BRIDGE TO OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR VILLAGE PEOPLE

A connection to HOTA could be the boost Chevron Island traders need and may give the region a leg up

YOU are all drowning in politics at the moment, so it’s time to write about the village. Which village – Chevron Island village. Village people for sure, maybe no Indian or Cowboy, but certainly plenty of characters!

Enzo with his lean cuisine; Frank and Wazza with the best takeaway fish and chips boring you to death talking up Richmond; the singing barber in Paul who equally bores you to death talking up the Swans; outstanding Asian influenced food at Fu Manchu; great pizzas at Arlo’s; the Friday old boys lunch on the pavement where more bulls--- changes hand than there are grains of sand on Surfers beach; throw in a couple of bars and this village has a heartbeat. Perhaps it should get a YMCA?

Finally, I’m getting a sense that the village known as Chevron Island is in for some good times! The masterplan behind the Arts precinct – HOTA as it is now known, has recently commenced work on the new “Green Bridge”. This bridge will link, for pedestrians, Chevron Island to the new Art Gallery and the surrounding performance and arts facilities at Evandale. The Evandale site, of course, was the home to all the Council offices until recently when the bulldozers made way for our new sparkling Arts Gallery and associated infrastructure including the outdoor stage and performance area.

This is all exciting, terrific progress for our City, and in my view, long overdue. Having a major cultural hub makes good sense for a City of our size and growth. So well done to the mayor and councillors for so strongly supporting this initiative.

Already since the outdoor performance space has kicked in we are seeing a big uplift in the number of locals getting along to live entertainment there. With our stunning weather it’s a natural. The food and beverage offer could be improved but I’m sure they will get that together (hint)? And the parking is well short of what is needed – enter stage right – the bridge to solve that issue!

So, back to the bridge. It will connect foot traffic from Surfers and Chevron Island to HOTA. This is going to be the fillip that Chevron Island traders really needed. Now there are a number of great restaurants and take away food places on the island - if you haven’t tried it recently, give it a go. But, and here’s the but, with this superb opportunity dropping at their feet with this connection to HOTA I hope the landlords and village operators use this as a catalyst to give the whole village strip a big uplift. Tired it most certainly is. Just like the Village People were from the ‘70s so are many of the properties and shop fronts along here. It needs to find a new mojo.

So now is the time to work together and give the place a new look, take advantage of the additional passing trade and opportunities that courtesy of the Council will be dumped right at your feet. Work collegiately with HOTA, find out the performance times, opening hours of the new Gallery etc. and make sure you give people parking on the Island to go to HOTA a reason to come an hour earlier, or stay an hour later and have a drink, grab a bite to eat or do some shopping.

It’s not brain surgery, it’s good old simple – provide service, make it a seamless and an interesting experience and the village will be humming along like the slick new entertainment facilities we now have.

It’s the sum of the parts people – get them all together and pretty soon you have a cool, trendy and very popular hot spot happening! Let’s hope so.