 |
||
|
||
|
Greetings fellow Retailer, This is the first opportunity we have had to catch up with you for quite a while. |
||
| What is “Retailers Voice”? | ||
|
A bit of introduction – “Retailers Voice” is a new newsletter put out by Retailers’ Sub-committee of the Port Macquarie Chamber of Commerce. The Sub-committee was formed because retailers are the largest group within the Chamber and we felt there was a need to address specific issues which are important to retailers in Port Macquarie. So far we have had plenty of input into the Chamber and we felt it was about time to open up a regular channel of communication with all the retailers in town. The more retailers who are involved and who are active Chamber members mean that more of Chamber’s resources will get focussed on us. So that means we need you!
|
||
| Who are we? | ||
The Sub-committee is made up of the following people:
|
||
| What’s been happening? | ||
Well we really kicked off at a Chamber of Commerce members meeting on 22nd August last year. Many of you were at that meeting and will remember that the main topics discussed were:
|
||
| So where are we up to? | ||
|
LATE NIGHT TRADING We have had several discussions with Settlement City management and Port Central management and there seems to be broad agreement that Thursday night trading needs to be addressed. There have been a few delays in progressing to the next step, but we hope to be in a position to do something soon??? CAR PARKING The Chamber is pushing this issue very strongly, but at this stage the Council still has no plans to build any car parking facilities in the CBD in the foreseeable future. This is especially a concern with the loss of 8 spaces due to the construction of the cultural centre. There is still no proposed starting date for the ‘hole in the ground’ site on the corner of William and Murray Streets. Chamber has also made Council aware that existing parking restrictions should be policed more rigorously. There is still a long way to go on this problem but we are taking every opportunity we can to remind council of its responsibility. Another opportunity coming up is the revised DCP for the CBD. So far the Chamber has not been given access to any of the plans, but Council has promised full consultation. Watch this space… WARLTERS STREET SITE There have been a lot of developments in this area. As you would be aware, the merger between ING and Panthers means that a proposal for the expansion of Settlement City is possibly just around the corner. So far, representatives from ING have demonstrated that they are keen to involve the relevant stakeholders in their proposal and have consulted with the Retailers sub-committee. This development has meant that council has placed the proposed re-zoning of Warlters St on hold pending the outcome of the ING proposal and the results of some further research on the suitability of re-zoning the Warlters Street site. Mirvac and Coles are still pushing hard to develop plans for the site in the hope that the re-zoning will proceed. The council has also requested that a ‘Precinct Master Plan’ for the whole area be undertaken involving the current owners of Quality Resort Sails, the marina, Settlement City, and the Catholic Church. |
||
| What Else? | ||
|
There are a few other things to watch out for: The Port Macquarie Chamber of Commerce Business Awards will be launched soon… and there’s also a lot of interest in the proposed foreshore development. If you want more detailed information on any of this stuff or if you think there’s something else we should be taking on, please let us know. You can contact any of the committee or just reply to our Retailers’ email address:
retailers@portchamber.com.au
Better still, you can come along to the next Chamber of Commerce Members’ Information Night. The next one is on at 6:00pm on May 22nd at Sails Resort and will primarily be regarding the upgrading of the airport. We are also hoping to get Council to brief the Chamber on the status of the DCP for the CBD, so it could be interesting. If you know of any other retailers who would like to receive this, don’t forget to please send us an email and we will add them to the list. |
||
|
Port Macquarie Chamber of Commerce Suite 5, Level 1 Garrison Building Cnr Hay & Clarence Streets, Port Macquarie 2444 Ph: (02) 6583 4412 F: (02) 6583 2766 Email: retailers@portchamber.com.au Web: www.portchamber.com.au To unsubscribe, please email: retailers@portchamber.com.au |