Chamber wants better planning
March 23, 2006
Section: News
CORRIMAL Chamber of Commerce launched its ''consult the experts'' program on Monday night with real estate representatives discussing the availability of commercial and industrial land in the suburb.
Chamber president Ken Holloway said the issues of commercial, retail and industrial sites available for expansion of existing enterprises and accommodation of new enterprises were key issues.
''In time, the chamber hopes to develop an inventory of these sites as part of a pro-active move to attract investment and investors and jobs to this area.
''Our aim is to understand what stocks of suitable land already zoned are available. Then we will study the types of industries most suited to these sites with a view to matching investors with sites,'' Mr Holloway said.
The possibility of attracting beachfront cafes and other commercial ventures in surf clubs was another subject on the agenda.
Mr Holloway said the issue at Ziems Park had provoked considerable community opinion.
"The community is seeing this as more than simply creating more shops. It's emerging as a philosophical and bigger picture issue.... about preserving, even extending passive recreational space to adequately cope for this area's future to properly cater for a rapidly increasing population.''
Mr Holloway said that for the chamber to begin to form policy on such issues, the members needed access to the latest thinking from the professional planning ranks.
''It is their job to work out what is appropriate development and what is not. However, it is also their responsibility to consult widely with the community before coming to any conclusions on which to base any course of action,'' Mr Holloway said.
''I was interested in the letter in the Northern Leader recently which argued that Corrimal may now have reached a stage in its commercial development where the answer to accommodating retail growth is to go up, not out,'' Mr Holloway said.
The chamber will arrange a major meeting with the community on the Stockland proposal in the future Mr Holloway said.