A meeting on the fate of the Armidale Mall will be held later this month.
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It comes after Administrator Ian Tiley agreed with shop owners they had been insufficiently consulted about latest plans for the mall.
These include tearing down shade sails, building an overhead awning in Cinders Lane and returning two-way traffic to the East and West Malls.
“Not one of them [shop owners] contributed to the submissions [to the plans] in last July and August,” Mr Tiley said.
He also criticised his own council officers for inadequately consulting people with a disability and Aboriginal people.
But some retailers have told The Express they weren’t even aware of the proposal.
“We never get anything down here … we don’t even know what’s going on,” West Mall trader June Dangar said.
But Ms Dangar said a revamp was not the answer.
“We need to bring in small, vibrant shops and that won’t happen when they’ve been out-priced,” Ms Dangar said.
“What they charge here is crazy and I also think shop owners here have never worked together.
“Over the Christmas and New Year period there was nothing else open – so it’s not just council that needs to do something.”
East Mall trader Neal Kembery agreed everything came down to the bottom dollar.
“The values of the properties in the mall are not what people think they are,” he said.
“The rent I’m paying is not justified by the foot traffic outside.
“Council has to recognise that the price of the rates are too high and to bring those down.
“The landlords have to realise that the price of their investment has dramatically decreased.
“Until that happens and the rents accordingly come down in value – you’re not going to fill the mall.”
At a council meeting in Tingha on Wednesday Mr Tiley announced he wanted to engage more with the relevant stakeholders before adopting the plan.
An invitation will be provided to every shop owner over the coming days to meet and workshop The Mall Vibrancy Master Plan on February 22.
The revised draft plan will come before council in April.