The ACT government will apply for an extension to keep its controversial container village beside the lake at West Basin for another two years, despite a rocky start.
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Traders say things are looking a little brighter, but they're still negotiating about how much rent they will be asked to pay for the past six months since the government took control.
With no rent paid for months, the traders have recently signed rent agreements, at a rate of about $385 a week for a big container and $275 for a small container. The question now is how much will be backdated.
The ACT government's two-year works approval expires in September and a spokesman for Chief Minister Andrew Barr confirmed this week a new application would be lodged by April.
A National Capital Authority spokesperson said the public would be given a chance to comment.
Before agreeing to an extension, the authority would assess "overall management of the site in relation to its activation, presentation and public safety compliance consistent with its prominent location", the spokesperson said.
Authority chairman Malcolm Snow declined an interview on the subject, but last year he expressed concern about lack of activity, describing the container village as "a bit of a damp squib".
The temporary "pop up" container village was designed to bring life to the West Basin area in the lead-up to selling blocks for apartments and commercial development. The first blocks, for 200 residential dwellings plus 5000 square metres of commercial space, are due to be sold in 2016-17, but no specific timetable has been set.
Meanwhile, the government is developing a $10 million park nearby and has bought out the bike and boat hire businesses to clear the area for development.
When the government was negotiating with the Mr Spokes owners, it warned them that the area would be busy with trucks, noise and dust. And when negotiations stalled completely in August 2014, the Land Development Agency wrote to them saying they could stay put, but told them again "a level of noise and other disruption will be unavoidable".
It is unclear what impact the construction will have on the container village if it wins approval to stay on site for another two years.
Mr Barr said while there "may be some disruption in the area over the coming years", the government still wanted Canberrans to "enjoy the area as much as possible".
"This is why we are looking to start the renewal of West Basin with the construction of Point park, and why our intention is for Westside to remain. There will also be more events at Westside in 2016 and 2017, which will drive more people to the venue over the next two years."
The site was originally to be open for Floriade in 2014, but was beset by construction delays and then by subcontractors complaining they were not being paid. In August 2014, the government took control from Stromlo Stomping Ground and has been running it in-house since.
But businesses operating there have been struggling, with few visitors to the site.
None of the traders wanted to be named for fear of jeopardising negotiations, but one said they were "starting to see a little bit of light".
"We're not making money, but we're surviving. If we would have had to pay rent we would have been really struggling," he said.
Another said the key problem was lack of signage. "That's the biggest thing that's holding this place back," he said. "People think it's a yard to chuck containers in."
But when people did visit, they were "loving the space, loving the idea," he said.
