Renew Armidale

The Hon. AILEEN MacDONALD (21:20:30):

I am sure empty spaces in CBDs are not unique to regional centres. It is a challenge and has an impact not just on tourism opportunities, but also on businesses and the communities they serve. As CEO and founder of Renew Newcastle Marcus Westbury, OAM, has said, "Every empty space is a missed opportunity." In August 2018, after meeting with Marcus Westbury and Renew Newcastle manager Christopher Saunders, community leaders from Armidale Business Chamber—now known as Business New England—Guyra & District Chamber of Commerce and Armidale Locals 4 Locals formed Renew Armidale.

Renew Armidale was based on the successful model of Renew Newcastle, which had been formed a decade before in 2008. Initially, Marcus and Christopher came to a public forum to talk to us about Renew Newcastle and to see whether there was an appetite for something similar in Armidale. I am pleased to say there was overwhelming support, and Renew Armidale was born. Those familiar with the Renew Newcastle model would know that it was designed to bring life back to under-utilised neighbourhoods by finding creative entrepreneurs and community groups to undertake quality projects in otherwise empty buildings. The idea is to turn around CBDs through high-quality, low-capital, creative place‑making projects. What I love about Renew Armidale is that it was community driven, did not rely on government funding and was able to pivot according to needs.

Armidale's community is different to Newcastle, so the project was adapted accordingly. Our group was able to start Renew Armidale by forging relationships with landlords, community art groups, local council, existing businesses and new start-ups. It worked by licensing premises from landlords on a no-rent basis with a guaranteed availability to the landlord within 30 days' notice and, conversely, providing opportunities for creative start-ups for a very low financial contribution. The program ensured that participants were complementary to, and not competing with, existing surrounding businesses. The program was a win-win for property owners, participants and the community.

Benefits to participating property owners are that their space is looked after and used, pedestrian traffic and retailers are attracted back to the CBD, asset values are maintained, and there has been a reduction in crime and vandalism as pedestrian traffic has increased. It is possible for participants to become full tenants with rent‑paying agreements with the property owners. Maintenance levels are reduced as buildings are occupied and therefore attended to. Agreements with participants provide a 30-day rolling agreement and many more benefits to participants. These include the removal of some of the risks associated with creating new businesses by providing opportunities to experiment cheaply. The program also attracts local creative people to put their ideas forward and provides a launching pad for creative industries and collaboration with other participants. Public liability insurance is included as part of the project and electricity is connected so they can basically walk in and commence business. Links with the chamber of commerce and other organisations are provided to assist with business ideas. We delivered, and continue to deliver, an increased sense of community. We have provided possibilities to experiment with business opportunities and have contributed to the economy.

Time expired.

Back in August 2018 we were able to secure 10 empty shops through our relationships with real estate agents and property owners and invited expressions of interest from the community. Since that time we have seen many different businesses in those spaces, including art studios, artist workshops, co-working spaces, an opportunity shop for the Animal Welfare Society and a pre-loved items store. Those spaces also provided a place for an HSC student to display an interactive art project for his final work. They also housed a craft collective, belly dancing and a yoga studio, a safe place during NAIDOC Week to provide workshops for First Nations women, a Fleece To Fashion store, a print gallery, a digital studio and many more. []

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