Councillor Jennifer Lowe is calling for changes to Warrnambool’s central business district.
WARRNAMBOOL City Council needed to be more pro-active to combat the rising number of vacant commercial premises in Warrnambool’s central business district, according to Warrnambool councillor Jennifer Lowe.
Parking needed to be configured and the city centre made more pedestrian-friendly to bring more people into the city, Cr Lowe said.
She said more all-day free parking should be available on Raglan Parade and in the railway precinct to accommodate workers and shoppers.
“It can be beautifully landscaped. It does not need to be a bitumen slab.”
“Indent” parking on the large nature strips on the CBD fringes could also be created to provide further parking spaces, she said. Cr Lowe, who is standing for re-election in this month’s Warrnambool City Council elections, said workers and shoppers should not have to walk more than two blocks from a parking space to the CBD.
The council should also consult with Warrnambool traders to ascertain what parking reforms they believed were needed.
“The council should support the chamber of commerce to reinvigorate Warrnambool, then you get the traders to create the solutions.”
Cr Lowe said work also needed to be done to make it more “pleasant and relaxed” for pedestrians in the city.
The revitalisation of Warrnambool’s CBD has been a hot topic during the council’s present term. It recently adopted a city centre structure plan to lay a framework for action.
Extra car parking space, refurbishing the Civic Green and making Liebig Street more pedestrian-friendly were all flagged in the structure plan. New plaza spaces between city streets were also outlined as a way of attracting more shoppers and tourists.
New tree planting and widening pedestrian crossings were also detailed in the report as part of an overall push to improve the city’s “green” credentials.
Council officers said the plan would make it easier for the city to obtain outside funding for infrastructure projects.
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