Unley Council’s support package for King William Rd includes free fridge magnets and welcome mats
The King William Rd upgrades are hitting retailers along the strip — but Unley Council has a plan to help. It includes fridge magnets and welcome mats.
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- King William Rd to shut down for five weeks in winter
- King William Rd bakery closed by $15.5m roadworks project
- Traders worried as KWR shutdown begins
Fridge magnets, free door mats, a cleaning windows program and a time extension to pay rates are all part of an Unley Council “goodwill initiatives” for King William Rd businesses suffering hardship during the $15.5m road upgrade.
But the council concedes it is powerless to force landlords to pass on any savings.
Announcing the assistance package, Unley Mayor Michael Hewitson said the council had already spent an additional $2 million more than it needed to ensure traders could survive the road closures and disruption of the nine month program.
“We’ve done everything we can to support traders,” he said.
“These measures will help traders deal with dust from the works and encourage locals to continue to support businesses during the construction period.
“We’ve spent that ($2m) in extra costs on overtime due to the night works and the project is running longer so that we can have part road closures.
“It’s over to the landlords to support the traders too. If they do nothing we can do nothing.”
For properties on King William Rd, between Park/Mitchell and Union Street, rates payments for 2019/20 must be paid in full by June 30, 2020, but there will be no fines incurred in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd quarter rates if rates are not paid.
At its public meeting on Monday night, Cr Sue Dewing, the CEO of Unley Football Club, asked what action the council could take if landlords failed to pass on any savings.
“How is this going to benefit the tenants — I can see it benefiting the landlords,” she said.
“If they fail to pass that deferral on to the tenant will we embarrass them publicly?”
Unley CEO Peter Tsokas said rates notices would be sent directly to the owner of a property.
“Council’s actions will be made public and will be communicated to all stakeholders,” he said.
“Tenants will know what is happening and can approach their landlord on that basis.
“That will shift the onus of responsibility on to the landlords. But we have no legal mechanism to enforce it.”
The support program has been initiated by the council one day after The Advertiser reported Dulwich Bakery was the first business to leave King William Rd since the upgrade began in May.
Dulwich Bakery owner Wayne Duffy, conceding trading had been poor for the entire two years of his tenancy, said the roadworks had been “the final straw” for his business.
Other traders on the shopping precinct have told The Advertiser they doubt they can survive until the end of winter.
Council assistance initiatives include:
— Door mats to control mud/dirt entering buildings.
— “Open” signs (to be placed on doors) will be supplied to help raise awareness that “businesses are still operating as normal”.
— Fridge magnets with a 24/7 contact number.
— Window cleaning at regular intervals to ensure properties are presentable and displays are prominent.
— Parking plans indicating parking spots/locations will be prepared and provided.
— Side street parking controls are being modified for the construction period to ensure parking is available with a suitable turnover period.
The road closure in Walter St has been removed to allow vehicles to access the off-street car park areas off King William Rd. The closure will be reinstated once construction has been completed.
The next stage of work to replace the road’s pavers is scheduled to start on July 8 and be completed by August 5.
A shuttle bus service for the transport of patients to the King William Road Medical Centre during the four week full road closure is being investigated.
Negotiations with the owners of the Brethren Church in Arthur St will seek to provide around 60 off-street carparking spaces for business owners and staff to release parking spaces on or near King William Rd for patrons and shoppers.
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