The ACT government has engaged Canberra startup Damsel and Sprout to "reactivate" Westside Acton Park amid concerns from the opposition the executive push to prop up the container village delivers "no clear benefits".
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Damsel and Sprout directors Craig Ebeling and Ashleigh Gleeson are busy planning the final touches of next week's relaunch and are confident their vision for a mix of live music and family events will draw crowds.
"We want to activate the space, it's a really cool area," Mr Ebeling said. "We have been brought in to liven it up a bit and get some positive press around it. We want to make it a happy place and show the community it can be used and be fun."
After organising the CBR Hottest 100 Beach party at Westside on Australia Day the pair's first project is to launch a Westside Village Weekly Market starting on Sunday, April 10 from 11am to 4pm.
Ms Gleeson said adding to a list of "all the right ingredients" with existing food vendors, a rooftop bar and unbeatable lake views the markets would provide locally produced, handmade products, fresh produce including regional seafood, breads and honeys, as well as live entertainment.
Mr Ebeling said there would also be weekly activities for families and live music sets every Sunday "kicking off with local band Drawing North at the first event".
Figures show the government initially invested $910,000 and a further $298,000 was injected once they undertook control of Westside Acton park, however an ACT government spokesperson wouldn't reveal the cost of the Damsel and Sprout contract.
Canberra Liberals economic development spokesman Brendan Smyth said the government's Westside project had been troubled from the start.
"The Westside experiment has been plagued since its inception because of poor government process and long bureaucratic time frames for approval. As a consequence of this, the government seems to be spending good dollar after bad without any clear benefits.
"We want life, we want culture and we want vibrancy in Canberra, but the government really needs to assure taxpayers all the money and effort being put into the container village is actually worth it."
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said Mr Smyth was entitled to his conservative views.
"The venue may not be to his taste but I'm pleased that so many have enjoyed Westside so far and will be able to continue to in the future," he said.
"To see parents with their kids, the young and the not so young, the differing cultures, races and interests all coming together as a community is exactly what the venue is about."
Damsel and Sprout have been engaged until September 2016 when the government's two-year works approval expires.
The government has confirmed it will lodge an application in April to keep its container village by the lake.
A National Capital Authority spokesperson said no application had been lodged yet and until one was "the NCA was not in a position to address what might or might not be involved in the site reactivation strategy".
The spokesperson reiterated the public would be given the chance to comment should an extension application be lodged by the ACT government.
