Braddon business owners Ana Derek, Lulu Moxom, Nick Bulum and Julian Fresi are unimpressed with the tanbark gardens, loss of parking and disruption. Photos: Ian Bushnell.
The Braddon street upgrades were going to transform streetscapes into vibrant environments to do business, but bitterly disappointed traders this week are fuming over the latest stage of the project in Lonsdale Street that has brought nothing but disruption and broken promises.
Some businesses at the northern end of the street have had to close their doors and send staff home while others are battling on but taking losses as parking disappeared and delivery and garbage trucks could not get access.
The City Renewal Authority has been running the upgrades project, which traders say has not met milestones over the past few years and is not delivering what they had been promised.
This week, Lonsdale Street was closed at Girrawheen Street, access from the south narrowed, and parking was restricted as work started on turning centre car parks into garden beds.
It’s a far cry from what traders thought they were getting in exchange for losing precious car parks.
Developer and longtime Braddon landlord Nick Bulum said that all businesses and their customers were getting was tanbark, not the pocket parks, public art, raised garden beds, garden seating and extended verges they were expecting.
“None of what was promised is being done, and it’s frustrating. We’ve lost car parks, not for these amazing promises but islands of tanbark,” he said.
The recent rain had washed away some of the tanbark in the planted islands already built at the other end of the street, making a mess.
The island garden at the other end of Lonsdale Street did not fare well in the recent storms.
He said Braddon commercial property owners paid an improvements levy on top of rates to fund projects such as this.
“For many years, we’ve had nothing done, and finally, we’re excited to see us getting some attention,” he said.
“They beautified Dickson, but we got the tanbark. It’s a slap in the face,” Mr Bulum said.
Florist Lulu Moxom said her delivery guy had to park on the footpath, and she was well down on her takings yesterday, and the biggest day of the year, Valentine’s Day, is looming as a financial disaster.
“The bump-on effect is bigger than not being able to park your car and having tanbark in the middle of the road,” she said.
“It’s heartbreaking for Braddon.”
Elemental cafe owner Julian Fresi said the project management and communication with businesses had been poor.
“It needs to be executed better, make it more accommodating for business. They don’t have to block off all the car parks,” he said.
Braddon United Retail Traders (BURT) spokesperson Kel Watt said five or six businesses in just one building have had to close until further notice.
Mr Watt said the government had promised that this level of disruption would not happen.
“We were also given assurances that there would be consultation with businesses so that any trader impact on any given day would have some consultation, and they’d be able to come to an arrangement where they wouldn’t have their customers and clients impacted,” he said.
Businesses accepted that works such as this required some closures and compromise.
“What we’re upset about is that all the parking has been eliminated, that rubbish and recycling can’t be picked up, delivery vans can’t get in, and again, the government promised that those things wouldn’t be impacted.”
Mr Watt said traders had also accepted that fewer parking spaces overall would be offset by a better and more active streetscape that would benefit their businesses, but that was not the case.
He said that BURT was calling on the government to do what they promised.
Canberra Liberals business spokesperson Leanne Castley with BURT spokesperson Kel Watt: she wants answers about the project and its funding.
Canberra Liberals business spokesperson Leanne Castley said she would be asking questions of the City Renewal Authority, including how much levy money had gone towards the project, and when it would be finished.
“Why aren’t Braddon businesses getting the value that they feel they’re putting in? They’re paying all this money to have the privilege of doing business in town, but they don’t feel that they’re getting that benefit,” she said
The City Renewal Authority did not address questions about the scope of the work but said it had recently become aware of new concerns related to the Lonsdale Street project and had agreed to meet with businesses to discuss potential solutions.
A spokesperson said the CRA had taken a targeted and staged approach to construction to minimise disruption, providing regular emails and letterbox drops and stopping work over the busy Christmas trading period.
Over the past six months, a mid-block pedestrian crossing, new median, wider footpaths, new street furniture and landscaping have been completed.
“This has made it safer and easier for people to move around Lonsdale Street and is already providing benefits to local traders,” the spokesperson said.
Last week, work began on a second mid-block pedestrian crossing north of the rainbow roundabout, including landscaping, lighting and street furniture.
Local business owners were notified via email and a letterbox drop between 11 and 15 December.
Work is due to be completed in June 2024.
“The entire Braddon streetscape upgrades project is due to be completed by the end of this year – this includes upgrades to the intersection with Girrawheen Street and the Mort and Elouera Street intersection,” the spokesperson said.
“Together with local construction company Guideline ACT, we are committed to delivering this work as quickly and efficiently as possible to minimise disruption to residents, visitors and businesses.”
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