Vandals have destroyed parts of the recently renovated Woden town square, a little more than two months after it was unveiled to the public.
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Nearly all of the glass doors and windows on the newly installed community hub were smashed over the weekend.
Trees were torn up and several pieces of street furniture were also destroyed.
The "Woden experiment" was an ACT government initiative aimed at revitalising the run-down centre.
An indoor community hub, street furniture, gardens and play areas were installed in early March.
The damage was discovered early on Sunday morning.
Woden Valley Community Council president Fiona Carrick said the discovery of the damage was a devastating blow to the community.
"I was shocked at the level of damage to the community hub, with all the doors and windows broken, and glass was just everywhere. The new area was a focal point for the community. Many people in the community are outraged by the vandalism," Ms Carrick said.
Work on repairing the damage to the new area started on Monday, with ACT government staff seen fixing the broken doors and windows.
The Woden experiment was expected to remain in place at the Woden town square for six months.
On its unveiling in March, the ACT government said the experiment would help the government revive other public areas across the city.
Ms Carrick said graffiti tagging had been a problem at the revived area in the past few weeks, but the weekend's damage was more extensive.
"There's new trees that have been snapped in half," she said.
"The immediate steps would be to fix the vandalism and also develop a plan for the social infrastructure for the community."