MAUDE Street Mall traders learned last week that the opening of the second stage of the redevelopment has been delayed.
“The completion of stage two of the Maude Street Mall Redevelopment has unfortunately been delayed due to global supply chain issues and impacts of COVID-19 relating to the delivery of specialised catenary poles,” said Council’s director of infrastructure, Gary Randhawa.
Originally scheduled for completion in July, stage two works involve reconstructing the northern end of the mall, between Fryers and Stewart Streets.
“The contractors are focused on completing other aspects of the project to minimise impacts to the delivery timeline. Council is working closely with the contractors to determine the completion date for stage two and hope to have a confirmed date in the coming weeks.”
Lorelle Rigano from Café Piazza in Target Central Arcade said while delays are disappointing, traders remain enthusiastic about the development.
“The hoardings near the cinema have affected us and other traders in the Arcade. We feel caged off because there is no walkway at our end.
“I feel really positive about the development; we all do. Opening up the mall needed to happen, but the disruptions have made business hard, and we look forward to the future,” said Lorelle.
Local business, The Deck, took to social media on Monday, August 1, to express disappointment at the delay.
“It’s been such a hard, sad and confusing time through Covid (especially in hospitality) and to come back from that and now to have to shift and adapt with this project after lockdown, we really feel deeply saddened and disappointed,” the social media post read.
