Windsor mall question has no easy answers

Many readers also defended Council and said there was only so much it could do to help small business.

The Gazette contacted Mayor Mary Lyons-Buckett, Liberal councillor Patrick Conolly, former Liberal Mayor and small business owner Kim Ford and Windsor business owner Darren Pead.

We also spoke to UTS’ Simon Kilbane, who studies urban spaces and designs.

We wanted to know what impact Council decisions made to businesses in general, as well as their opinion on whether the Windsor mall should be opened up again.

Mr Pead said businesses lived and died by the decisions they made, and a good business would survive any Council decision.

He said his two shops – Guy Stuff and Lollies ‘n’ Stuff – were booming, despite the mall being there, and he doubted whether ripping up the mall would be the panacea many think it would be to suddenly make every business a success.

Mayor Lyons-Buckett leaped to Council’s defence, and said people drastically overestimated how much power Council had to influence things in the Hawkesbury.

“It is unfortunate there is such a misunderstanding of Council's role and the extent of control people seem to think we have over things,” she said.

“For people to think we can literally just reopen the mall without proper consultation and that we can go and tell people how to run their business or tell landlords what sort of a tenant they can put in their shop is quite unbelievable.”

Former Mayor Kim Ford said in his view, the Fitzroy Hotel had struggled because of business decisions it made.

Mr Kilbane said shared spaces - such as the one at Blacktown Raiway Station, which used to be the location of the mall - where cars and  pedestrians sue the same space - could be a more effective use of the Windsor mall.

Ensuring commercial areas are clean and tidy, quicker processing of development applications and encouraging tourism into the Hawkesbury through policy changes are all things Hawkesbury Council could do to support small business according to the councillors and former mayor Ford.

Cr Lyons-Buckett said policy changes could encourage more people to visit the Hawkesbury.

“We are reviewing and commencing some strategies which will include aspects of tourism including the Windsor Revitalisation project and Hawkesbury Horizons projects,” she said.

“While not specifically directed at small business the advantages to small business would emerge once the town centre increased in its viability with increased visitors and economic opportunities.”

Cr Conolly said faster processing of development applications would assist business.

“I think one of Council’s biggest roles in the local economy is allow local entrepreneurs to make things happen, rather than often refusing planning permission to new and exciting businesses,” he said.

“New businesses create more activity and interest, and stimulate tired spaces.”

He said keeping commercial areas clean was another priority, while also added that in recent times, Council had made changes to attract more temporary events.

“In the last couple of years, Council has made steps towards being much easier to work with for people who wish to hold events that will attract visitors to our region,” he said.

Mr Ford also said cleanliness was important. 

“The best way to help small business is to have the commercial areas clean neat and tidy. Make the townships inviting for people to come to,” he said.

Faster processing of DAs and improved Council services would also help, according to Mr Ford.

Mr Pead again reiterated businesses had the power to succeed, but not every one made the right choices.

“I can tell you 10 businesses in Windsor where things are going well,” he said.

Mr Pead said Council could make the mall easier on the eye.

“I think all the broken pavers could be fixed, the park benches could be new, there could be flags on the poles in the mall,” he said.

“They have recently fixed up the lighting but there could be more at night.

“There could be things like sculptures or more historical information there. Many historical towns have information boards to explain the history of buildings.”

Mr Ford said opening up the mall would spell the death of Windsor.

“Why stop the only thing that works in Windsor,” he said.

“The weekends are alive with people and potential customers. The rest of the week is dead. So let's make it dead every day - great move. 

“The mall is a good thing if businesses help themselves by standard opening hours and service, not treat work as a part time hobby.”

Cr Conolly said Windsor mall ought to be opened back up to traffic, although potentially closed to allow for the markets on Sunday.

Cr Lyons-Buckett said she did not have a strong opinion on what should happen to the mall.

She said past Councils had not paid enough attention to the issue.

“It is unfortunate that opportunities to follow up and delve into whether to leave or reopen the mall have been ignored in the past, as it is clearly something which people have strong opinions on,” she said.

Mr Pead said he held no strong opinions either way on the mall.

“I don't care whether we have a mall or we don't,” he said. “The businesses that do well, will do so with or without the mall.”

Mr Pead said he owned four shops, and the two in Windsor were his busiest.

He said one of his shops was at The Entrance, where a mall had been put in and then removed, with each move a controversial decision.

“When it wasn't there businesses complained there should be a mall, and when it was there they complained that it was there,” he said.

Mr Pead also said removing the mall would cause a lot of disruption to his business, and potentially would not deliver any great benefit.

A happy medium and potential way to boost weekday trade would be to have cars and pedestrians share the same space, according to a University of Technology Sydney lecturer.

Simon Kilbane, the course director of landscape architecture, said academic research currently favoured shared spaces.

Mr Kilbane, who studies urban spaces, said he had researched malls, though never Windsor’s, and in general, his research and that of others supported shared spaces.

“Malls are not simply about removing cars and seeing a corresponding increase in civic amenity or local business livelihoods,” he said.

“Ultimately, it is about getting facilities and dollar spend in the right place. My professional view would be to encourage Windsor to consider a ‘shared space’, one that could include returning cars to the mall in limited way; or, through continuing to exclude cars through a complete re-design of the space to accommodate contemporary community expectations.”

Mr Kilbane said the design of malls was important.

“A well designed mall, or street with appropriate seating, planting for shade and visual interest, lighting for safety can markedly improve a local centre, such as Windsor,” he said.

“Studies from overseas and in Australia advocate for the creation of activated, safe, well-lit and well-designed space with lots of amenity.”

Mr Kilbane said civic events such as markets, which Windsor has on a Sunday, as well as public wi-fi, along with a nicer amenity were all things which could make a mall more attractive for pedestrians to visit.

In general, he said shared spaces were the best option in his professional opinion for a place like Windsor, though stressed there was no one-size fits all solution for malls.

He added that people ought to avoid the binary car or no car argument, in his opinion, and look to find a way of having a shared space.

Mr Kilbane said he was happy to work with Hawkesbury Council and said his faculty at UTS was always looking for project work.