Wangaratta Unlimited … or so they think

The Rural City of Wangaratta (a.k.a the Centre of the Universe) is dreaming again. Recently they proposed a car free CBD, and now they are planning to incorporate the style of Melbourne’s Docklands and the revitalisation of Geelong’s foreshore precinct into -… wait for it … are you ready? … The Faithful Street precinct backing on to the Ovens River.

Sure the area needs redevelopment – it is the worn out end of the town! At the moment, the area is home to the Courthouse, the Corrections Office, Centrelink, Ovens and King Communtity Health, Worktrainers and a few other government/social amenity operations.

At the other end of the CBD in Ford Street, we have the uppity end of town with the joint government centre and the development of the performing arts centre in close proximity to the library and the cities major churches.

Spending $40,000 in State Government funding to develop the Ovens Riverside Precinct Strategic Plan is a total wank ,,, particularly with an $8 million plan for a multi-storey residential and retail building on the former Faithfull Street Traders site already approved. What else is there to add to a strategic plan that received massive funding back under the mayoralship of Irene Grant.

So the strategic plan will be to attract investors to spend up to $20 million to utilise the contemporary style designs at the Docklands in Melbourne.

I think a fair whack of that $40,000 of funding might be spent by Council sending a delegation to Geelong to assess the recent revitalisation of its foreshore precinct.

Who do they think they are kidding. Investors will surely see through this.

clipped from nenews.com.au FAITHFULL Street could be home to the biggest investment in Wangaratta’s history, with plans to attract developments of up to $25 million into the precinct. Developing the plan is the next step in council’s ongoing project in the precinct, and follows on from the retail audit released earlier this month. And council is talking about a big scale, with the aim of attracting investments of between $10 and $25 million in order to properly capitalise on the dual features of Ovens River and Faithfull Street frontage. “That is the scale of investment this precinct is likely to attract,” Mr Nickless said. Mr Nickless said the revitalisation of the precinct would involve shops and cafes with views of the Ovens River. “We are looking at the Docklands in Melbourne and are hoping for those contemporary style designs,” he said. Council will also send a delegation to Geelong to assess the recent revitalisation of its foreshore precinct.