Renew Murray Bridge: Call for concerted effort to fill vacant main street shops

As the local council looks for ways to revitalise Murray Bridge’s CBD, one resident has suggested it focus on connecting property owners with entrepreneurs.

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Penny Heighes writes down some of her ideas about how to revitalise Murray Bridge’s CBD at a council workshop. Image: Peri Strathearn.

As you walk down Bridge Street on a sunny morning, you’ll pass lawyers and real estate agencies, beauty therapists, retail outlets, restaurants and cafes.

There are more service providers than shops these days, of course, since so many retailers have moved to one of the city’s two big shopping centres.

There are also more places to eat than there were even three years ago.

But eight out of 49 tenancies were empty on Wednesday of this week, including one with “opening soon” signs on its windows.

Local resident Penny Heighes reckons Murray Bridge should take a Renew Adelaide-style approach to those that are left.

The non-profit organisation connects start-up businesses with property owners who are willing to let them go rent-free for their first few months, just to get something happening in their empty buildings.

Ideally, those businesses will become viable and start paying rent; if not, perhaps someone else will realise the value of an empty space.

“We need both sides of the coin: property owners and energetic and quirky business owners,” Ms Heighes said.

“We need people that have business ideas and who need a step-up into a retail space without the initial cost.”

Murray Bridge News asked Renew Adelaide CEO Gianna Murphy: would the model work outside the metropolitan area?

Maybe, she said – but locals would need to lead the charge.

“The reason we work so well in the city is we’ve physically been there, we’ve built trust in the community and the property industry – then we begin the actual work of activating (a precinct),” she said.

“We’ve had councils come and say ‘we’ll pay you to start activating’, but it’s not that simple.”

The first step in any renewal project, she said, was making sure property owners were on board, and in great enough numbers to build up some momentum – zhuzhing up one or two shopfronts wouldn’t cut it.

Next it was about building up a list of entrepreneurs and creators in need of an empty space.

“If you can show there’s demand there, that will feed into supply,” she said.

Bring the two together, and in time, everyone might be the richer for it.

The Renew Adelaide model might work in Murray Bridge, Gianna Murphy says, but it would need to be locally led. Photo: Renew Adelaide.

High rents and closed doors dominate public perceptions

Ms Heighes was one of only a handful of people who showed up to a consultation session about the future of Murray Bridge’s CBD last week.

The city’s council is asking locals to have their say about what can be done to revitalise the precinct.

Although Bridge Street was once part of the national highway network, the council has plenty of leeway to make changes as it sees fit – it would just need approval from the state Department for Infrastructure and Transport.

There’s no shortage of good ideas around the community, judging by recent comments on Murray Bridge News’ Facebook page.

How about:

• Angle parking, with a single lane of traffic in each direction

• Better street lighting at night

• More al fresco dining

• A key attraction of some kind

• Higher property rates for vacant buildings, or rate relief for property owners who host new businesses

Many commenters also suggested main street businesses’ opening hours were too limited.

“I enjoy going to the main street, but sadly almost every single business is closed by midday on Saturday,” one commenter said.

Murray Bridge's main street features a mix of old and new businesses, shops, offices and eateries – and the odd unsightly corner. Photos: Peri Strathearn.

There was also a widespread perception that main street rents were too high.

A majority of vacant Bridge Street businesses were not actively being advertised for lease online this week; but those that were were typically priced from $10-15 per square metre per month.

A quick internet search showed Murray Bridge News that those prices compared favourably to vacant premises in comparable centres such as Gawler, Mount Barker and Victor Harbor – though, of course, only Bridge Street’s current tenants know what they’re paying at present.

Still, there was one thing locals could do to make the main street livelier, retailer Justine Searby said: get out and support the businesses that were already there.

“The main street has great little family-run businesses that offer a range of things for many in our community: places to eat (and) get coffee, clothing boutiques, hair and beauty, handmade chocolates, an old-style lolly shop, gift shops, sport shops, (a) tattoo shop and engraving, all run by dedicated local families,” she said.

“For the main street to thrive it needs locals to visit these businesses, support them and choose them.”

• Have your say: Visit letstalk.murraybridge.sa.gov.au before midnight on November 22.

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Locals support locals. Your support helps Murray Bridge News tell important local stories.