A bigger supermarket, apartments up to five storeys high, new access roads and even the relocation of its iconic sheep sculptures are all possibilities canvassed in a draft masterplan for the Kambah group centre issued today.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The document is a blueprint for possible development of the precinct over the next 20 to 30 years.
It focuses on the Kambah Village shopping centre, which serves the more than 15,000 people living in Kambah, Canberra's most populous suburb.
Among the many possible scenarios for the future is the ACT Government selling land now used as carparks for a major retail development such as a full-line supermarket but also stipulating that a basement carpark must be built with it.
It also suggests encouraging housing in the area with unit developments up to five storeys including on the site of the now-closed Woolworths Caltex service station.
Other measures include better bicycle and pedestrian access, extending Kett Street south to Drakeford Drive, better landscaping and lighting, possible redevelopment of the local tavern and enticing other smaller retail outlets to open.
Local shopkeepers, including butcher Cameron Fenson, welcomed any moves to revitalise the centre.
''I think it's good. I think it will move Kambah out of the 1970s and into the future,'' he said.
Newsagent Vir Krishna said his only concern was if any future construction affected existing businesses.
''Definitely it needs to be upgraded. People are saying this is the worst shopping centre in this area,'' he said.
But Tuggeranong Community Council president Darryl Johnston was concerned that the ACT Government had allowed only two weeks for public comment on the draft plan.
The council would consider seeking more time to respond to it, including asking a representative from the ACT Planning and Land Authority to attend one of its meetings.
''We would really like the opportunity to go through it and consider it thoroughly so we can make constructive comment,'' he said.
Planners have been consulting the community since earlier this year and want to retain what residents love anout their centre - the village feel, range of services, its convenience and its public art.
Those famous sheep sculptures could also be moved to a "key entry'' of the centre - they wouldn't be relocated entirely from the area.
''The Kambah sheep are valued by the community'', the draft plan reads.
The and public comment is open until September 16. Comments can be made by email at kambah@act.gov.au or by post to Kambah Group Centre Master Plan, PO Box 1908, Canberra ACT 2601.
The Government is expected to issue the final plan later this year.
