Fees cut boosts Lismore CBD

LISMORE Council is proposing to reduce fees for new businesses within the CBD as a way of encouraging more business activity in town.

BOOST: Julie Dickson owner of the Black Sombrero restaurant in Lismore is happy about the fee changes. Picture: Doug Eaton

LISMORE Council is proposing to reduce fees for new businesses within the CBD as a way of encouraging more business activity in town.

According to council's executive director of sustainable development, Brent McAlister, the proposed changes to Section 64 and 94 contributions could save businesses $1500-$60,000 in fees, depending on the nature of the business.

"The rationale is that for the past four to five years council has had a big focus on revitalising the CBD… What we were finding is that these fees were a significant barrier to entry and we wanted to build on the work that we'd done with deregulating and reducing the cost of outdoor dining," he said.

"The best examples would be a shop that's being converted to a cafe, or a hairdresser wanting to put in an extra basin, there would be zero fees from Lismore Council apart from the Rous Water fees and we are talking to Rous about it. The theory is that the pipes are the same size so there's no additional draw on water and sewerage, so why charge fees?"

Lismore's newest bar and restaurant owner Julie Dickson from Black Sombrero spoke in favour of the proposed changes at last week's council meeting.

She said it could be "a deal breaker" for new businesses.

Ms Dickson was the original owner of Fire in the Belly pizza restaurant and said a flourishing CBD was good for everyone.

"A revitalised CBD gives people more reasons to come in to Lismore. People say there's no reason to come; there's no activity, there's no vitality... But what we've found in the week and a half we've been open is that people are hungry for new venues with a cosmopolitan feel. I think we underestimate the target market and what they want."

She said she did some economic impact modelling with council's business facilitator, Mark Batten, which showed that the 18 people now employed at Black Sombrero would raise the output (sales) in the Lismore economy by $3.5 million.