COULD a little bit of Noosa be brought into Orange to revitalise Summer Street?
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That's what Orange Business Chamber says could make the difference to vacancy rates.
With consultants still working through proposed upgrades to the CBD, chamber president Ash Brown has been looking to other towns across Australia and internationally.
He said Noosa Heads' main street, Hastings Street, was a prime example of what was possible in mixing dining, retail and tourism, particularly when it came to al fresco dining.
Noosa has permanent dining areas, which extend onto the road, protected from passing traffic by fencing and gardens.
While the design takes up parking spaces, there are still sections where cars can park.
"Although it's a different climate to us, it does get cool in winter and they use heating in all the al fresco areas," Mr Brown said.
"They have wide footpaths, which we have here - it works very well because they're covered those areas, they've made them user-friendly and they've kept the same form all the way."
He also said bicycle lanes needed to be given higher priority in the CBD.
Currently, marked bicycle lanes stop at March Street in the north and Kite Street in the south.
"It's adults with children who need connections between recreation areas with dedicated bike lanes," he said.
"If a family wants to get, say, from Moulder Park to Robertson Park, they would be able to go on a dedicated bike lane and get across Summer Street safely."
Councillors were told this month there were more than 100 ideas under consideration between the steering committee and consultant.
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