One of the blocks was to be auctioned in March. However, amid protests from sectors of the community and pressure in the Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Jon Stanhope halted the sale and instructed the Land Development Agency to undertake public consultation.

Mr Stanhope told The Canberra Times yesterday that, following the community consultation, the Government had decided to proceed with the sale of block 8, section 34 in Hawker, as well as the adjoining block 10.

Although a majority of people who attended a drop-in consultation and a workshop the agency held in September opposed the development of either block, Mr Stanhope said this was less than 1 per cent of the residents invited to attend through an extensive advertising campaign, and not representative of the majority's view.

About 100 people attended the drop-in consultation and about 50 attended the workshop. ''There was a very small, organised group of objectors,'' Mr Stanhope said.

''The Government can't accept that as a reflection of the view of the majority of people who use the Hawker shops.''

But Hawker resident and co-owner of the Hawker pharmacy Paul O'Connor disagreed. He said most of the residents and retailers he had spoken to opposed the development because it would reduce parking spaces while increasing demand. ''If both of those car parks go, it will kill the centre,'' he said.

For more on this story, see today's Canberra Times.