Opening Up Sydney For Business Is Required

Victor P Taffa

Sydney hosted the Olympic Games in 2000. Olympic Games IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch described the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games as the best ever. Sydney would never have won the Olympic Games bid or hosted the world’s best Games if there was the mentality of the Baird or Abbott Government around then.

Sydney won the right to host the Olympic Games in 1993 when the British Contingent headed by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne lobbied Countries to support Sydney ahead of Beijing. In 1993 Sydney pipped Beijing at the post by 45 votes to 43 to win the right to host the 2000 Olympic Games.

 

 

 

 

 

Sydney in 2000 was open for business. The Olympic Park Railway Line opened in 1998 and the Airport Line opened in 2000. The trains ran like the London Metro. Sydney Rail commuters never had it so good. Business was booming. There was no such word as can’t.

So what do we have today only a mere 14 years later? Industries closing down or shifting overseas, unemployment increasing and a homeless problem that is increasing by the day.

The Dumbing Down of Sydney began with the Early Lock Out Laws and Drinking Zones that are systematically sending Kings Cross, Oxford Street and Sydney CBD businesses to the wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does anyone care?

Do people want Sydney to be a vibrant 24/7 City or a closed-for-business 1950’s version?

Victor P Taffa does not support the dumbing down and closure for business of the Sydney CBD by the Baird and Abbott Government’s. The real reason for these announcements by the Baird Government is because Sydney is a Capital City and when you abolish State Governments you then downgrade Sydney as a Capital City. Foreign born Prime Minister Tony Abbott is behind this plan. Prime Minister Tony Abbott wants to abolish State Government’s.

According to The Daily Telegraph on 3 June 2014 there are also plans to move 3,000 Bureaucrats out of the Sydney CBD and build three office towers in Parramatta, Penrith and Liverpool. The Supreme Court is to sit regularly at Parramatta as will other Court proceedings.

Another reason to Dumb Down Sydney is then not have to expand and improve our Heavy Railways.

 

Other Matters that affects the Sydney Electorate are as follows:

• Inner East Light Rail
• Oxford Street Darlinghurst & Paddington Vacant Shop Sites
• Early Lock Outs/Drinking Zones
• The Rocks Public Housing
• Royal Botanic Gardens/Domain
• Inner City School

 

Oxford Street Darlinghurst & Paddington Vacant Shop Sites:

Between College Street, Darlinghurst and Queen Street, Woollahra as at 18 April 2014 there are 76 empty retail sites on Oxford Street.

Empty Retail Sites On Oxford Street

Between

College Street, Darlinghurst

And

Queen Street, Woollahra

As At 18 April 2014

Commencing from

College Street, Darlinghurst

8 Retail Sites to

Barcom Avenue

13 Retail Sites to

Paddington Arms Hotel Site

Empty

21 Retail Sites to

Queen Street, Woollahra

Other Side Of Oxford Street

20 Retail Sites to

Flinders Street

6 Retail Sites to

College Street, Darlinghurst

Oxford Street Total Empty Retail Sites                                   68 Retail Sites

Paddington Arms Hotel Site                                                         1 Empty Site

Crown Street From Oxford Street To Campbell Street    7 Retail Sites (1 Block)

Area Total                                                                                              76 Retail Sites

 

These statistics were gathered by Victor P Taffa on 18 April 2014 by physically walking along Oxford and Crown Streets and counting each empty retail site individually and recording it.

 

Some Reasons For Vacant Oxford Street Shop Sites:

•  Bus Lanes and Clearways
• Competition from Westfield Bondi Junction and Sydney CBD
• Early Lock Outs/ Drinking Zones
• High Rents charged
• Lack of Off Street Parking
• Lack of Support from State Government
• Lack of Support from Sydney City and Woollahra Councils
• Lack of a Variety of Retail Outlets
• Landlords who are preoccupied with other investments

Some people may think so what?

Empty shops devalue an area, devalue existing businesses, attract vandalism, graffiti and drive customers away. If there were no empty shops on Oxford Street and Crown Street the area would thrive, people would come to shop in the area and existing businesses would experience an increase in sales.

Sydney City Council, Woollahra Council and the New South Wales Government have oversight responsibility for Oxford Street. Local Government wants to eliminate the functions of State Government and yet it is Local Government who is the cash registers for rate payments from businesses along Oxford Street.

State Government maintains Oxford Street and Business owners, residents and tourists are left to pick up the pieces of shops closing and choice of shops to purchase from. Closed shops are far from an impressive look for tourists to Oxford Street especially during Mardi Gras.

When Sydney hosted the Olympic Games in 2000 problems such as closed shops on Oxford Street were fixed as Sydney spruced itself up for the games.

Some Solutions For Vacant Oxford Street Shop Sites:

• Encourage a variety of types of retail outlets to open on Oxford Street
• Investigate possible sites for Off Street Parking
• Improve Shop Awnings
• Light Rail for Oxford Street
• Heavy Rail for Oxford Street
• Oxford Street website
• Rent Holiday Periods
• Seasonal promotion of Oxford Street
• Work with Sydney City and Woollahra Councils to overcome the situation

As the State Member for Sydney Victor P Taffa will engage people with new ideas and will lobby State Government Departments and both Sydney City and Woollahra Councils to do something other than just take money from Landlords to improve Oxford Street. As the State Member for Sydney Victor P Taffa will ask for people to come forward with new ideas for the improvement of Oxford Street.

The Parramatta Light Rail Plan sounds great but it also sounds like a Plan for the never-never. In 1998 then Premier Bob Carr knew that the Parramatta-Epping Rail Project was not going to proceed because Transport Officials wanted to build Third Live Rail Metro Rail and Parramatta-Epping was in direct conflict with this plan. Duplication of the Carlingford Heavy Rail Line should come before the Parramatta Light Rail does.

Ripping up the Bankstown Line for Third Live Rail Metro Rail is economic stupidity. Shutting down the Newcastle Railway Line and building Light Rail is also fanciful thinking. Just who is kidding who?

Victor P Taffa has a 5 Point Plan for Sydney that can be read and downloaded at: http://isput.com.au/elections/2015-sydney-state-election/

The 5 Point Plan is economically responsible and can be built within a reasonably short period of time.

 

The 5 Point Plan is:

1st Point-24 Hour Train Operation to be restored

2^nd Point-Second City Circle Heavy Railway (Bradfield Line) to be built

3^rd Point-City Circle Light Rail Line to be built

4^th Point-Wynyard Railway Station Platforms 1 & 2 to be used for Heavy Rail Trains

5^th Point-Woollahra Railway Station to be built

 

Restaurant/ Lounge Carriages for all Trains and 24 Hour Train Operations are plans that will open up Sydney and New South Wales and should be supported by any right minded thinking person.

Vote 1 Victor P Taffa INDEPENDENT For Sydney, at the 28 March 2015 New South Wales Election to restore common sense to Government thinking.

Please be advised that Victor P Taffa is NOT a puppet to any person or group.