music event has featured local heroes, SAFIA, as well as Australia’s Eurovision entrant, Dami Im.
Over in Molonglo, things couldn’t be much more different.
When it comes to local services, the new residents of Coombs are at the mercy of developer Renato ‘Reg’ Cervo – a man with an alleged reputation for low quality projects that achieve little for the surrounding community.
Cervo, who famously sat on his Amaroo service station for two years prior to organising a lease from United, has been delivered another setback. For the second time, ACTPLA has rejected his plans to decorate Canberra with another demonstration of his exquisite taste.
Renato Cervo's proposal for Coombs shopping centre
The decisions come after two complaints about the proposal and its effect on the surrounding environment. Of chief concern is the 70s-style architecture that reflects some of the worst (and now abandoned) suburban centres across the far north and south of Canberra.
Location of Renato Cervo's shopping centre
ACTPLA has clearly drawn a line in the sand in rejecting proposals that don’t meet the standard of design enforced across the suburb. While the delay is certainly frustrationing for residents who are beginning to fill the suburb, the long term benefit of a properly-considered commercial precinct will be worth the wait.
Cervo claims that the frustrations of the Coombs projects might force him to cease developing projects in the ACT. It’s a suggestion that might be welcomed by plenty of leaseholders around the city.