WORK will start in the next few months towards two new supermarkets at the Dickson shops.

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Economic Development Andrew Barr said one of the supermarkets will be an Aldi, while the other supermarket, will be determined during the expressions of interest process.

“We’ve indicated through our super market competition policy that we want a diversity of operators,” Barr said.

“The proposal for one super market was for just an Aldi on the other block, so we had an obligation to Aldi to include them into the competive mix.”

He said there was evidence across Canberra that shows where there is an Aldi, the “majors reduce their prices significantly”.

“The two new supermarkets will give consumers greater choice in Dickson,” he said.

“It will mean a wider selection of places to shop, a wider variety of goods, and more competition, which can only be a good thing for keeping prices down.

“It will also contribute to the renewal of the Dickson group centre.”

The proposed supermarkets were a result of a survey distributed to all households in north Canberra at the end of the year. The results of the survey showed 60 per cent of respondents expressed a preference for two supermarkets to be constructed simultaneously on the same site in the car park adjacent to Woolworths.

Only 27 per cent wanted to see one supermarket built first on the car park adjacent to the library, followed by a second on the car park adjacent to Woolworths.

“While there is a clear preference for two new supermarkets to be developed at the same time, a significant number of respondents were also concerned about parking, particularly during the construction phase,” Barr said.

“The Government understands these concerns and is committed to ensuring there is enough new parking in the group centre once construction is complete. Much of the new parking will be underground.

“The Government will work with the successful developer to minimise disruption for shoppers and retailers during construction, and will establish temporary parking arrangements during the construction phase.”

He said he would like to see construction on the supermarkets “as soon as possible” however start dates depend of the EOI process.

He said the supermarkets were part of a broader master plan for the Dickson Group Centre.