Plans for a "completely new" Kippax Fair are ready to be submitted for approval, which would add hundreds of homes and two new supermarkets to the shopping centre.
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But the expansion hinges on the ACT government selling an adjacent block of land to the centre's owners, they said.
Owners of the shopping centre, the Christodoulou family, have released new plans for the expansion which would include new supermarkets, speciality shops, more car parks and 300 new homes.
The plans are on display at Kippax Fair and online for the West Belconnen community to view and provide feedback.
In a statement, the owners said it was important to share the plans with local residents as they "prepare for the next phase of planning".
![An artist's impression of the expanded Kippax Fair. Picture supplied An artist's impression of the expanded Kippax Fair. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/146508744/1dda2414-90a0-428e-99bd-943d6a805196.png/r0_94_2500_1500_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The plans include tripling the size of the retail space at the centre, including the addition of Coles and Aldi grocery stores.
A residential component with 300 new homes, including some affordable dwellings, is also in the plans alongside a new community hub, a skate park and dining precinct.
The new-look centre would also include 450 new underground car parks.
![The shopping centre would triple in size under the expansion plans. Picture supplied The shopping centre would triple in size under the expansion plans. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/146508744/58ab2063-821a-4efd-8f2c-61b2cfe9b32f.png/r0_49_1292_775_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Owner pushes govt to sell adjacent land
For their expansion, the owners need to purchase an adjoining piece of land, block 71, section 51 Holt.
"Kippax Fair is ready to get on with the new development as soon as the ACT government agrees to the sale of the adjacent land to us," the Kippax Fair owners said.
The ACT government is selling the two-hectare block via a two-stage competitive sales process to "ensure a fair and transparent process".
The first stage was an expression of interest in 2021 and the second stage would call for competitive bids, pending the outcome of site investigations including soil testing.
The Kippax Fair owners said the second stage had been delayed, so they "proactively" put forward a submission to the ACT government in a bid to secure the land and reduce further delays.
"We hope to have a favourable decision from government before the end of this year which would then enable us to move towards a formal development application," the owners said in a statement.
![The expansion would see 300 new homes added to the Kippax Group Centre. Picture supplied The expansion would see 300 new homes added to the Kippax Group Centre. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/146508744/ee990048-d2b9-4f21-883a-15d912371235.png/r0_49_1295_777_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
In a statement, the ACT government's Suburban Land Agency said the block is included in the indicative land release program for 2023-24.
"The Suburban Land Agency is working to finalise due diligence including environmental testing in order to release identified Block 71 to market," a spokesperson said.
"Release of Block 71 to market does not prohibit redevelopment of the existing adjoining or surrounding development, as such redevelopment would be consistent with ambitions set out in the Kippax Group Centre master plan."
The expansion of Kippax Fair has been in the works for more than a decade and was reliant on changes to the Kippax Group Centre master plan.
The Holt Precinct Map and Code was revised through a variation to the Territory Plan, approved in 2020, to allow an increase to building heights across the precinct.
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