Residents in the Dickson area have savaged the re-lodged plans for the $56 million Coles Doma development, with disappointment the standard reaction described in public submissions.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Clinical, a monolithic lump, alienating and uninspiring were some of the terms used for the design of the project which will bring Coles, Aldi and 140 apartments to the key suburb at the capital's northern entrance.
Concerns about the lack of pedestrian and cycling focus and feared vehicle gridlock were the most common problems raised as the four-week submissions period closed on Friday, with repeated frustration evident about the misfit between the major project and the Dickson Master Plan.
A Lyneham resident said the entry and exit ramps on the service lane between Woolworths and the new development would quickly become clogged.
"It needs to be clearly understood that nearly all vehicles arriving at Dickson for shopping will be channelled into this narrow and supposedly pedestrian-friendly area," she said.
"A much better solution would be to have the basement entry ramp directly off Badham Street."
A submission from Pedal Power ACT agreed, saying high volumes of traffic would be brought into "the heart of what is identified on the Dickson Master Plan and the Territory Plan as the principal pedestrian spine of the Dickson Group Centre".
There were 31 submissions received by Friday afternoon, about half the 59 received for the extended notification of the original proposal, rejected by the Planning and Land Authority in May.
A pedestrian and one-way vehicle shared zone which better connected the Dickson centre to the development was one of the improved features promoted in the revised plans lodged early last month. Several submissions called for cyclists to be allowed to travel in both directions in the zone.
While the exterior of the main building was redesigned, many residents remain unimpressed, with one describing the structures as "architecturally, aesthetically and environmentally not appropriate".
A Downer resident agreed, saying the development seemed "very clinical, somewhat ugly at ground level and alienating in comparison to existing treatments".
Several others were concerned about the major roads surrounding the project, with a separate Downer resident criticising the use of Antill Street as both the entry and exit for trucks and where those leaving the 467-space underground car park would end up.
"It can take four changes of the lights now to cross Northbourne Avenue [westbound] at peak times, with traffic backed up to the site of the new supermarkets," she said.
Widespread public outcry over the original plans led more than 1600 people to sign a petition tabled in the legislative assembly in May calling for a halt to the development.
There was only one submission which fully backed the revised plans, from a cycling fan who praised the increased, and more visible, bicycle parks.
The amended plans retain 140 apartments (down from the original 155, although the lower figure was put forward by the proponents in April last year) and reduce the number of loading dock entrances off Antill Street from four to two.
