Mackay city heart

Plans to revitalize the Mackay city heart have once again been embraced by Mackay regional councillor Dave Perkins . It seems that every few years new members of the internal development bureau get inspired to do something to the centre of the city in the hope of bringing customers back to the many businesses who have suffered financially over the years due to the lack of parking, the lack of a sustainable transport shuttle from Canelands to the heart, and the lacklustre approach the small businesses in the heart take to entice people to shop with them. It may be time to engage in a little more control so that the Heart traders can compete with the big boys in the shopping centre. The standard of the majority of shops in the Heart is sadly substandard for 2010, and the mum and dad business approach needs to be reassessed. Mackay people have become used to the shopping experience offered by the retailers in the centres, who pay big bucks to get their shoppers to firstly get drawn to the space due to convenience, secondly are enticed to enter the pristine environments, and thirdly are easily persuaded to buy, because they feel emotionally rewarded. The City Centre boasts lacklustre facades, uncontrolled advertising and colour, window displays which are reminiscent of the small country towns with a one street shopping precinct, and generally looks faded and somewhat dirty and forlorn.
The only time there was any real change was when Greg Williamson took it upon himself to add some spice by placing art and items of interest in our city streets. This took place many many years ago, and was met with disdain and disapproval at the time, but his ideas were the only ideas that have added to the Centre with consideration for aesthetics.

Since then we have seen an attempt at 'tourist quality' with a purple and green mismatching colour scheme applied to benches and shade umbrellas. It seems that council was under the impression that any colour is good colour, and obviously no one with any design experience was consulted . As it is, the colours are very much outdated, and do not add to the tropical atmosphere so desperately needed.

Style never goes out of fashion, and stylish considerations should always be the focus. People have grown up, have travelled a lot more then in the 80's, and know what appeals to their senses. Painting a building a gaudy orange, with purple and green accessories may look great in Cannes, but even then, the French would have picked a different orange. Good taste and style does not come naturally to everyone, and therefore it is up to a council to provide tight guidelines as to what can and cant be done. Just like in the shopping centres.

The river front areas towards the boatramp has had millions of dollars spent on an architects lifetime design dream, but it has pulled up way short of what it could have been. During the week, the area is an empty,cold and unused space, despite the attempt to give it class by the million dollar public "Art works', that noone ever looks at. mackay boats many incredibly talented people, and there may have been a lot more significance if the works were from our own local artists. That aside, the space is not friendly. Perhaps council should find a way to utilise this space to the benefit of the community, who , after all, have paid dearly for it. Where are the trees?

Why aren't the weekend markets held there, in council funded structures especially for this purpose? (stall hire, pretty umbrellas, the Brisbane markets are a fine example.) Make it appealing and people will come. Goodness knows we could do with a trendy vintage market, or an art market or something similar, live buskers and music. At least the Centre would be alive. Perhaps it will take private enterprise to put the ideas forward to council? I am willing to help.