A familiar sight at Richardson Shops. Photo: Joy Burch.
The ACT Government says the revival of Aranda Shops could serve as a blueprint for bringing other rundown shopping centres like Richardson Shops in Tuggeranong back to life.
When former public servant Chris Dennis opened Two Before Ten at Aranda Shops in 2014, “it was a ghost town”.
“There were tumbleweeds and syringes in the car park,” he told Region a few years later.
“It was not a pleasant place at all.”
Nowadays, the local shopping centre on Bandjalong Crescent in Belconnen is considered a community hub.
The café has been joined by a wine bar, niche furniture store, yoga and dance studio and a community vegetable garden, with most of the heavy lifting done by Mr Dennis and the Aranda Residents Group.
Meanwhile, further south on Clift Crescent in Tuggeranong, it’s more like Aranda from 2014.
Since the closure of its IGA supermarket in 2019 and a hairdresser in 2020, Richardson Shops has sat empty and deteriorating and four petitions since then have done little to change that.
This week, however, the ACT Government responded to a Greens-led motion and agreed to consider “tougher measures for property owners who leave their shop vacant or unused”.
On behalf of Planning Minister Chris Steel, Tara Cheyne told the ACT Legislative Assembly the government’s hands were tied on compelling the owner of Richardson Shops to “secure a tenant”, but “that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a closer look”.
ACT Greens MLA Laura Nuttall says the state of Richardson Shops is why she joined politics. Photo: Laura Nuttall.
The government has promised to release three parcels of undeveloped land to the north of the shops to encourage more “private investment” in the area and to review planning controls to open up the site itself to mixed-use developments such as shop-top housing.
To “disincentive shop squatting”, it could also introduce a new levy on retail properties which remain vacant for a certain period of time and add a withdrawal clause to new crown leases.
ACT Greens MLA Laura Nuttall, who introduced the motion, said “seeing Richardson Shops go from a hub for our community to a vacant eyesore was one of my biggest motivators for getting into local politics”.
A recent survey of more than 200 nearby residents found 81 per cent wanted to see a café, restaurant or grocery store return to the site, while others suggested a sports facility, medical centre, or apartments added to the top of the building.
The Canberra Liberal MLAs Mark Parton and Deborah Morris argued the government “must carry some of the blame” for the site’s situation.
“Retail’s changing and many things have changed since the days Richardson Shops were open, but we cannot ignore the impact that government charges and compliance has had on why these shops remain closed,” Mr Parton said.
Ms Morris added the government’s current lease variation charge prevents business owners from wanting to apply for different uses for their properties.
“The leaseholders … have confirmed at multiple points since 2022 that they have actively sought to put new tenants in the Richardson Shops, however a series of Labor government roadblocks have prevented this from being successful,” she said.
“Efforts by the leaseholder to introduce service centres, mechanics and a childcare centre to the shops were denied.”
The result of a survey of 203 Richardson residents conducted earlier this year by the ACT Greens. Image: Screenshot, ACT Greens.
The government has until the last sitting week of 2025 to report back to the Assembly and verify whether Richardson Shops “has, or will shortly have, a tenant that meets community need” or “if a tenant has not been found, take action to enforce”.
In the meantime, Ms Cheyne suggested “it might be opportune for the owners of Richardson Shops to speak with Mr Dennis”.
“I think it’s worth reflecting that Aranda Shops also sat vacant for a very, very, very long time and it was very frustrating for residents, but … the owner of the site was able to attract a tenant … and the tenant and the owner were able to work with the community to really build up support,” Ms Cheyne said.
“The community rewards the intent of the tenant and I think that’s exactly why it’s so successful.”
