The dead centre of town: The empty block which highlights the dire straits of our CBD

WITH the closure of the CBD cinema complex imminent, there will soon be nothing left to show of this once-bustling Darwin city precinct except for empty buildings, dusty dirt vacant blocks and a depressing, gaping hole in the ground

THIS city block sits smack bang in the middle of Mitchell St — Darwin’s prominent main thoroughfare, renowned for generations as the Top End’s foremost drinking, dining and entertainment strip.

This Darwin city block, sitting smack bang in the middle of Mitchell St, has quite literally become the dead centre of town.

But, with the closure of the BCC cinema complex next month, there will be nothing left to show of this once-bustling precinct except for empty buildings, dusty dirt vacant blocks, and a depressing, gaping hole in the ground.

BCC Cinemas: The dead centre of town

The block was once a jewel in Darwin’s glittering ‘Golden Mile’, home to the boisterous Ducks Nuts bar (and the much-loved Sizzlers before it), the always-crowded Hog’s Breath steakhouse, and the quirky and popular Fox and Fiddle pub (later known as the Fox Ale House).

All are now shut or have been torn down in the past four years.

And, in a matter of weeks, the five-cinema complex — an airconditioned, entertainment hub within walking distance of almost all the CBD’s major hotels, backpacker hostels and eating joints — will join them. It was the area’s last hold-out.

This prime city block has quite literally become the dead centre of town.

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THE once-bustling part of Darwin’s CBD is eerily quiet now and traders fear it will only get worse unless something is done soon to rejuvenate the area.

The Birch Carroll & Coyle cinema complex is set to close on November 21, leaving Darwin as the country’s only capital city without a cinema complex in its CBD.

The Ducks Nuts Bar and Grill next door closed up shop on October 28 last year.

Ducks Nuts: The dead centre of town

On the other side of the street a large block of land remains vacant since the Hog’s Breath Cafe closed in June 2014, as did the neighbouring Fox Ale House (formerly the Fox and Fiddle pub).

Owner of nearby restaurant Hanuman, Jimmy Shu, said businesses had been “dropping like flies” in the 12 years he had been there.

“The top of Mitchell St is OK but as soon as you pass Shenannigans it becomes very, very quiet,” he said.

“Businesses are disappearing and all I can think of is, who’s next? Foot traffic is drying up and we only really get a good boost on this end of the street when there’s a show on at the Darwin Entertainment Centre.”

Hog's Breath: The dead centre of town

In the past year, Mr Shu said his restaurant had seen a 10 per cent decline in sales.

He fears the relocation of the Health House on 87 Mitchell St will be yet another blow.

Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis agreed that the lower half of Mitchell St had become much quieter over the years.

“We can’t force business to open and unfortunately at the moment you don’t have anything much to attract people there any more,” he said.

Chamber of Commerce NT chief executive Greg Bicknell said the vacant spaces in Mitchell St were a symptom of a larger problem facing the whole CBD that needed to be addressed.

“It’s not just Mitchell St, there’s vacant spaces in the mall and other parts of the CBD as well,” he said.

Fox Ale House: BCC Cinemas: The dead centre of town

“There’s been a hole in the ground for 12 years where the Chinatown development was supposed to go up.”

Property Council of Australia’s NT executive director Ruth Palmer said she feared the CBD would ­become a ghost town unless the NT Government reconsidered its approach.

“We simply cannot further punish business and property owners by implementing the proposed Vacant and Derelict Site Levy,” she said.

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“Spending money on the city deals is only part of the solution, there has been little regulatory reform, or very, very slow attempts to examine reform.”

Business and Innovation Minister Nicole Manison said the NT Government was doing everything it could to drive foot traffic into the CBD and make it a more inviting place.

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“We are unlocking the CBD’s potential as an attractive, bustling and connected capital – to drive population growth, create more jobs and make Darwin a fantastic place to live, work and visit,” Ms Manison said.