It was a case of now you see it, now you don't.
Dickson and Downer residents were up in arms when a trolley bay for Woolworths customers was installed hard up against a main wall of the heritage-listed Dickson Library. A few days after they raised their concerns, the trolley bay was gone - but no one was saying who put it there or who took it.
The trolley bay might have seemed small cheese in the grand scheme of things - and plenty of people online did question the residents' priorities for Dickson, and whether a trolley bay was worth getting upset about.
But the residents' spokeswoman, Jane Goffman, suggested they were worried that it was the thin edge of the wedge in terms of how heritage issues were dealt with in the precinct, especially with the multimillion-dollar Coles redevelopment looming for Dickson.
And the trolley bay did have an impact on the facade of the 52-year-old heritage-listed library - designed by Enrico Taglietti - as well as access to it.
"A heritage building is not a dumping ground. It's a valuable asset," Ms Goffman said.
Woolworths confirmed this week it did not have approval to put the trolley bay there - in fact, it had been a mistake.
"We were notified by a local community group last week that we had made an error installing a new trolley bay at our Dickson store," a spokesperson said.
"The trolley bay was incorrectly positioned next to the heritage-listed library, so we had it immediately removed.
"We have installed additional new trolley bays elsewhere in the car park to prepare for the completion of our renewal process. This renewal will provide the local community with a refreshed shopping experience, and we look forward to welcoming customers through later this month."
Residents were happy the trolley bay was gone, but Ms Goffman said it felt like a "pyrrhic victory" because she had tried for days, unsuccessfully, to get an answer on who approved the bay.
She also believed people unconcerned about the trolley bay were "in the minority".
"I think it's really important to have a set of principles and say 'Some things are non-negotiable', and one of those is heritage. It's not something you want to screw around with," she said. "This is, effectively, a sacred site."
The $70 million Coles project, meanwhile, comprises a mixed-use commercial and residential development. It includes a Coles supermarket and 140 residential units over five levels. A car park is planned opposite Woolworths, McDonald's and the library, on the corner of Antill and Badham streets. It's expected to take at least two years to build.
The Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate maintained on Friday that heritage would not be compromised in the coming Coles development.
"The notice of decision for the Dickson Coles development included conditions and advisory notes for the proponent," a spokesperson said.
"The decision requires the endorsement of the Heritage Council prior to the commencement of works. A qualified arborist must also assess the proposed tree plantings to avoid any physical damage to the library building.
"The conditions were primarily concerned with mitigating any possible impact on Dickson Library resulting from the construction of a new water main associated with the proposed new development, the plantings of Japanese zelkova and a Holly Oak tree adjacent to the library, and the proposed repaving of parts of the site. The decision requires an assessment of potential heritage effects of the new water main and an assessment of potential vibration impacts of all the construction works on the library."
