Traders hope Mentone Renaissance will bring new life into the suburb’s shopping precinct, but want work done quickly

A huge rejuvenation project for the ailing Mentone shopping precinct has been stalled for a year and frustrated traders want answers.

Pedro Armijo and Paul Reade hope the Mentone Renaissance will inject new energy into the suburb’s centre. Picture: David Smith

A huge rejuvenation project for the ailing Mentone shopping precinct has been stalled for a year and frustrated traders want answers.

Work was due to start in July last year and expected to take about 10-12 months, with Florence St fenced off between Mentone and Como parades.

Three parking spaces were taken up by the work zone on what Kingston Council billed as the “Mentone Renaisance” in 2014 and through traffic was also redirected.

However, work on a private restaurant at the heritage ‘triangle’ site at the junction of Mentone Pde, Como Pde West and Florence St, has shown no progress.

The triangle is to become a European-inspired piazza — the centrepiece of the $5.8 million project.

Paul Reade, who runs The Barber Shop on Como Pde West, said he was frustrated by the delay.

“I find it a real mess,” Mr Reade said.

“You don’t start something and then bang, it’s frozen — it’s an eye sore and impeding traffic for nothing.”

Huff Bagelry sits opposite the construction zone and manager Damien Feren said he fielded plenty of questions from customers about the hoarding and the lack of progress.

“They always ask, ‘what’s going on, how long is it going to take, what is it?’” he said.

“We’ve just been giving them the same answers from day one — we don’t know too much and we’re not 100 per cent sure of how long it’s going to take.”

In April, European restaurant The Longroom opened in Mentone to “give the bayside region a taste and style of food which is well overdue for the area” and take advantage of the renaissance buzz.

But manager Pedro Armijo, said despite receiving plenty of local support, the business was still waiting for progress on the renaissance project.

“We’re looking forward to the project moving forward, so we can have more of a piazza in Mentone,” Mr Armijo said.

“It really needs something like that — for people to come, have dinner, a coffee and hang out.

“Mentone is lacking that (hub feeling) and considering how close to the beach it is, it’s surprising it (the renaissance project) hasn’t happened before now.”

Kingston planning and development general manager Jonathan Guttmann said work had now resumed on the triangle site and the Mentone Renaissance was well underway and within budget.

Mr Guttmann said council was also in talks with the Level Crossing Removal Authority to ensure “both projects work hand-in-hand”.

Friends of the Mentone Station chairwoman Dorothy Booth said Mentone was “in limbo”.

“The sooner we get an injection of something into Mentone, the better — I just hope the renaissance is what’s going to do it.”

A new roundabout and landscaping at the Florence St and Davies St intersection; closure of Florence St outside Kilbreda College and indented parking along Davies St are among the completed works.

Final permits have been handed out for the triangle site’s transformation; designs for the public piazza are expected to be released later this year and work on that will begin once the restaurant has been built.

An upgrade to the Davies St and Balcombe Rd intersection and the installation of better signage is also underway.