The owner of the only car dealership left in Braddon says the noise and dust from several construction sites in the area is making it difficult to do business, as he packs up his stock and moves to Fyshwick.
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Braddon Auto Mart's move marks the end of an era in the Mort and Lonsdale Street area, which was once dominated by car yards and garages, but is now filled with cafes, restaurants and boutique stores.
The business has traded on its Mort Street site for 30 years, but on Tuesday the yard was bare as the last of its stock was shifted to its new site in Fyshwick.
Owner Chris Clearihan said the impact of nearby construction, including the light rail site on Northbourne Avenue, had seen his takings drop about 40 or 50 per cent in the last few months.
He said the ACT government hadn't shown any interest in helping Braddon businesses while public and private development works were carried out in the area.
"The noise goes all day and I've had enough. Sometimes you can't even talk, and most punters have got nowhere to park," Mr Clearihan said.
"I'm not against progress, but [the ACT government] don't care about the noise, or the mess. We were having to wash the cars twice a day.
"It's a very hard place to do business at the moment. I thought I would end my days here, but it's not to be."
Developer Tony DeMarco is understood to have bought the Braddon Auto Mart site from Petros Property Group in February. The Canberra Times could not reach him for comment on his plans.
Adam Noble, who owned neighbouring business Next Hair until he closed it in September, said the lack of parking in the area made it very difficult for customers.
His decision to close was mainly based on a lifestyle change, but he said having the already limited number of parking spaces in the area cut down further by construction sites hadn't helped business.
"The parking was a massive concern. People can't get a park and they don't want to come in stressed, so they just stop coming," Mr Noble said.
"The ongoing construction [in the area] is progress, so I'm not against that at all, but I don't think the government has handled it very well, especially with all the parking being removed.
"There were at least a few dozen spaces lost opposite my salon."
Roleee manager Urvashi Rajput agreed that the construction noise and a lack of parking was discouraging potential customers at the Indian restaurant.
The ACT government said the light rail project would bring a range of benefits to the area, and every effort was being made to minimise the impacts of noise and dust from the light rail construction site.
A government spokesperson said noise mitigation strategies on the site included turning off equipment when it was not in use, arranging the site to minimise the noise made by movement alarms, and the use of “non-tonal” movement alarms instead of high-pitched reversing beepers.
The government said it also supported businesses affected by light rail construction by providing funding for the Light Rail Business Link program, which was delivered by the Canberra Business Chamber and allowed businesses to raise any concerns.
