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Residents, community associations, former politicians and professionals have slammed the Coles-DOMA development slated for Dickson. The six-storey 155-unit development will run along Antill Street and take up a section of the Woolworths carpark. The ground floor of the development would comprise Coles and Aldi supermarkets. Encompassed in the 59 public submissions was an overwhelming rejection of the plan as it stands. Many believe it has made a mockery of the Dickson Precinct Code and the Dickson centre master plan and ignores redevelopment plans for the Northbourne corridor and the future light-rail project. One resident described the development as "insane" while others have described it as a "blight" and "completely out of character" for the area. While there were scores of detailed submissions highly critical of connectivity, general access and safety, there was also a profound disappointment expressed with the proposal. Independent architecture and planning professional Jane Goffman, a Dickson resident, said people expected a lot more. She said this plan could set a precedent for the Dickson redevelopment and other master plans across the city. "This was a gateway site to make a really important statement, not just about Dickson, but about the direction in which the ACT government wants to take the whole of Canberra," Ms Goffman said. "We are talking about a sustainable city agenda. Here is a real opportunity that has got huge potential. I think people really expected to see something smart, something innovative, and were prepared to look at something that was going to push the boundaries. "There are examples all over the world where people are doing really creative things that do encourage walking and cycling and more sustainable practices. This just isn't one of them. T North Canberra Community Council chairman Mike Hettinger said if the government approved the development without significant changes, it would discredit the entire master planning process. "The development application is inconsistent with the territory plan and should therefore be refused in its current form, or taken back to the drawing board and improved in substantive ways," he said. "If the minister's call-in powers are exercised, the capacity for the environment and planning directorate to negotiate a better outcome with the proponent will be severely limited and the resulting social impacts will tend to disproportionately affect vulnerable members of the community."