It is also true of the Warrnambool City Council’s CBD renewal project.

Plenty has been written and said about the fact that stage two of the $18 million revamp came in $3 million over budget, mainly due to unforeseen issues with drainage. 

The introduction of changed parking conditions, roundabouts, crossings and in general, thinner CBD roads and wider footpaths, was not going to please everyone. But predictions the sky would fall in, the CBD would turn into a retail wasteland and rack and ruin would be the outcome have proved to be wrong.

Retailers took a hit during works. But the council says they are now reporting that spending is up. Feedback on the intangible amenity of the area is positive. The restaurant end of Liebig Street is the most noticeable modernisation of what colonial-era planning laid out for the horse and carriage.

There are estimates that the renewal project (which is ongoing) will bring $38 million in private investment through new retail and trading opportunities. This estimate does not say this would happen overnight. While signs are positive just a few months after the completion of the main section of works, these predicted benefits will take time to be realised.

But without them, how could the situation have improved for retailers? How would the city have balanced its heritage with population growth, changes in shopping habits and fluctuating global and local economic effects? The answer was never going to be to do nothing.

The recent Very Liebig Christmas was a great example of how the new CBD will (and could) work. Laneway parties are becoming the norm. Art and yarn bombing bloom. Meals (and drinks) are being enjoyed on the wider paths.

The positives outweigh the negatives. The long view overrides the short. Congratulations to the council for doing something.