Cross-directorate task force aims to make Dickson shops safer and more vibrant

Help is coming to the Dickson shops where boarded up shopfronts, anti-social behaviour and struggling businesses are creating a picture of decline in the inner north.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr has created a cross-directorate task force to tackle the issues that have emerged there in recent times, ironically after the completion of a new Coles supermarket and apartment complex.

It is unclear if Mr Barr has responded to overtures from other members for Kurrajong or to the well-canvassed concerns directly.

A spokesperson said the taskforce was established before the receipt of letters of concern from various Members of Kurrajong, and after community consultation and engagement.

Independent Thomas Emerson broke the news on social media, posting that the working group will include representatives from CMTEDD, JACS, CSD, Canberra Health Services, ACT Policing, City Services and Libraries ACT, while the City Renewal Authority will explore lighting improvements and CCTV infrastructure requirements, as well as progressing their planned streetscape improvements in the area.

“Thank you to Andrew Barr for standing up this working group in response to community concerns about the state of the Dickson Shops, and to Elizabeth Lee MLA and Shane Rattenbury MLA who have echoed these concerns,” he said.

“The Greens are also moving a motion on the topic in the Assembly this week, which I look forward to supporting.”

Greens leader Shane Rattenbury has a private member’s motion on the taskforce to move in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday (6 March), which aims to secure follow-up reporting to the Assembly and use the experience to apply to other centres that may face similar problems in the future.

In his letter to Mr Barr, he highlighted the area’s high number of vacant shops, the deterrent of high commercial rents, an increase in anti-social behaviour and the need for homeless services.

While welcoming the coming refresh from the City Renewal Authority, he raised concerns about how it will be done and potential disruptions to businesses.

Mr Barr said in a letter to Mr Rattenbury that the upgrade would mean, among other improvements, better lighting, infrastructure for a CCTV network and more accessible parking.

“By improving the amenity and appeal of the surrounding public spaces, the upgrades will continue to ensure the Dickson Shops are a vibrant precinct,” he said.

“The upgrades intend to also assist in supporting existing local businesses and helping to improve commercial vacancy rates.”

The government would also pursue greater coordination and collaboration across the sector and with people with lived experiences to address the needs of people with complex needs.

Mr Rattenbury welcomed the task force announcement, saying a similar approach in Watson last year when the Greens were in government had been quite effective.

He said while some behaviour had made the Dickson area uncomfortable, actual crime had not risen, so it wasn’t simply a policing issue.

“It needs the mental health, the alcohol and drug responses, and potentially the homelessness responses because that’s the sort of behavior we’re seeing as a cause for concern,” Mr Rattenbury said.

The other end of the problem was older Dickson’s apparent economic decline.

He hoped the government would talk to landlords and get creative about filling some of the empty tenancies to revitalise the area, such as temporary galleries.

“Braddon was like this going back 10 years or so. You saw those temporary businesses moving to Braddon and it really turned the place around,” he said.

There were also concerns about the new Coles supermarket and its two hours of free parking and trolley restrictions actually diverting people away from other parts of Dickson, rather than rejuvenating the entire centre.

Mr Rattenbury said the City Renewal Authority could play a role working with traders to resolve some of these sorts of issues “at a really local and thoughtful level”.