Hoppy's Cafe owner says city council should install Christmas decorations all along Liebig Street

Hoppy’s Cafe owner Kay A’Vard, whose business is between Lava Street and Raglan Parade, is disappointed Warrnambool City Council’s new festive string lighting and bauble decorations have only been installed between Timor and Koroit streets.

She said it wasn’t fair for the traders and businesses in the other two blocks. 

“It’s a really bad business decision by the council,” she said.

“They say they are trying to promote the whole street, but when you have something as beautiful as that in only a select area, it’s really not good for the mid-section and other end of the street.

“If you are going to do it, do the whole street, not just a third.”

Ms A’Vard said customers had been coming into the cafe asking when the lighting would go up at her end of the street. 

“If the council wanted to help us they would not disassociate us from the other end of Liebig Street,” she said. 

The council installed the new lights and decorations at the start of November, with 280 new festoon lights, 54 baubles and 14 illuminated decorations.

They came after the completion of the Warrnambool central business district’s $15 million revitalisation project, which saw Liebig Street transformed. 

The lights will be turned on at the A Very Liebig Christmas event on Friday evening. 

The event is a family-friendly community street festival which aims to support local business as part of the City Centre Renewal project, which was equally funded by the council, state and federal governments. 

The Standard asked the city council about the festive lighting.

Visitor economy manager David McMahon said the city growth team had delivered a new Christmas decoration project which included the 14 illuminated decorations which would be lit up from Friday night. 

“It will see a brand new style of Christmas decorations along the entire length of the redeveloped Liebig street. The festoon string lighting will be permanent,” he said. 

“We expect increased visitation in the CBD and Liebig Street due to the redevelopment, the new decorations and events such as Friday’s. The baubles will stay in place until after February’s Wunta Fiesta.”

City infrastructure director Scott Cavanagh said during the City Centre Renewal second stage design a proposal was made for the construction to allow for decorations to span across the street.

“The renewal project team responded by specifying a light poles to allow for a catenary system,” he said. 

“This required heavier footings and stronger poles. The project team responded to this request and installed infrastructure to support its provision. The central and northern blocks have LED Christmas decorations, Christmas banners and feature lighting projecting Christmas motifs on to the pavement.”