The Wollongong Mall has been surveyed to death - without a binding conclusion. Unfortunately a decision can be delayed no longer because a huge extension to the shopping precinct is about to happen.
The debate is about whether to open the Mall to one way traffic at night, or leave it as a pedestrian friendly closed promenade. There is no doubt that the majority of Wollongong citizens want it to remain closed to cars.
The Mall was originally created in panic mode. Crown street - the main street of Wollongong - was a strip of archaic 1930's style shopfronts in decay. Population growth was occurring in the southern suburbs and Wollongong feared losing it's focus as the capital of the Illawarra to Shellharbour.
The Mall is a great place during the day. It is well patronised and hosts a buoyant shopping precinct - but this dies at night. At six o'clock the shops shut their doors, the lights are turned off and Wollongong Mall becomes a pedestrian grave yard.
Unfortunately all the banks have chosen to locate their ATM's in the Mall. As a result, anybody needing to make a withdrawal is forced to park their car at least a block away - and chance walking through the Mall with it's coterie of drunks, drug pushers, bashers and general misfits !
The initial Mall concept was for night shopping and a concentration of eating establishments to make a shopping spree an entertaining experience. It didn't happen that way. The shops were not interested in night trading - and the restaurant districts established themselves in Keira street to the west and Corrimal street to the east. There is no prospect of a restaurant revival in the Mall.
The Mall shows signs of life from about 6 am. Council workers appear and spruce the place up and delivery trucks disgorge merchandise to restock stores.
Shop people straggle in from about 7-30 am - and the shoppers arrive sometime after 9 o'clock. By mid morning the Mall is a bustling success.
All that dies an instant death st six pm - and that is the problem facing the decision makers.
If the new and bigger shopping extension in Keira street embraces night shopping and has restaurants in the plan then there is a high chance that an unchanged Mall will simply die.
The planners are confronted with a challenging decision. Defy the wishes of the people and open the Mall to cars - or do nothing and see a more modern duplication drain the life from the existing " birdcage ".
At least the implementation of motor traffic at night would bring those needing ATM's the much needed security of more pedestrians.
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