'Shire didn’t even reply to our emails', they say
The loss of 54 parking spaces along the northern end of Thompson Avenue in Cowes has put an absolute premium on the limited parking that remains but the shire is being accused of doing nothing to help. See details.
THIS is what really cheeses people off.
The loss of 54 parking spaces along the northern end of Thompson Avenue in Cowes has put an absolute premium on the limited parking that remains.
But when the Salsa Corner restaurant, on the corner of Chapel Street and Thompson Avenue, burnt down in the early hours of Monday morning, August 3, it closed off access to a public carpark behind businesses on the west side of the street, in the vicinity of First National Real Estate, Barry Plant Phillip Island and the National Australia Bank.
Representatives of these businesses did not contact the Sentinel-Times.
We called in there on Wednesday this week to ask about the unused carpark behind their premises.
“Why isn’t anyone parking their cars behind the shops here?” we asked.
“Because we can’t get access,” said a representative of one of the small businesses impacted.
“We’ve all written to the shire, but they haven’t even replied.
“When the holiday weekends and summer holidays start, we’ll be in an out of the office all day with laundry and other services. It’s going to be a huge inconvenience if we can’t get in there behind the shop,” she said.
“We had been using the lane behind the restaurant before it burned down but we can’t get in there now.”
The Sentinel-Times inquired about the boom gate and large rubbish bin blocking the entrance to the carpark.
“What’s the situation with the boom gate?”
“We’ve all written to the shire about it but nothing. They didn’t even get back to us.”
It’s tough enough in small business at the moment without an uncooperative local shire.
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Sally Curtain
Welcoming the appointment of a new Premier, Ms Curtain said chamber members were looking for change, for the better.
“It has been far too hard to invest, employ people and grow a business. It’s time to take off the handbrake and shift gears to make Victoria the place to operate a business, not the last place.”
They said the government needed to reduce its own debt in order to reduce the taxes and other imposts on small business.
Both the Liberal Party’s and One Nation candidates in Bass have highlighted the problems for small business.
One National Upper House Candidate for Eastern Victoria, Neil Davidson, speaking at a campaign launch in Wonthaggi on Monday, said it had never been hatrder than right now to run a small business in Victoria.
He should know. He’s owned and operated no fewer than 11 businesses across the state, 10 of them successfully.
“You used to be able to buy or start a business in this state and if you were prepared to put in the effort, 60-plus hours a week, you could make a go of it.
“But not now.”
He highlighted the situation for small IGA supermarkets, who had lost all of their income from cigarette sales to illicit tobacco operators.
“Woolworths and Coles are big enough to cover the 2% or 3% hit to their revenue but for some smaller businesses, the cigarette sales were 20% of their income. Now they’re not even drawing a wage,” said Mr Davidson.
But, the Bass Coast Shire Council can help.
And they could start by replying to the emails from impacted Cowes’ businesses and by opening the boom gate at the rear of premises in Thompson Avenue, giving them access to the carpark.
The other thing the shire should do, is clear the whole Olive Justice Place site, which gets virtually no public use throughout the year, and turn it into a public carpark, connecting it to the other vacant land and carparking at the rear of the Thompson Avenue shops, also formalising the space for replacement carparking.
Under the Cowes Streetscape Master Plan redevelopment (specifically affecting the northern section of Thompson Avenue between The Esplanade and Chapel Street), parking capacity was reduced significantly to allow for wider footpaths, landscaping, and parallel parking:
* Section 1 (Thompson Avenue North, between The Esplanade and Chapel Street): Dropped from 66 parking spaces down to 24 (plus 4 taxi rank spaces), resulting in a loss of 42 car parking spaces in the main retail strip.
* Section 2 (Thompson Avenue South, between Chapel Street and Church Street): Dropped from 73 parking spaces down to 61, resulting in a loss of 12 parking spaces.
In total, across the primary stretches of Thompson Avenue impacted by the streetscape works, 54 parking spaces were lost (42 in the northern section and 12 in the southern section).
Chamber calls for state reforms
The Victorian Chamber tabled three reforms it sees as essential to restoring confidence, attracting investment and securing Victoria’s long-term success.
1. Establish a plan for reducing state debt
Victoria’s tax burden is the heaviest of the states. Victoria’s current fiscal strategy relies on heavy borrowing, heavy taxation and the hope that economic growth will eventually close the gap. The Chamber is urging Premier Carroll to implement a proactive fiscal management strategy that charts a credible, transparent path to a lower tax burden and to provide for public services that Victorians expect.
2. Effectively tackle crime and improve community safety
Seven in 10 businesses have told the Chamber that crime and safety concerns have impacted major business decisions. At the same time, organised crime is at record levels and has a direct impact on business operations.
3. Restore the integrity and confidence of the government’s capital program
The Chamber sees confidence as vital for the future of Victoria, not just for the private sector but for every Victorian. They are calling on the new leader to restore trust and confidence in government and strengthen integrity across government capital projects. [In his inaugural press conference yesterday the Premier committed to a Royal Commission into allegations of widespread corruption plaguing government infrastructure projects – ed.]
Currently, businesses in Victoria are seeing costs outpace growth due to a pile-on of pressure, including measures controlled by state policies. “They are ready to invest, employ and grow, but they need confidence that Victoria is on the right track,” the Chamber states.
The shire has been contacted for a response.
