Glenroi’s Kurim shopping centre is Orange’s biggest eyesore.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Situated in the middle of residential Glenroi the building that once housed a take-away outlet, a hairdressing salon and a variety of other tenants, now sits vacant.
Its windows are smashed and there is graffiti on its walls.
While the property is privately-owned, Orange City Council has been working to see the site upgraded or the building demolished for years.
Finally a demolition order has been issued and the community of Glenroi is one step closer to getting a facility that is appropriate for them.
On Thursday, council announced it would prepare a tender to knock the building down.
Now the demolition order has been given the real work begins.
Several would-be councillors met at the site on Thursday to discuss its future.
Melissa Hatton suggested the site should be re-purposed and used as an outreach service for youth, the elderly and young parents.
However when it came to how to fund such an ambitious project, Mrs Hatton and her fellow candidates did not offer a firm solution.
Mrs Hatton said she would speak to the PCYC, LiveBetter, Juvenile Justice, the Aboriginal Medical Service and the building’s owner Eid Eid about funding the site’s redevelopment.
While we all wish Mrs Hatten the best of luck it remains to be seen whether any of these parties will actually contribute funds to the re-development.
Fellow candidate Gerald Power called the Kurim building “a blight on the community” and said council would need to move fast to secure extra funding for the project.
Councillor-hopeful Bernard Fitzsimon said the area needed to revitalised and simply demolishing the building wasn’t good enough.
At a time when the electorate is bemoaning our hefty rates and the poor quality of some of our roads it is hard to know where the money to redevelop the Kurim site will come from.
While moves to improve this site should be applauded and supported, the real issue comes down to money.
It is only when the funding is worked out that the meaningful discussion about rebuilding the site can begin.