3 August 2012

Giralang shops; you know the story by now...

| Rollersk8r
Join the conversation
23

Sometimes it pays to unwrap The Chronicle after all.

Possibly old news, but I wasn’t aware the long, long awaited, much, much needed redevelopment of Giralang shops is headed back to court for the 437th time, delaying work indefinitely.

Admittedly I’m not interested enough in researching the legal side of it – but is this how it’s going to play out forever?

Final approval, minister has used his call in powers, then immediately set back by another year each time a new party appeals??? How does anything ever get done in this town?

The article hits the nail on the head. I know a number of young families in Giralang with kids approaching school age, myself included.

The state of the shop site is one factor in weighing up whether we’ll send our kids to Giralang Primary.

Join the conversation

23
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Gira2617 said :

Coyote2012 said :

Maybe I am missing the obvious but why don’t Woolies put a smaller store in Giralang like they have at Dunlop? Fixes the traffic problems through the suburb and would most probably keep the IGA’s in the surrounding suburbs viable.

Everyone gets a local centre this way.

That’s what they are doing, the shop size is the same as Dunlop, it’s the other shops and loading bay underneath that they are also taking into account. It’s not even certain that it’s woollies. It could be Aldi or anyone else, they are just using the system for their gain and not thinking about the community at all.

You are incorrect.

Dunlop is 800sqm with everything to do with the supermarket whilst what is being proposed at Giralang is 1,500sqm plus shared facilities. More than double! So again, my point is why don’t they just do the same size as Dunlop? I think I can answer my own question – developers greed. The same reason the site is such a pig sty and they cant spend the money to clean it up.

Coyote2012 said :

Maybe I am missing the obvious but why don’t Woolies put a smaller store in Giralang like they have at Dunlop? Fixes the traffic problems through the suburb and would most probably keep the IGA’s in the surrounding suburbs viable.

Everyone gets a local centre this way.

Woolies are trying to send every other competitor broke, that’s the point I would think

Coyote2012 said :

Maybe I am missing the obvious but why don’t Woolies put a smaller store in Giralang like they have at Dunlop? Fixes the traffic problems through the suburb and would most probably keep the IGA’s in the surrounding suburbs viable.

Everyone gets a local centre this way.

That’s what they are doing, the shop size is the same as Dunlop, it’s the other shops and loading bay underneath that they are also taking into account. It’s not even certain that it’s woollies. It could be Aldi or anyone else, they are just using the system for their gain and not thinking about the community at all.

devils_advocate4:17 pm 08 Aug 12

maui said :

The Kaleen IGA has been taken over by Supabarn. Funny how the ‘competition’ argument doesn’t matter when it is Supabarn taking over smaller shops like IGA.

Actually it applies in a more important, albeit nuanced, way.

When you have a duopoly in a market (eg grocery market) then something that allows the emergence of a viable third force (eg allowing a third force to gain greater scale and efficiency) is actually an example of a merger that is pro-competitive.

So yes, supabarn expanding (including, potentially, by taking over an IGA) could be pro-competitive.

Maybe I am missing the obvious but why don’t Woolies put a smaller store in Giralang like they have at Dunlop? Fixes the traffic problems through the suburb and would most probably keep the IGA’s in the surrounding suburbs viable.

Everyone gets a local centre this way.

poetix said :

‘The state of the shop is one factor in weighing up whether we’ll send our kids to Giralang Primary.’

What? What possible effect does the shop have on the educational standards of the school? I used to love my child going to a school near our home, but swapped to one on the other side of the lake because it’s a much better school in terms of options and facilities. The standard of the local shops didn’t come into it. I really can’t understand what you mean here.

Read the article, the point of which is the school has trouble attracting people when the environs are in such poor shape. What’s not to understand?

I called this happening last time they said it was “definitely” going ahead.

Just do anything with it:

Make it shops
Make it a car park
Make it units
Make it an airport.

Just do something with it. I am sick of living across the road from it.

Deref said :

screaming banshee said :

Tetranitrate said :

The owners should have lost the lease, no compensation, when they freely chose to close the shops down in the hope that they could get the site rezoned and enjoy a massive windfall gain by flogging the land off for apartments.

This is what happens when you let bad people get away with bad things.

I concur

And I.

Wouln’t it be fun to find out how much the lessees of these rorts donate to political parties!

I’m in the queue as well. i just walked past it five minutes ago with my boys and the dog. It’s crap. It’s a bloody third world disgrace, and I’d really like to give the arsehats repsponsible for this blight a good punch on the nose.

screaming banshee said :

Tetranitrate said :

The owners should have lost the lease, no compensation, when they freely chose to close the shops down in the hope that they could get the site rezoned and enjoy a massive windfall gain by flogging the land off for apartments.

This is what happens when you let bad people get away with bad things.

I concur

And I.

Wouln’t it be fun to find out how much the lessees of these rorts donate to political parties!

screaming banshee4:57 pm 04 Aug 12

Tetranitrate said :

The owners should have lost the lease, no compensation, when they freely chose to close the shops down in the hope that they could get the site rezoned and enjoy a massive windfall gain by flogging the land off for apartments.

This is what happens when you let bad people get away with bad things.

I concur

Tetranitrate4:19 pm 04 Aug 12

The owners should have lost the lease, no compensation, when they freely chose to close the shops down in the hope that they could get the site rezoned and enjoy a massive windfall gain by flogging the land off for apartments.

This is what happens when you let bad people get away with bad things.

Owners are being strategic in leaving derelict shops there. they could have easily submitted a DA for demolition years ago but that wouldn’t suit their needs.

The Crown lease system has sanctions for this sort of thing but that would end in the courts as well.

Just sick and tired of outside interests interfering with our suburb. Wish they would put their money into running their business properly instead of making the lawyers rich and making our wonderful suburb looking like a dumping ground.

They all need a good dose of concrete and harden up and stop their whinging. BTW it has to go to the full bench of the ACT supreme court next. Not a cheap exercise for the ACT tax payer!

The biggish shop site is right next to the school, within sight of most of the school I imagine and it seriously looks like beirut. I was shocked when I saw it. Crumbling buildings, random leaning construction fencing, graffiti, rubbish – it defies description really – nothing else like it in Canberra, and nor should there be at Giralang, right next to the school.

A shop near a school is fantastic for parents. Strapping multiple kids in and out of carseats is a huge pain, and being able to grab milk and bread and something for dinner on the way to school pick up would be fantastic.

GardeningGirl12:17 pm 04 Aug 12

poetix said :

‘The state of the shop is one factor in weighing up whether we’ll send our kids to Giralang Primary.’

What? What possible effect does the shop have on the educational standards of the school? I used to love my child going to a school near our home, but swapped to one on the other side of the lake because it’s a much better school in terms of options and facilities. The standard of the local shops didn’t come into it. I really can’t understand what you mean here.

I just thought of three concerns off the top of my head, but I haven’t seen those particular old shops, and I don’t want to speak for anyone else.

Felix the Cat said :

Kaleen, which has two shopping centres – one with a largish Supabarn, and the other a well stocked IGA – is a 5 minute drive from most parts of Giralang. Or there is also Dickson, probably a 10 minute drive away, which currently has Woolies with construction due to start soon on an Aldi and I think a Coles. An epic 15 minutes away there is Gungahlin Town Centre with Coles, Woolies and Aldi or 15 minutes in the other direction there is Westfield Belconnen with same supermarkets. How many supermarkets are needed in a 10km radius?

For me, it is more the fact that these derelict buildings are allowed to stand. Fix it, replace it, demolish it. But do something. Urban blight like this is a disgrace.

‘The state of the shop is one factor in weighing up whether we’ll send our kids to Giralang Primary.’

What? What possible effect does the shop have on the educational standards of the school? I used to love my child going to a school near our home, but swapped to one on the other side of the lake because it’s a much better school in terms of options and facilities. The standard of the local shops didn’t come into it. I really can’t understand what you mean here.

maui said :

The Kaleen IGA has been taken over by Supabarn. Funny how the ‘competition’ argument doesn’t matter when it is Supabarn taking over smaller shops like IGA.

No it hasn’t. I heard the store could’t afford to stay with the IGA brand. It has joined the superbarn buying group as an independent. Still owned by the same people, just a different buying group.

The Kaleen IGA has been taken over by Supabarn. Funny how the ‘competition’ argument doesn’t matter when it is Supabarn taking over smaller shops like IGA.

The IGA at Kaleen has changed hands hasn’t it?
I only know because I directed somebody to a restaurant next to the IGA and they couldn’t find it because the signage has changed, and we got a flyer saying something like “same great team, different brand” …or something like that.
Why would they still be arguing against Giralang?

Felix the Cat said :

Kaleen, which has two shopping centres – one with a largish Supabarn, and the other a well stocked IGA – is a 5 minute drive from most parts of Giralang. Or there is also Dickson, probably a 10 minute drive away, which currently has Woolies with construction due to start soon on an Aldi and I think a Coles. An epic 15 minutes away there is Gungahlin Town Centre with Coles, Woolies and Aldi or 15 minutes in the other direction there is Westfield Belconnen with same supermarkets. How many supermarkets are needed in a 10km radius?

If you have a car, very few I guess.

We’ve rehashed the whole supermarket/woollies yes/no thing many times in the past. The point of the OP was that this has been approved, the subsequent appeal was knocked back, fairly contemptuously, and yet they can appeal again! The gist of the discussion is “when can they stop appealing?”.

Felix the Cat3:23 pm 03 Aug 12

Kaleen, which has two shopping centres – one with a largish Supabarn, and the other a well stocked IGA – is a 5 minute drive from most parts of Giralang. Or there is also Dickson, probably a 10 minute drive away, which currently has Woolies with construction due to start soon on an Aldi and I think a Coles. An epic 15 minutes away there is Gungahlin Town Centre with Coles, Woolies and Aldi or 15 minutes in the other direction there is Westfield Belconnen with same supermarkets. How many supermarkets are needed in a 10km radius?

Yes it is crazy that they can keep appealing and thus achieve their objective of blocking development of the site.

Clearly the site owners should be required to clear the site and render it safe. They don’t want to do that as they, correctly, surmise that the current state of the site puts pressure on the Government to resolve the issue in their favour.

It would definitely be better for the school if the site was cleared, but there is excellent walking access through pedestrian tunnels under Canopus St on either side of the school, as well as unhindered access from the back side on the path through the playing fields. Parking is good and access from the carpark to the school is unaffected by the shop site.

The network effects of attending a local school are fabulous, for children and parents. I highly recommend it.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.