The revitalisation of Rutherglen’s main street has not come soon enough for three businesses that have shut up shop in the past five months.
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The latest closure was the Burgess Family Butchery on Saturday – owner Mark Burgess said he had no choice, after 20 months in business.
“We weren’t really moving forward and we were in that environment where we simply couldn’t invest any more money into wages,” he said.
“We’ll just look at other ways we can utilise the space; we will be looking to do wholesale and offer our services to producers around the area.”
Less than a week before the butcher closed, the Rutherglen Florist closed and Passion Flora Gifts and Homewares has also shut its doors in recent months.
Like the florist, Mr Burgess will continue on without a shopfront, instead as a catering business called The Flamin’ Butcher.
He said there were a number of factors such as undercutting by supermarket chains that led to his decision to close, but believed Indigo Shire Council could have done more to support his and other businesses.
“With the main street revitalisation project, it seems to be the main street is the last thing to get done,” Mr Burgess said.
“There’s trees planted, footpaths redone away from the main street and a car park a kilometre from the main street … I don’t understand the logic behind that.
“The main street is what needed it first, and for council to liaise with businesses at the first instance.”
Mayor Jenny O’Connor agreed the main street project was taking too long and said council was working to have $2 million in planning funding for a heavy vehicle deviation project made available.
“There’s $2 million each from state and federal governments for the revitilisation project grant,” she said.
“At this stage, what the federal government is saying is that the money is to be used for planning.
“That’s engineering planning and the nuts and bolts of what needs to be done, but there’s also some immediate infrastructure works we could get on with.
“We’ve been lobbying (Federal Infrastructure Minister) Darren Chester to free up some money that’s been put aside for planning.
“We need to actually use the money now ... and that is frustrating.”
Cr O’Connor said a new tourism manager had been recruited to work on a strategy specific to each town, including to boost activity in Rutherglen.
“We are always really sorry to see any downturn in the business sector in our communities,” she said.
“It’s an attempt to grow the town to improve visitation… it does happen, when places start to get a sense of things moving forward, and we’re seeing that in Chiltern.”
- Correction: An earlier version of this report caused some confusion in regards to funding for the heavy vehicle deviation project, referring to the revitalisation project at first instance.