Melbourne St shops call on Adelaide City Council to help attract more shoppers

A ONCE-THRIVING Adelaide shopping and dining strip is begging its local council to follow through on plans to attract more shoppers — before it’s too late.

3/3/16 - Carly Foster who owns Vida Comida on Melbourne Street in North Adelaide. TRADERS along Melbourne St are calling for monthly markets, street art, buskers and an outdoor cinema as a way to inject life back into the once-thriving strip. Their pleas follow the release of an Adelaide City Council report last week, which found Melbourne St had failed to capitalise on more activity in the CBD over recent years. Carly says more needs to be done to attract people to the strip. Photo Naomi Jellicoe

TRADERS along Melbourne St are calling on Adelaide City Council to follow through with plans to get attract more shoppers to the once-thriving retail and restaurant strip.

Their pleas follow the release of an Adelaide City Council report last week, which found Melbourne St had failed to capitalise on more activity in the CBD over recent years and the street was “no longer the iconic retail and food destination it once was”.

A business study, included in the report, showed a third of retail business between 2008-2014 either closed or moved to other suburbs.

The report recommends children’s play areas, dedicated bikelanes, sponsored buskers and encouraging businesses to be active on social media would reduce vacancy rates.

“For a street with a reputation as a food and fashion main street with a village feel it was startlingly absent of public activity or people,” the report showed.

“It feels disconnected not only from the wider city, but also within itself … there’s very little apparent reason to explore the street or linger.”

Results of a community survey of 100 people, printed in a section of the report, showed a fifth of respondents would not recommend the street to friends or business contacts.

The findings were included in the council’s Melbourne St Placemaking Pilot report, which was set to be tabled at a council meeting.

Taboo Haircutters owner Julie Cate has run her business on Melbourne St for the past 30 years.

“I think what we need it more shoppers,” Ms Cate said.

“I gave the council some concept drawings on making the (Dunn St) carpark two-storey so it could disappear into the background by being covered in bird wire with Boston Ivy over the top.

“There could be entertainment on the top floor, an open-air cinema for summer, food and clothing markets, a 1950s ice cream parlour during the day to attract mums and children and an open-roof cocktail bar at night.”

Carly Foster bought health food cafe Vida Comida in November and was struggling to attract new customers.

“There’s so much going on in Adelaide at the moment, but I’m in my quietest period,” Ms Foster said.

“They don’t have any reason to explore the rest of the street.

“A lot of the shops are closed or empty and so I think there needs to be attractions to get people to wander.”

The report also suggests making business opening hours consistent across the strip and forming a public art plan.

Adelaide City Council city planning program manager Rick Hutchins said the council would consider the recommendations in future budgets.

Some of the ideas

■Markets: Sunday markets, children’s markets, produce swaps

■Public art: linked to the street’s history, local street art

■Activities: more Fringe venues, create a theme on the street

■Shops: more boutiques, galleries, op shops, longer hours

■Parking and traffic: more free parking, better car parking, paved roads

■Night time: small bars, more things to do in the evening

■Live music: buskers, music events on the street

■Children: play spaces, outdoor cinema

■ Cycling and transport: bicycle stands, cycle-friendly street

■Food: pop-up food stalls by local eateries, alleyway dinners with long tables, food trucks, Fork on the Road

■ Gardens: community garden, street plants, greening the Cibo and Lion Hotel intersection,

vertical gardens, secret produce trail