By Megan Gorrey
After years of pandemic restrictions shuttered shops and emptied streets, Kevin Cheng believes Sydney’s long hot summer has finally swung the pendulum the way of merchants in Chinatown.
Cheng, who co-founded the Soul of Chinatown community group, said the Neon Playground street festival and Lunar New Year celebrations had brought an influx of visitors in the past few months.
Haymarket Chamber of Commerce president Vincent Lim, Soul of Chinatown’s Kevin Cheng, Cities Minister Rob Stokes and Brad Chan and Isabelle Lee from Haymarket HQ.Credit: Dean Sewell
“The momentum’s really there. Chinatown was really hard-hit during COVID-19, but like the Sydney CBD it’s now about, how do we get people back?” Cheng said.
He has joined local business owners pressing the state government to carve out Chinatown and Haymarket for a “business improvement district”, in the hope that such a scheme could replicate the revitalisation of downtrodden urban pockets in cities overseas including London and Auckland.
A business improvement district scheme, or BID, is an agreement by a precinct’s businesses to pay extra fees to fund improvements to the streets in which they operate, to enhance their cleanliness, physical appearance, infrastructure and atmosphere.
Cities and Active Transport Minister Rob Stokes explained the concept as “strata for the street”, as he announced the government was opening expressions of interest for a new $2.75 million pilot program aimed at establishing improvement districts in metropolitan and regional areas.
The state government has proposed new policies to make it easier to set up the districts in NSW, to help dining, shopping and entertainment strips to recover from the lingering strain of the pandemic.
Stokes said the pandemic had underscored a steady decline of Sydney’s high streets, and the government couldn’t continue to fund interventions such as outdoor dining schemes.
“Ultimately, we need to empower local businesses to do these things for themselves,” he said. “It can’t just rely on ad hoc grants from state government or councils, it needs to be a new form of governance to recognise the complexity and granularity of our amazing high streets,” Stokes said.
He said those submitting a registration of interest could “investigate establishing BID functions, developing strategies and plans for their place, as well as undertaking ‘on-the-ground’ activities”.
The launch of this year’s Sydney Lunar New Year celebrations in Chinatown.Credit: Brook Mitchell
Funding for projects and pilot locations will be subject to an assessment process. He expected Chinatown, Parramatta Square and Brookvale Arts District would nominate for the program.
Stokes said the scheme was “not designed to let councils out of their obligation” to fund basic amenities and upgrades.
Stokes, who steps down at the March election, released a white paper on the reform last year, but the government has not tabled legislation. It hopes the pilot program can inform future policies.
The plans previously attracted broad support among councils and the business lobby, but those with experience in the schemes warned the system must be flexible and districts needed support with administration tasks and mentorship on how to effectively spend money.
Brad Chan, who founded Haymarket HQ, a startup hub for entrepreneurs, and Neon Playground, believed there was “no single sliver bullet” to revive Chinatown, but it would be a good test case for the program.
“There’s certainly been a level of recovery after COVID, but we’re still nowhere near where we were a few years back. There’s still a lot more potential in terms of trying to bring it back to its former glory.”
Cheng said improvements such as decorations, public art including murals, outdoor dining projects, and extra street cleaning could help make Sydney’s Chinatown “one of the world’s best”.
Business Western Sydney executive director David Borger, a former Labor MP, said improvement districts were an innovative way for businesses to shape the rejuvenation of their high streets.
He has previously said parts of Liverpool, Campbelltown and Harris Park could also benefit.
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