Council sides with community on mall

GEELONG’S increasingly troubled mall has been splashed across headlines for all the wrong reasons in the last month, with council declaring the Little Malop Street shopping strip should be moved from low priority to high priority on the city’s revitalisation list.

“The Central Geelong – Public Open Space Network Report” – developed by Revitalising Central Geelong – details a number of community suggested public space priorities for the CBD and waterfront, ranking recommendations as “high”, “medium” or “low” priority.

Despite its known crime history, including the stabbing of a 20-year-old male last month, the creation of a master plan to redevelop the “Little Malop Street Plaza open space” falls under the low-priority header.

The report was presented on Tuesday February 12 at a meeting in Drysdale.

During the forum, Cr Anthony Aitken moved an amendment, stating council does not support the report’s low-priority recommendation for the mall.

“This is largely a good document, but it doesn’t recognise something that all of us recognise, and that the wider community recognises – that the mall is a significant issue, and must be treated as a high priority,” he said.

“We have a responsibility as councillors to strategically address this issue. We need the state government and the Revitalising Central Geelong team to do the same.

“With this amendment, we are sending a clear message that this council regards the mall as a top priority requiring immediate and high-level attention.”

The amendment received unanimous support.

Projects listed as high priority include creating a new open space south of Myers Street, continuing to implement the Urban Forest Strategy 2015-2025, and investigating ways to improve the link between Corio Bay and the Barwon River for cycling and walking.

Mayor Bruce Harwood said the community’s vocal stance on the issue should be reflected in the report.

“We don’t think enough priority has been given to the mall and the surrounding area in this report,” he said.

“The community is clearly telling us they believe it needs to be a high priority. We want the mall to be an appealing, highly used open space area that meets the community’s expectation.”

The report suggests improving open spaces in the CBD and along the waterfront could play a significant role in the city’s development, stimulating small business growth and inviting tourism to Geelong and its surrounding areas.