Woolworths is seeking a direct sale of ACT government land to expand its supermarket at the Hawker shops.
The proposal would see the current Woolworths Metro supermarket expanded into a "full-line" supermarket, taking over some existing open-air carparks and a courtyard.
Basement parking would be built as part of any redevelopment. Woolworths could not say if that would mean paid parking.
"Given its early stages, we'll wait to see if approval is granted on the proposed development," a spokesperson said.
Supporters say the centre is looking tired and needs to be upgraded. Opponents are urging Woolworths to upgrade the current Metro store within its existing footprint and revitalise the surrounding space without ruining the community feel of the shops.
If the ACT government agrees to sell the land to Woolworths, the supermarket giant will then have to lodge a development application for consideration.
Opponents also claim community consultation commissioned by Woolworths was a "sham" and there will be no stopping the development if the land sale goes through, DA or not.
A community consultation report commissioned by Woolworths said "84 per cent of feedback either explicitly supported, or expressed no objection, to the project".
Of those, "56 per cent expressed support for the entire proposed development, 28 per cent raised general comments or questions without objecting to the development".
The consultation found "16 per cent did not support a full-line supermarket or comprehensive precinct refresh".
A Woolworths spokesperson said the proposal had several steps before fruition.
"To help cater to increasing demand for services and amenities around Hawker, we've developed a vision to revitalise the existing Hawker Place shopping precinct," they said.
"We appreciate the interest from the community in these initial plans and we're thankful for the feedback we've received to date.
"We have almost finalised our direct sale application for submission to the ACT government. If approved, a development application would be submitted for the proposed development."
The Woolworths-commissioned community consultation also sought comment from residents about what they wanted to see in the precinct redevelopment.
A new children's playground was "a recurring request". There was a desire to "maintain a sense of community within the precinct". Green spaces and natural light were important.
Concerns were expressed about the impact of the development on existing businesses, such as the post office and bakery. Some speciality shops will be in the new centre.
The report said "opinions varied on whether to retain the open-air carpark or introduce an underground carpark".
"The community sought assurances of adequate parking spaces and accessibility," it read.
The report found "most respondents supported a larger Woolworths store with an expanded product range, including deli, bakery and BWS".
The report said community engagement took place over six weeks in June and August last year.
There were two community drop-in sessions at the shops, a community workshop at Hawker College and online feedback via the project website.
"Across the engagement activities, feedback was received from over 225 community members with a further 49 comments and submissions received digitally. This generated 453 pieces of feedback data that have been analysed to inform this report," a Woolworths spokesperson said.
Those who supported the development agreed the current shops looked tired and needed an update, and the bigger supermarket would attract more people to the centre.
Those who objected did not agree with basement parking being provided and believed a larger supermarket would only benefit Woolworths' bottom line.
One respondent said a larger supermarket would "ruin the little community store you have at the moment".
There was also a letterbox drop and briefing to a Belconnen Community Council meeting.
An ACT government spokesperson confirmed it had not yet received an application from Woolworths for the direct sale of land.
"Generally, if an application is submitted to the ACT government for a direct sale, the government will first decide if it wants to sell the land and the applicant must demonstrate the benefit to the community," the spokesperson said.
"Careful consideration is also given to whether it is appropriate to sell the land directly or if the land should be offered for sale through a competitive open market process. The ACT government also considers existing planning strategies for the area and the feedback received from the community through consultation processes that led to the development of the strategies."
The spokesperson also said a development application would be required if a proposal to extend the centre was submitted.
"If a DA is submitted, the Territory Planning Authority will publicly notify the DA for a minimum of 15 working days," they said.
"If the final design triggers a significant development, then the authority will undertake two rounds of public notification. In this instance, the DA would be publicly notified for a total minimum of 30 working days.
"The authority will consider any representations, comments from entities and the requirements of the Planning Act 2023 as part of the assessment process."
Weetangera resident Vicki Hill said the Woolworths-commissioned consultation had been "a disgrace" and a "sham".
"Well, unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of it," she said.
"And it was really a 'tick, tick box' situation where not a lot of people actually knew about it. There was no advertising, there were no posters put up for it, it was in the middle of winter.
"And everybody I speak to, all my friends who shop here, actually don't know about any of the Woolworths plans."
She said those who attended a session had been asked if they wanted a "better supermarket" not "do you want the existing centre destroyed?".
"This courtyard on the weekend is pumping and full of happy people at the cafe," she said.
Ms Hill said the centre was now easy to negotiate, especially for the elderly.
"It's just very efficient and that's why people from all around the region drop in after work and before work and then flow on to all the other suburbs because of the quick, available parking and accessibility," she said.
Ms Hill could still see room for improvements without a massive new centre or "having to go park underground for milk and bread".
"There's lot of opportunity for an improved village feel and also keeping what everyone likes about this particular style of shopping," she said.
Ms Hill said Woolworths suggested it wouldn't release any designs for the centre until it secured the purchase of the land. She believed the expanded supermarket was a fait accompli and the development application process would have no bearing on it.
"It'll be too late by then because they'll have the land," she said.
"There's no way we can influence anything Woolworths does once they have the land."
Hawker butcher Daniel Hill supported the redevelopment.
"I just think the centre looks a bit tired-looking, it needs a revamp. It's been like this for years, " he said.
"There's plenty of car-parking space. I don't believe anyone will miss out on a car-parking space. And it would be good to see more people come through the centre.
"At night, it doesn't look very nice. Even the park is tired. The whole area is tired, it needs a revamp. And if Woolworths want to do that, sounds great."
Belco Party candidate Alan Tutt has also owned the Canberra Clothing store at the Hawker shops for the last 25 years.
He believed the centre worked well as it was.
"If we need to do another development, I don't know why it has to be upgraded so much," he said.
"I'd rather see the footpaths fixed up by the government. We've got Jamieson and Kippax only two Ks away and there's no need for another redevelopment in Hawker.
"Hawker Village is about community-friendly use."
