You can take a street upmarket …

by Joseph Palmer for The Heckler Column,
The Sydney Morning Herald

"THE upgrade and makeover of Glebe Point Road in Glebe has been a slow work-in-progress, that has dragged on for more than 15 months, despite claims the project is now three months ahead of schedule.
The grandiose vision to transform the battered old road into something like Oxford Street in Paddington - after decades of neglect - will soon be a reality.
The barriers and fences recently came down, but strolling along the road I wondered if it had all been worthwhile.
Some time ago I recall that the good burghers of Glebe were told that there were too many tacky shops on the road peddling inexpensive wares and merchandise, shops such as the discount store, which were competing with big retailers at the nearby Broadway mall.
A makeover to revitalise the road was urgently needed to attract the kind of upmarket boutiques and concept stores that line Oxford Street, and no cost would be spared.
The visionary project has involved the removal of old power poles and "once in a century" drainage improvements. Even the old tram lines were dug out. But now the character of the old road has gone and many empty shops display "for lease" signs. It is sad to see.
Using the road during the upgrade was a nightmare - like tackling an obstacle course, and to be avoided at all costs.
Many owners complained about losing trade, just as shops in the city had been affected by street upgrades before the Olympics. But they were told they should be grateful as their revenue would increase dramatically when everything was finished. Many could not wait that long and closed.
Gone are long established businesses such as one of Sydney's first and largest health food supermarkets. It had been there for more than 35 years.
Other businesses took advantage of the upgrade and moved in, including a fast-food chicken outlet, although somehow I don't think it was part of the vision for an upmarket shopping strip. Maccas might be next.
The flower pots hanging from the new poles are nice, and hopefully the council will one day install CCTVs, something that shop owners have wanted for years to deter the street crime that infests the road at night.
But for all the losses, at least the discount store continues to peddle its wares."

Read the full article from The Sydney Morning Herald here.