Mitchell St pedestrian mall discussions need to start while Six Tanks incident is still fresh

BUSINESSES seem to be throwing their support behind turning Mitchell Street into a temporary mall, making for a safer and more activated strip. Now it’s time for all involved to sit down, work out a theory and put it into practice.

BUSINESSES seem to be throwing their support behind turning Mitchell Street into a temporary mall, making for a safer and more activated strip.

And while there will be plenty of teething issues, the only way to address them is to sit down and work out a theory and then put it into practice.

Hospitality NT chief Alex Bruce is spot on the money – if this is what we want, we need to start planning now.

If the strip is turned into a mall for a couple of Fridays this dry season and it fails miserably, so be it.

If it proves to be a raging success and becomes a regular fixture of Darwin’s night time economy beyond 2021, brilliant.

Cars on Mitchell St in the Darwin CBD on New Year’s Eve. Picture: Che Chorley

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If it falls somewhere in the middle with a few issues which need to be ironed out, then it gives us a starting point and a frame of reference.

But before that can happen, stakeholders need to come together, voice their concerns and ideas and work out how to turn this simple idea into a cash cow.

If it is a success, the sooner the plan is put into place, the sooner the tills behind our favourite pubs and clubs will fill up, making for a better experience.

There are plenty who think it could be a game-changer for Darwin, making for safer streets, more vibrant nights and happier memories, so these discussions need to happen.

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Otherwise we’ll never know if it’s just an opportunity to capitalise on one of Darwin’s greatest assets falling to the wayside.

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