Anyone who has tried to buy a carton of milk at the Dickson Woolworths on their way home from work knows that the current infrastructure of the area isn't working well and is in much need of an upgrade.
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So it was welcome news for many when details were released promising additional supermarkets, road upgrades and extra accommodation and retail spaces.
The ACT government is making a significant investment in the area, but as highlighted repeatedly by some of the existing traders, there are concerns that the character of the area is at risk.
One of the biggest criticisms levelled at changes in Civic over the past decade has been the dominance of the Canberra Centre over the landscape. Smaller traders in areas like Garema Place argue visitors to Civic are funnelled into the centre's car parks, and once inside have little reason to leave, thereby starving smaller stores that rely on passing foot traffic.
A number of smaller existing traders in Dickson believe they may suffer a similar fate if the current redevelopment plans are not altered.
Dickson has long been regarded as one of the city's best centres, with a vibrant mix of restaurants, cafes under leafy trees, small boutique shops and the rich Chinese heritage of the Woolley Street area. If, as some claim, the area is to become dominated by a large shopping centre there is a risk that some of those unique characteristics may be lost.
Few would argue that the extra 500 underground parking places will be needed, especially when the additional 150 planned apartments are added. The redevelopment also needs to be viewed in the wider context of the Northbourne Avenue precinct, which is expected to see hundreds of further dwellings built as part of the public housing replacement and light rail projects.
Getting the facilities in place to cope with the significant increase in traffic will be no easy task, given the area is already straining under the current load. But we need to ensure that in our rush to build facilities, supermarkets and housing for these new residents, we don't put at risk what makes Dickson special.
Cities across Europe are waking up to the fact that they have killed off many of their small retailers in outdoor areas by allowing large malls to dominate their shopping landscapes. With Australia also following the trend of large, warehouse-like shopping centres on the outskirts of its major cities and the increasing dominance of shopping centres over pedestrian malls, we need to take care we don't repeat the same mistakes and kill off what makes our city centre attractive.
