Comment as such from Orange City Council technical services director David Waddell are baseless and totally unfounded.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Quote the Central Western Daily (Monday, January 5, 2015) “Technical services director Dave Waddell said expansions at Orana Mall in Dubbo had turned the Dubbo CBD into a ‘ghost town’.”
One could possibly think he is a dill for saying this. If they in Orange don’t want a shopping centre like Dubbo's successful Orana Mall being build in north Orange, don’t use Dubbo’s forward planning as a basis to make up lies about our city to drive whatever the agenda in Orange is.
The definition of a ghost town is, "A ghost town is an abandoned village, town or city, usually one which contains substantial visible remains". This doesn’t reflect Dubbo at all.
Dubbo’s CBD is far from any type of ghost town and is certainly not in crisis, it is currently evolving and will always be evolving.
The comment about our CBD is not good for our city let alone our CBD itself and I will defend this or any other unfounded type of comment about Dubbo.
The development that has happened within the Dubbo CBD over the past 12 to 18 months speaks for itself and shows the confidence that our CBD is currently held in.
Saying it is a ghost town is not only bad but totally untrue. We have had Aldi build a new store , the redevelopment of Talbragar Street, the installation of the roundabout, the refurbishment of the Castlereagh and Commercial hotels, the Old Bank restaurant in Macquarie Street, planned refurbishments for Dubbo Square and Riverdale, a new shop opening on Fishers Corner, the relocation of Nangar Gems, planned redevelopment of the old Commonwealth Office building into retail space and expansion of the Milestone Hotel, plus other additional redevelopments planned and in discussion for our CBD.
All this and a $30 million redevelopment of Orana Mall, Dubbo’s doing well.
Councils understands its place is in the planning process and Dubbo is doing this well. This is why we see the development we have now and what is planned for the future, currently undertaking ‘ Redevelopment of Dubbo Commercial Areas Development Strategy-project structure and time lines’.
This will allow us in Dubbo to keep developing a particular focus on the CBD, its role both in economic and social life of our city and in our CBD. This ‘place-making’ type activity will allow all stakeholders to be involved in the future direction of our currently-strong CBD. Yes it needs work and always will in this ever-changing business environment which we live in.
I am confident that this long-term planning will drive the future economic and social vibrancy of Dubbo as a city and our diverse and large CBD well into the future.
Have the debate Orange, this is your democratic right and the democratic process we are all afforded.
Whatever the politic are in Orange around this planning proposal please don’t publicly misrepresent or use derogatory comments about what is actually happening in our great City. Dubbo CBD is not a ghost town, far from it Mr Waddell and Orange council.
Cr John Walkom, Dubbo City Council