Boronia Mall landlords asked to rent shops out for free

LANDLORDS at Boronia Mall are being urged by Knox Council to provide rent-free shops in a bid to attract paying tennants.

Renew Knox project manager Ainsley Milton at Boronia Mall which is about to be revitalised.

THE struggling Boronia Mall could be about to get a new lease on life under a revolutionary program to revitalise the centre.

Knox Council wants landlords to offer rent-free shops to encourage new entrepreneurs in a bold bid to breathe vibrancy into the mall.

Now the Renew Knox program – an initiative of Renew Australia – is looking for shop owners and people with interesting ideas on how to fill them.

Renew Australia founder Marcus Westbury said the idea was to bring people back to the area and give it more energy, which will eventually lead to the shops being filled by new paying tenants.

“People bring people,” Mr Westbury said. “If you fill an area with interesting things, people will go there.

“We’re looking for something that is creative, original, unique – not competing with existing businesses.”

People taking part in the program will use the shops until the owner can find a rent-paying tenant, in which case they will have 30 days’ notice to vacate the property.

Entrepreneurs using the building will have to meet gas, water and electricity costs so the shop owners will not be out of pocket.

Entrepreneurs can apply to Renew Australia, who will – in conjunction with the empty shop owner – select a suitable applicant to occupy the space.

Real estate agents will then continue to promote the lease or sale of the property, showing interested tenants and buyers through a vibrant mall rather than an empty space.

This is the first time this initiative has been implemented in Knox and comes after hundreds of residents flooded Knox Leader’s Facebook page, worried about the growing number of empty shops.

The program will start with two empty shops in the mall, before expanding to other parts of Boronia.

Mayor Peter Lockwood said the council was keen to bring new life to Boronia.

Creative enterprises, artists, community groups, and start-up businesses are invited to apply. Property owners who want to volunteer their shops are also encouraged to apply. Details: renewmelbourne.org/projects