Former Civic cafe owner says light rail isn't the only threat

Ralph Packard walked away from his long-running Tree Eighty3 cafe at Bailey’s Corner in Civic earlier this year, and says light rail construction was only part of the reason. In an interview Region Canberra published on 31 October, he said parking, access, work from home and the rise of town centres such as Woden and Gungahlin have also drawn customers away from the city. For Civic landlords and leasing agents, his warning is that London Circuit may have a new set of traders by the time construction ends.

Packard says he is very much pro-light rail. Traders had long expected major disruption on the western side of London Circuit. What Tree Eighty3 did not expect, he says, was a letter two years ago saying London Circuit East would close from Commonwealth Avenue around to Theatre Lane. After that, the cafe’s foot traffic pretty much disappeared overnight and the business became unviable.

Why it matters

A recent report from the Legislative Assembly inquiry into Canberra’s night-time economy acknowledged the impact of city construction works on local businesses, Region Canberra reported. It recommended the ACT Government consider stronger temporary relief for businesses hit by ongoing disruption. Another recommendation stressed easy, varied access to the city, an issue Packard also raised.

Packard says the small measures taken so far are not worth much, and only substantial money would help businesses survive. He believes the government does not want to set a precedent by giving capital to businesses.

The numbers

Packard says rising expenses can be budgeted for. The big variable is foot traffic, which he says has declined significantly. The London Circuit East closure letter arrived two years ago, he says. He calls that letter the icing on the cake for a cafe already holding on to a small flow of customers. Some businesses were told how badly the works would affect them, he says, but others, including Tree Eighty3, were not. He says anyone who denies the city’s longer-running problems has blinkers on.

What’s next

Packard says “the government is between a rock and a hard place.” With Tree Eighty3 closed, his attention has shifted to the other venue he runs, Cafe Constitution, over at the National Archives. Works continue around the city centre: light rail services were cancelled all weekend for extension works near Commonwealth Park.