BURLEIGH BUSINESS BACKS EXTENSION
A BURLEIGH Heads cafe owner has thrown his support behind light rail, calling on the State Government and council to step in to help businesses weather the “short-term pain” of construction.
Seadog Cafe owner Brodie Green said while controversial, he believed the 3A extension through Burleigh would boost foot traffic, and solve the suburb’s diabolic parking problems.
“As a business it’s hard to compete with a shopping centre that has efficient, free parking and I think the tram tackles that,” he said.
The hole-in-the-wall cafe, a repurposed ATM site, has made an impact since launching just over a year ago, going viral with a women’s rights campaign.
Mr Green said the city and State Government should chip in to help businesses avoid the pressure felt by small businesses in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach during the first construction phase.
“Council and State
Government could incentivise the community by discounting bus tickets or parking in the area which might help,” he said.
“I think it’s up to the public to support local business and make a conscious effort to visit the stores impacted even though it might be inconvenient.”
Mr Green said the light rail would give both customers and employees the chance to leave the car at home.
“The biggest complaint that we have from locals is that the parking in Burleigh is terrible, Burleigh is getting so popular with cafes, bars and restaurants that there’s just nowhere to park,” he said.
“A lot of people are travelling from Surfers and Broadbeach so having access to a tram would make it a lot easier for people, plus it’s more environmentally friendly,” he said.
Mr Green said Burleigh Heads locals were “very divided” over the light rail announcement.
“Retail is tricky at the moment, it’s never been as hard as it is now, so some business owners are concerned about (surviving) the short-term because they’ve seen what happened in Surfers,” he said.
But California Tacos owner Ty Yturralde wasn’t concerned about losing any business.
“Nothing’s going to stop people coming to Burleigh,” he said.
“You get a lot of local people who love the beach and I don’t think construction is going to deter them from coming.
“I feel like Burleigh’s its own little country, it’s run by locals. Burleigh is what Bondi probably was 20 years ago, and we welcome this.”