Double Bay Action Plan

As a response to the Global Financial Crisis, Lesli Berger the General Manager of Fivex Commercial Property, wrote the following Double Bay Action Plan in early 2008. The Plan pre-dated Woollahra Council’s commitment to establishing the Double Bay Partnership and has not been previously published because the formation of the Partnership occurred shortly thereafter and the Chamber of Commerce at the time, whilst supportive, did not have the resources to put together its own detailed plan to lobby the Council.

With the wisdom of hindsight, the Plan as drafted is deficient in several obvious areas (of course this list is not exhaustive):

DOUBLE BAY ACTION PLAN (as drafted in 2008)

As preamble to start of Double Bay action plan

(i)                Very concerned about commercial deterioration of Double Bay.

(ii)              Double Bay needs to remain competitive with surrounding centres and Council must change its policies that impact on the commercial competitiveness of Double Bay.

(iii)            Something fundamentally wrong with system when council wants to charge a dentist $76,992 to set up their business (409-411 New South Head Rd, Double Bay)

“We the residents, businesses and property owners of Double Bay call on Woollahra Council to implement the following tasks as a matter of priority”.

PARKING

1.     Turn off parking meters for a 6 month period. Starting immediately. Council must send a strong message to the community that Double Bay is open for business. Remove parking meters from along New South Head Rd, so that retailers along New South head Rd cam compete with Rose Bay Shopping centre.

2.     After the 6 month period has expired, ensure all parking meters allow payment by use of credit card, so as to ensure a convenient alternative to paying by coins.

3.     Increase free parking in the Cross Street car park to 2 hours. So as to ensure the Double Bay centre is as competitive as possible with Bondi Junction Westfield. Council should match or better the hourly parking rates at Bondi Junction Westfield in all public and private car parks that are council owns. Control or regulates.

4.     Review the Woollahra s94 Contribution plan 2002 as per note 3 of clause 2.2, taking into consideration the failure of the Kiaora Lands Project. In particular, Council must ensure the contribution plan as it applies to Double Bay Commercial Centre does not.

A.    Unnecessarily encourage developers to build basement car parking that will impact on the water table of surrounding residents; and

B.     Inhibit the economic viability of new development and intensification of uses within Double Bay centre.

Maintenance

1.     Continue to beautify the Double Bay Centre in consultation with the Double Bay chamber of commerce.

2.     Upgrade lighting in the Cross Street car park so as to improve people’s sense of safety in that car park, especially women.

3.     Repaint the Cross Street car park to improve its presentation and organise regular inspections to ensure graffiti is removed in a timely manner

Events and Community

. Organise regular upmarket events in the Double Bay centre in order to enliven the centre. Options include;

A.    Organise a professional operator to run specialist markets in the centre

B.     Organise a Knox Street film festival; and/or

C.     In summer months organising an outdoor cinema in Double Bay park.

Double Bay Cinema Site

“Organise a professional public relations consultant to shame Greater Union into reopening Double Bay cinema.”

Lesli Berger

General Manager

Fivex Commercial Property