Planning Minister Mick Gentleman shares residents' frustration about the "slow progress'' of the Coombs shopping centre, according to correspondence sent from his office.
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A senior advisor wrote to Coombs resident Alison Hutchison who had organised a petition calling for the ACT government to speed up the process or get developer Renato Cervo to front a community meeting to outline his plans.
"The minister shares your frustrations about the slow progress of the development and has requested the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate brief him as soon as possible on the current situation. A full response will be provided to you shortly,'' the email read.
Mr Gentleman reiterated that in a response to The Canberra Times.
“I understand and share the community’s frustrations regarding this issue,'' he said.
"The ACT government has zoned to allow for a shop, sold the land for a shop, approved the [development application] for a shop and supports the development of a shop on that site. Certainly, the ACT government expected the developer would have opened a shop there by now. But the actual opening and operating of a shop there is a commercial concern.''
Mr Gentleman indicated Mr Cervo still had until April, 2019 to open the centre.
"The lease was granted in April 2015, and the lease allows for completion of the development within 48 months. There are no other clauses in the lease which require the shops to be operational within a certain time. It is not the ACT government’s role to speed up a commercial process,'' he said.
"The original development application for this proposal was refused in January, 2016. This decision was appealed at ACAT, which provided a consent decision following mediation in July, 2016.
"The approved development includes a 1000 square metre space for a supermarket, nine smaller tenancies and 128 surface carpark spaces.''
Mr Cervo had not indicated exactly when the centre would open but has emphasised he has been working seven-days-a-week on the project and put up with delays usually not of his own making, such as waiting 27 weeks for power to be connected.
"While the government has been informed the development is very close to completion, it is understood the owner has yet to submit an application for a certificate of occupancy,'' Mr Gentleman said.
"This is required before the building can be used and can usually be provided within two days of an application being received. The lessee is not waiting on the ACT government in this respect.
"It has also been confirmed that a tenant is still being sought for the supermarket.”
The ACT government reduced the size of the supermarket permitted at the proposed Coombs shopping centre just a week before the land went to auction in 2015, potentially putting off future tenants.
