Traders have been calling for the past nine months to have the lawn replanted and watered but have had no luck with the previous minister John Hargreaves or his successor Mr Stanhope.

In the face of community anger, Mr Stanhope as the new minister last November put a halt indefinitely to a proposed refurbishment of Green Square that included ripping up the grass and replacing it with spiky native plants and gravel.

Since then, nothing has happened and the area has become a dustbowl.

Mr Stanhope said yesterday the Government was adamant a regularly watered lawn at Green Square was a thing of the past and it would only consider allowing an irrigation system if shop owners paid an improvements levy similar to that imposed in Civic to maintain the local amenity.

''I would be more than happy to discuss with retailers of Kingston a similar scheme,'' he said.

ACT Greens territory and municipal services spokeswoman Caroline Le Couteur said the Government was simply neglecting a very popular meeting place. ''We've renamed it Brown Square,'' she said.

Ms Le Couteur said the Green Square lawn was important in the midst of medium-density housing and as a drawcard for business.

''It's a lot more than a lawn, it's people's backyard,'' Ms Le Couteur said.

''People, especially kids, who live in the area deserve a bit of green space to play on.''

Mr Stanhope said the Government was responding to ''our water needs and climate change'', and competing priorities.

''I would ask the people of Kingston to ask themselves do they believe Green Square is a higher priority than their local preschool?'' He also asked why Green Square should get a permanently irrigated lawn ''over and above every other shopping centre in the ACT''.

Despite the impasse, Mr Stanhope says the Government is trying to negotiate a compromise.

Holy Grail owner Ian Meldrum said the lawn in Green Square was about the size of two backyards but used by many more people than the average school oval.

He had written to Mr Stanhope last July and also raised the issue with him on Chief Minister Talkback on 666 ABC Canberra. Both times he was promised a response but got back nothing.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times