Chevron Island retail and dining strip at risk of becoming ghost town

There are calls for urgent action to save the retail strip of an up-market Gold Coast suburb which has suffered a succession of high-profile restaurant closures.

DRASTIC action must be taken to reinvigorate the commercial business strip on Chevron Island or the area runs the risk of becoming a ghost town, according to one of the suburb’s high profile business leaders.

On the back of a number of restaurant closures this year, Canford Estate Agents MD Roland Evans says the commercial heart in Thomas Drive – which will be part of the tourist trail from Surfers Paradise to HOTA when the $19.5 million Green Bridge opens to link the arts precinct to Chevron Island – risks becoming a strip of empty shops.

“Every time I walk up to get something for lunch, somebody’s closed and it’s just really sad to see,” he said.

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Canford Group’s Roland Evans has his business on Thomas Drive, Chevron Island.

“Someone needs to take the bull by the horns and say ‘hey, something needs to be done here’.”

Restaurants including Boom Boom Burgers, Chevron Social Eatery and That Italian Place have closed their doors this year, while at least 14 premises have “For Lease’’ signs in the windows.

One fashion retailer, Blacknbling, has a “Relocation Sale” sign in its window, with its lease ending in February.

Another long-term Chevron Island retailer, who did want to be identified, said a combination of high rents, a changing demographic of the suburb and inexperienced operators coming in had been a perfect storm of trouble for the strip.

There are many vacant premises for lease on Thomas Drive, Chevron Island

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“Rents are very high here, but that’s not the whole story,” the business owner said. “Just because someone can make a ham sandwich and a cup of coffee, doesn’t mean they should open a cafe.”

Mr Evans said the Gold Coast City Council needed to invest in the area, improve traffic issues and look at ways to make the retail strip a pedestrian-only zone.

“There’s a major problem with traffic and not a lot of people stop in Chevron, so you have to promote it as a destination to come to,” he said. “In order to do that, you pedestrianise the retail area.

“I know there’s a cost involved but at the end of the day it will be a facility for everybody on the Coast and it could be a really nice destination, especially with the council ploughing so much money into the cultural centre.

“What they don’t want is a gateway that’s got tumbleweeds running through it because all the tenants have gone.”

The Green Bridge under construction stills from Chevron Island to the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct at Evandale.

In mooted changes to the City Plan, the council recently announced height limits would be imposed on tower developments as well as targeting the suburb’s centre to become a new late-night dining precinct, with trading hours extended from 10pm to midnight.

When asked for the Chevron Island Business and Residents Association’s view on improving the suburb, president Geoff Smith originally agreed to meet with the Bulletin to discuss the suburb, but called to cancel the planned meeting.

“I’ve given this a lot of thought and I don’t really want to do this interview to do with Chevron Island,” he said. “It’s not something I want to proceed with.”