Local traders lead renewal
Fiona Brady
Thursday 5 June, 2008 8:00am
ASHFIELD'S Chinese business community has been praised for its contribution to the continuing revitalisation of the Ashfield CBD.
Greens councillor Marc Rerceretnam said local shopkeepers had played a key role in the rejuvenation of the Liverpool Rd shopping strip, which started in 2005 after pressure from residents.
"In most cases the messy posters are off windows, graffiti is cleaned off immediately and shopkeepers are spending money on sprucing up the appearance of their businesses," Cr Rerceretnam said.
"While I feel there is a long way to go, we are much, much better than we were back in the bad old days before 2004."
At last week's Ashfield Council meeting, councillors discussed rebranding Ashfield town centre after a notice of motion was put forward by Cr Rerceretnam.
Among the suggestions he proposed were the introduction of night markets and the implementation of an advertising campaign celebrating the diverse faces of Ashfield.
Council officers will prepare a report on the feasibility of such a campaign.
Cr Rerceretnam said it was important to keep up the momentum of transforming the CBD.
"Three years on, I note with pride a significant increase in interest for Ashfield shops and restaurants," he said.
"Before 2005, if you walked down Liverpool Rd, the clientele was mainly Chinese.
"Today there are a significant number of people from all backgrounds enjoying the Ashfield ambience."
