Post Comment Archive-Does the Wynnum shopping area need a makeover?

https://wynnumcentral.com.au/does-the-wynnum-shopping-area-need-a-makeover/

52 thoughts on “Does the Wynnum shopping area need a makeover?”

• Linda Stelmann November 20, 2013 at 7:56 am
  Hi there, Just a suggestion- what doesn’t Wynnum have- A cinema- attracts people to that vicinity- obviously a carpark to match. You have always needed the convenience of the right shops, facilities. The biggest deterrent in Wynnum is The Amount of Op shops, not a pretty sight- comments of many of my patrons, friends in Wynnum. Also, when the newsagency closed down in the IGA complex, well that company who owns that building should have been drawn and quartered. Obviously the rentals are too high from owners of those OLD buildings who are frustrated having No tenants, then they lose the ones they have.
  I cant believe that in all the years Wynnum has been active, that no one sorted this mess out. Should have seafood cafes, promoting the seafood, Great Restaurants, little quant Bars with Tapas. Or maybe your Chamber of Commerce members are too old to get Real and Mod up the place,
  Anyhoo , Try Harder
  New Resident
  Linda

  
  

  • Derek Miles November 20, 2013 at 8:15 pm
    Linda, re your comment about the age of the Chamber members. I would invite you to a Chamber event or attend one of our board meetings as a guest and you will be surprised at how young the members of the Chamber Board are. Check it out first before casting dispersions. You will also be pleasantly surprised at how hard the Chamber Board (all volunteers), the staff of the Chamber and the many volunteers who work so hard for the district and in particular the Wynnum CBD. You would have noticed that we are calling for volunteers to assist in the many business assistance programmes we run. Come along and join up. That is my challenge to you, Linda.

    
    

• Margaret November 20, 2013 at 8:26 am
  No use brightening the streets when people have got no where to shop….look at all the vacant shops. The whole of Wynnum Central needs brightening up

  
  

• Helen Joy Hartnett November 20, 2013 at 8:32 am
  Hi I agree with Margaret, the street doesn’t need brightening “THE EMPTY SHOPS” do I came here in 1971 there were far far more shops the & most definitely not so many of the same things. It’s boring. Pick yourself up “WYNNUM CENTRAL” Before you can’t be. Noone wonder there is no one around on weekends. Tell me why would one come here what’s the attraction???????????????????????????????????

  
  

  • Derek Miles November 20, 2013 at 8:18 pm
    Please, Helen and Margaret – come up with some ideas on how to attract businesses to Wynnum Central. They don’t just appear magically. They have to be attracted there somehow. Maybe the markets will help. Maybe beautifying the area might help. We need more ideas.

    
    

• Kathy Pope November 20, 2013 at 8:55 am
  The Wynnum streetscape to me is pleasant an well maintained. I think we need to look behind the buildings. There is alot of room behind and between the buildings which are underutilised, full of character and history, and quite unique to Wynnum. If we could regenerate this area, creating a landscaped green space, playground, outdoor cafes and walkways between the streets, it may create a more enjoyable shopping envirnment which would rival the shopping malls. And a cinema.

  
  

  • Tanya Bastin November 20, 2013 at 4:50 pm
    I like Kathy Popes Idea, a different way of looking at it and pretty original!

    
    

• S November 20, 2013 at 8:56 am
  One has to question why ‘op shops’ & ‘discount stores’ are proliferating. Could it be that the average disposable income of Wynnum residents has declined over the years? We hear people saying Wynnum should have ‘eateries like Bulimba’. This also requires a reasonably high capacity to spend. One way to stimulate the area would be to make it more readily accessible to the CBD. Bulimba is a stylish residential area in relatively close proximity (road, rail & river) to the city. It is able to attract younger people (singles and families) with a reasonably high disposable income. These are the people who support shops & cafes & restaurants. Commuting time from Wynnum to the city on weekdays can be as much as an hour – but about half that on weekends. If commuting was easier, more ‘city workers’ would see Wynnum as a convenient place to live and could decide to live bayside. Wynnum road is badly congested. If the area is going to have a future it will have to make itself known as a desirable place to live for a wider cross section of the community. If the council is genuinely supportive of Wynnum’s future, it will look at ways of reducing this commuting time.

  
  

  • Ambitious November 20, 2013 at 8:58 pm
    S, billions of tax payers money (including Bayside taxpayers money) and the very best Govt dealmakers have been ploughed into NE-SW tunnels and highways linking the airport to Ipswich. These have ZERO value to Bayside people. All the time these megaprojects were being rolled out – one after the other – the Bayside community, council and Govt leaders have stared at their navels, taken a back seat and dwelled on minor issues and petty politics. And still now the big projects keep getting rolled out to benefit other parts of Brisbane, with zero value to Baysiders. In the last 20yrs while the rest of Brisbane has boomed, Wynnum has dwindled. Yet there is no reason why Wynnum should not be thriving: it is Brisbane’s seaside, a lifestyle location near the city that could attract new offices and the highest skilled new people; it has the port – Australia’s largest natural harbour and fastest growing port – on its doorstep; it has the refinery on its doorstep; it has the industrial areas to the west; it sits on Moreton Bay and is the perfect hub for the tourism and environmental services for the bay; it has a diverse and vibrant population. What Wynnum lacks is strong leadership and ambition from its community, council and Govt leaders. We need Wynnum’s leaders to DEMAND Wynnum’s fair share of taxpayers money and mining tax money and access to BCC, QLD Govt and Aus Govt’s most talented people, and put those to good use to reinvent Wynnum CBD. I’m sick of seeing the rest of Brisbane thrive while beautiful Wynnum and its beautiful people get neglected.

    
    

• Pete Baines November 20, 2013 at 9:25 am
  If the Federal Government approves our recent submission for the WOW program, Wynnum CBD will undergo the mother of all makeovers. Anyone who want’s details of the proposal can contact me at[email protected]

  
  

• Kim November 20, 2013 at 9:41 am
  Sadly, I have to agree with most of the above comments.
  Growing up in Sydney and living bayside in Melbourne for 10 years. Both Wynnum and Manly are such wasted opportunities, they’re on the water and only 17ks from Australia’s 3rd largest city!!! The vibrancy of their suburbs on the water are fantastic. There has to be something fundamentally wrong.
  It’s great to see we are trying to move in the right direction…however there needs to be drastic action taken to turn Wynnum in particular around.
  Let’s not focus on putting ‘lipstick on a pig’.
  On a side note:
  What was the process was taken to come up with the tag line ‘Not just a station. A Destination’? What does that mean? A destination for what?
  Thanks, Kim.

  
  

  • Derek Miles November 20, 2013 at 8:26 pm
    Haha Kim. No need to be sad Kim. It is a matter of getting the community spirit firing to get the district firing. It happens to lots of cities where there is a predominance of strip shops (except for Melbourne). Unfortunately the Queensland shopping experience has drifted towards massive shopping centres like Carindale. You will notice that in Melbourne a large proportion of the population comes from overseas and these people love strip shopping (they haven’t yet discovered large shopping centres). So that is why strip shops works in Melbourne but don’t work in Brisbane (only for convenience). So the Wynnum has to have something different that will attract the shoppers and the businesses. One thought was that the opshops would do this. For instance, some country Melbourne towns have huge collectables barns and the times I have seen them they are packed with people. We just need something to get the crowds. So this is where we need a bright light to find the key. Criticism won’t work. Constructive ideas will.

    
    

    • Athanasia November 21, 2013 at 10:16 pm
      There are so many things to respond to! So I will stick with my top two: like many others here I agree, forget prettying it up and focus on real change. Secondly, Derek, while I appreciate your enthusiasm and participation in many aspects of this conversation your explanation for why strip shops work in Melbourne and Sydney is just not right – they work because they are GOOD. Westfield and friends are still prevalent but the high streets create a place people want to visit. If that victim-like mentality is what the chamber or commerce is touting I’m worried.

      
      

• Paul November 20, 2013 at 9:59 am
  Agree with Kim above, drastic action is required – simply putting a few having baskets up is pointless and is not going to do anything, the shopping centre is tired and needs a serious makeover. Until this happens however I do think some of the traders could do more to improve things themselves, faded signs, untidy window displays, unclean window – these are simple things that do not require much effort or cost and would help to improve things no end. As locals we are used to the centre and how it looks but a visitor with ‘fresh eyes’ will see things differently, first impressions count and currently Wynnum central makes a poor first impression.

  
  

  • Derek Miles November 20, 2013 at 8:31 pm
    Ah – Paul – you have hit the nail on the head. You would be so surprised at how the businesses are so negative about their business area. Yes, they do not put money in improving their shops. They will not spend money on their business. They will not spend money on marketing (not necessarily advertising). They want to sit back and complain and hope that someone else waves the magic wand. And with the empty shops – well why not rent out window space at a very cheap rate for other businesses to set up advertising or window dressing. Landlords win (they at least get some money), businesses win because they widen their exposure, and the district wins because there seems to be more activity.

    
    

    • Nicole – Artigiano November 21, 2013 at 6:44 am
      HI Derek, I take offence to your comment that we complain about the lack of business. I have been in business for 3 years in Wynnum, I have done all that I possible can to market, advertise, create a unique space and offer amazing products for my customers. I have done my store up, I continue to offer sales and new products, but constantly I hear people say “how long have you been here, I never knew you were here, it is so wonderful to see shops like this now.” But the best one is and always will be “oh your having a sale are you closing?” Negativity will always out way positivity if that is all we are given. I love my shop, I love my customers, I love the shop owners around me and we get along great, but mostly I love Wynnum. I am not a born local and therefore see it for the massive potential that it is. Wynnum has character charm and charisma, it is one of the last true villages of Brisbane left, lets nurture and show off this side, I don’t think people know how much of a gold mine we are sitting on. Real estate is all about location location location, take a look people and see your location embrace it rejoice in it and come and support your local business so we can stay here and give you what you want.

      
      

      • Derek Miles November 21, 2013 at 7:24 am
        Nicole, I applaud you for your positive attitude and get up and go. Well done. I am sorry to offend you and such a great business. I know there are some business that are doing well in the area. There are shops I walk into and I am struck by their positive attitude. I will always go to those businesses before travelling all the way to Carindale. So thank you for pulling me up.

        
        

        • Nicole – Artigiano November 21, 2013 at 2:03 pm
          Hi Derek, thank you for your comments.

          
          

      • Derek Miles November 21, 2013 at 2:51 pm
        Hi Nicole. I tried to find your business on facebook and white pages but alas, I can’t find you. I did eventually work out the full name of your business. I don’t want to be a busy body or sound as if I am a guru but I think your business would benefit greatly from a Facebook presence. Have a look at Paddy’s Café and D & B Menswear. Paddy’s Café use humour and they engage with facebook customers. Why don’t you have a chat to David Bateson who runs Wynnum Central and see what he can assist you with. Also, the Chamber run some fantastic programmes for small business. There is the Small business Advisory service run by Jacqueline Smith of the Chamber. I also went to a digital enterprise programme run by Kim Brown also through the Chamber. I learnt heaps. The Chamber are in 4/124 Flowence Street. Just pop in and say hello. Not telling you how to suck eggs but it would be great to have your enthusiasm in the Chamber community.

        
        

• Chris November 20, 2013 at 10:27 am
  The “holy grail” for the Wynnum CBD is view of the sea and islands. With a bit of foresight by planners, this would link this area to the seaside which is currently the people magnet. These people will migrate to the CBD if they can have a seaside experience…which is currently not possible (maybe a few glimpses if you can stretch your neck!). No problem with the development of the East side of Bay Terrace, but don’t do it at the expense of a view for the general public. There is an “attraction” at Wynnum, it just currently hidden behind buildings.

  
  

• Jenny from the Block November 20, 2013 at 11:10 am
  Nothing from Phil Saunders yet! I am disappointed. Where are you Phil???

  
  

  • Derek Miles November 20, 2013 at 8:33 pm
    Bless Phil’s soul. He doesn’t want to get caught up with our friend – Ambitious Leader Required.

    
    

    • phil saunders November 21, 2013 at 2:35 pm
      Not so Derek, people like who hide in the shadows like A.L.R. don’t concern me.
      But, at the moment the conversation hijacked by A.L.R. is just going around in circles and little of it is hitting on the real causes which when mentioned are being ridiculed.

      
      

      • Ambitious Wynnum Leader Wanted November 22, 2013 at 6:45 am
        Just putting it out there that there is no reason why Wynnum should not be thriving and inferring that weak council and Govt leadership is to blame. There seems to be a fair consensus with this theory on this site. Also a common theme that major change is needed rather than a cosmetic patch up.
        Perhaps with the level of dis-satisfaction in the community the proper actions should be:
        1. Govt enquiry into why Wynnum has deteriorated in the last 20yrs;
        2. Hands-on intervention by a State Govt Organised steering committee of individuals (town planner / architect / commerce and marketing experts – no dead wood who have influenced Wynnum’s current status) who have a track record of delivering transformational change elsewhere.
        I don’t think there is a silver bullet to Wynnum’s situation. Lasting change can only happen with systematic changes to the way Wynnum is managed. If we get the right people in charge, proper support from higher levels of Govt and a vision which matches the ambition of the Wynnum community, Wynnum’s future will be very bright indeed.

        
        

        • phil saunders November 22, 2013 at 10:00 am
          You really don’t understand that commercial forces are the key to success or failure, and yes over a long period Wynnum has died and continues to, but, governments can do no more than regulate then it is up to the commercial sector and prevailing market conditions.
          Governments at no level have ever had any direct involvement in this any where, please give examples of any commercial precinct (in a non communist country) where government have taken over the properties of the citizens and instigated development.
          The basic answer to why Wynnum has died is simple, the good people of Wynnum have been tempted away by the big shiny suburban shopping complexes that sprang up and traders in Wynnum like many other places had a drop of in trade (which continues till this day) as it became uneconomical more and more of them left (market forces).
          Wynnum is not like a large shopping centre where the centre manager decrees what will happen and it does, it is made up of several hundred individual landowners/landlords many of whom do not even live locally and many of whom have not spent anything on there building for decades, this is not something that I can see any level of government being in a position to intervene in!?! Many of these landowners/landlords don’t care, look at how long they are prepared to leave a building vacant, there is one that has been empty for 8 years now (the owner lives in Greece).
          I’m afraid at the end of the day the level of dis-satisfaction in the community matters very little, it is the community that by there shopping habits have got us where we are, many great, innovative and imaginative plans have been produced over the years, but, wish lists need developers who can see a return on investment.

          
          

        • Ambitious Wynnum Leader Wanted November 22, 2013 at 11:11 am
          Q. What do the SouthBank, Springfield and Bulimba success stories have in common?
          A. Strong leadership, Vision, Ambition, Strong Govt support.
          Wynnum’s got a better setting than all of these – a success story waiting to happen. We just need to clear out the dead wood and find a strong, influential community leader to make it happen.

          
          

• Corey November 20, 2013 at 11:35 pm
  There are a number of initiatives open for consideration. To start with let’s open Wynnum and manly as gateway to the islands, extend the Wynnum jetty sufficient for Stradbroke flyers or citycats to moore to, there is a train station and buses to the city all within walking distance if required. Great for day trippers to the islands and islanders needing supplies, either way it is sustainable foot traffic through the heart of Wynnum. the only downside is the CBD of Wynnum is owned by many people unable/unwilling to work collectively to build a precinct with a common purpose. Until a partnership can be agreed upon by all stakeholders and the likes of BMD (developer) which has the capacity to oversee one major redevelopment it is like flogging a dead horse. Developers need to be able to land bank which I am sure is very difficult in Wynnum. As for the op shops their products are donated and enable them to survive as their cost to serve is greatly reduced compared to the hard working mums and dads paying for their stock and wages and site costs. As for the vacancies a number of rental agents (not all) are based in the city and just have no clue about the districts needs. If we want a cinema why doesn’t the chamber approach Leo who owns Hawthorne, bel moral, Southbank and Victoria point cinemas, he is a great man who invests in communities. Finally and I don’t mean offense by this comment, centrelink is an essential service Dow low socioeconomics and attracts low income earners. To be tantalizing to everyone Wynnum must pull up its socks and seek investment and property developers to accommodate the higher income earners who will sustain a stronger local economy for the district. We have to decide on whether the appeal of yesteryear a sleepy township which will die or drive Wynnum into a busy shopping precinct. It is a huge undertaking but a very exciting one too.

  
  

• phil saunders November 23, 2013 at 9:52 am
  AWL,
  What do the SouthBank, Springfield and Bulimba success stories have in common? Very little!!!
  Southbank, when redeveloped after Expo it was effectively a green field site as was Springfield (a green field site is a site where designers can let their imaginations run wild with few restrictions, little or nothing there to start with which requires working around).
  The third is actually very similar to Wynnum with one notable difference, Bulimba has already got a lot of high density living.
  And this is the point that people refuse to acknowledge, we can and should have everything that Bulimba has, and more, our location is in fact far better in some ways, but, in my opinion and I believe the opinion of planners and those who actually know we lack the “critical mass” to draw those desirable key businesses here.
  It’s the old horse and cart thing.

  
  

  • Ambitious Wynnum November 25, 2013 at 8:49 am
    I agree with the need for a critical mass of people through the week, and that’s why we need offices. I disagree with the comment that Wynnum CBD is not a blank canvas – it’s in such a state that now is surely a great time to start a master-planned redevelopment. So here’s a suggestion for the mix:
    – the 2 main blocks bound by Clara St, Florence St, Bay Tce and Tingal Rd are demolished and a 3 storey new building with a large central lawn is built in its place. The building would be edged outside and inside with balconies and be a modern architectural interpretation of the Queenslander style. The top balcony on Tingal Rd would have fantastic views of the Bay and woudl be reserved for restaraunts and bars. The rest of the building would be for retail and the overall development would offer a more pleasant, airy, higher quality, boutique shopping experience than is offered by the Carindale bunker. The experience would be a bit less like mainstream Carindale and a bit more like the Emporium in the Valley. The existing property owners would have the option to sell their property at a fair price determiend by a 3rd party or buy into equity in the new development. The development construction and retail operatorship contracts be by competitive tender. A portion of the development woudl have to be allocated for the long-sought cinema! (but a small, boutique cinema in keeping with teh development)
    – The Tingal Rd third of the block bound by Charlotte St and Florence St would be demolished and a purpose built ?5? storey medical and community development would be constructed, part-funded by the sale of the Clara St medical precinct and the Wynnum library site.
    – The long blocks either side of the train track bounded by Tingal Rd and Andrew St would be for office development and car parking (?6 storeys?.
    – The trianguilar block of vacant land to the west of Wynnum Central Station would be turned into a large, modern supermarket [eg. Coles or Woolworths] near to the station.
    – The Bay Tce third of the block bound by Charlotte St and Florence St could be demolished and turned into modern apartments, complimented by a tasteful renovation of the old school site into apartments.
    – The Wynnum Library site and the ugly building opposite it could be demolished and turned into an attraction for tourists and the community (eg. maritime museum / museum of aboriginal art, queensland history museum).
    This would serve to put key facilities near to the station (good for elderly and disabled), create a retail attraction that takes advantage of the Wynnum setting and offers a much more pleasant experience than bunker shopping centres, provide office space near to the station to keep the critical mass through the week and create an attraction that draws tourists to the area (on their way to the islands?).
    The commercial solution offered by this concept should be highly attractive to retailers, so capital could be raised through competitive tendering. Govt support for the medical and ‘museum’ developments would probably be required to get those off the ground.
    I would support bronze statues for the council and Govt leaders who could negotiate no-nonsense redevelopment like this!

    
    

    • phil saunders November 25, 2013 at 11:21 am
      The areas you speak of are indeed overdue for a re-do, but, as much as there are wonderful, imaginative and indeed visionary ideas for what should be there the problem remains, the biggest problem that many can’t get their heads around, people already actually own the real estate in question
      and far too many of them are quite happy to retain the status quo.
      The problem that needs solving before any other is how anyone with the capital required and the expertise can actually get hold of any of the spaces you have mentioned.
      There is no lack of vision out there for what Wynnum should look like.
      None of the ideas mentioned are new and the problem is not either, there are literally hundreds of individual holdings through the Wynnum CBD, to call it a blank canvas is just laughable.
      Too many small holdings who have owners who think they are sitting on a goldmine.

      
      

      • Kim November 25, 2013 at 11:31 am
        Wynnum Central cannot be unique, can it? There must be other suburbs across the country that have been able to transform who had been in a similar situation with (many) property owners?

        
        

        • phil saunders November 25, 2013 at 12:21 pm
          You would have to imagine that to be the case or maybe there are more here.
          Wynnum has been in this growing state of decay for decades though it seems!
          THE BIG QUESTION IS WHY????
          We all know what the majority of people want to happen here but before it can we probably need to REALLY understand why it has not already happened.
          There are plenty of great reasons why it should go ahead(because people want it is not one of them) so why has it not happened anytime over the last two even three decades??

          
          

        • Kim November 25, 2013 at 12:25 pm
          I couldn’t agree with you more Phil…. we need to get to the root cause. It really is a mystery, I often scratch my head asking myself that very question! If only I had more time (I work full time and have two kids under 7) I would love to dedicate myself to helping everyone in the community turn what could be an amazing suburb around!!

          
          

      • Ambitious Wynnum Leader Wanted November 25, 2013 at 12:26 pm
        Hence the need for strong council/Govt/community leaders to make it happen. I’m sure if the property owners were given a choice to buy into equity in the new development by a certain deadline or be required to sell their property at a 3rd party agreed going rate (for a run down dump in a run down town centre), things would happen quickly.

        
        

        • Derek Miles November 25, 2013 at 12:41 pm
          When will you learn? Governments, both Federal, State, Council are not going to provide the solutions for business whatever side of the fence they are. They pay lip service to small business only to get your vote. It is other business that drives business – not Governments. Governments are only concerned about building bridges, tunnels and parks. That is – services for their constituents. Wynnum Central is a business. Many of these responders are businesses. And this is what is going to drive the regeneration of Wynnum – forget government leaders. And the reason that we don’t have a theatre here in Wynnum is that the customer base is too small. As Phil said earlier, we don’t have a circle of potential customers – only 180 degrees. We don’t have the traffic. A large concern like a cinema group is looking at the potential customer base that is already there. They don’t want to build it themselves because their margins are too low. They want the base already there. So we have to look at other ways to build a potential shopping collection to drive the traffic in. Only then will a large concern establish themselves. So forget about Politicians driving customer traffic to the area – it is not their expertise and it is not in their interest. The State Government do not care where people live – they could live in whoop whoop for all they care as long as they pay GST and Tax and they don’t care about Wynnum. Message loud and clear?

          
          

        • phil saunders November 25, 2013 at 2:10 pm
          That’s called “compulsory acquisition” me thinks,and I don’t believe it has ever been done by a Government for a purely commercial developement.
          Again I say, in a democratic society, weather you like it our not you cannot legislate against what you may consider stupidity, people have the right to do with or dispose of their own property as they and when they see fit.

          
          

• cathy bateson November 23, 2013 at 2:50 pm
  I grew up in Sydney and watched areas such as Wynnum Central come to life and be loved by the local communities. So I can easily imagine it happening to WynnumCentral as people yearn for something that is not mass produced, has history and character.
  I’ve heard two things recently though, that could squash all of this excitement, debate and action. One – some landlords of those empty shops are not on the side of helping Wynnum Central regenerate – they do not want their shops filled because they are ‘waiting it out’ for developers to offer more money and don’t want leases signed.
  Two – Unless more retailers in the Wynnum Central area join in and help pay for the costs of running a market – you can say goodbye to the market. Again, as some business owners reap the rewards of the monthly market they refuse to help pay a weekly fee for continuing to run it. It will cost Wynnum Cenrtral businesses $25 – $35 per week to help this effort. So come on, join in and hand it over!!
  Good on those who have the foresight and community spirit to contribute…
  Cathy Bateson

  
  

  • Derek Miles November 23, 2013 at 2:59 pm
    I fully agree with Cathy Bateson. Shop keepers in the area, especially  h Street and Bay Terrace, have a golden opportunity handed to them on a platter. If they are considering spending any money on marketing, it is Wynnum Central they should support. It will be the markets that will bring customers to their doors. So they should ALL get behind Wynnum Central and contribute. Here is a group of people who have really put themselves out to assist the central business district of Wynnum. They need the support of all the shop keepers. Not just a few to put their pants on the line for the rest of the businesses to benefit. Come on guys/gals – get behind Wynnum Central. So when David Bateson comes calling, please put a bit of hurt behind a great concept.

    
    

    • phil saunders November 25, 2013 at 8:34 am
      Could not agree more, a great concept from which other opportunities may well emerge!!!

      
      

• Kim November 25, 2013 at 10:34 am
  Ambitious Wynnum, your vision sounds absolutely FANTASTIC!!!! I love it! Surely we can learn from other areas across the country who were in a similar situation to Wynnum Central, in terms of negotiating with property owners, win/win commercial arrangements, investor attraction etc. to make change.
  What about a frequent bus or tram line branded ‘Wynnum – Brisbane Seaside’ that takes people from Wynnum CBD/Central Station to Pandanus Beach/Wynnum Wading Pool down Florence Street? It’s different things like this that attract people to a ‘destination’. The parking is terrible in Wynnum CBD and down on the water front, this would encourage more people to take the train, then jump on the connecting bus/service directly to the ‘seaside’. Just a thought.

  
  

  • Ambitious Wynnum Leader Wanted November 25, 2013 at 12:39 pm
    A dump of fresh sand along the Wynnum-Manly shorefront and a once a month community beach clean-up to remove the seaweed would have the shore looking dapper. Wynnum CBD retailers could be given licenses to put up beach stalls for a monthly live music focussed ‘beach party’ on the beach – another perk that the council could give to lure retailers in.

    
    

    • phil saunders November 25, 2013 at 1:59 pm
      I know I’ll appear negative yet again here, but, the Green Lobby would explode at such suggestions, as sensible and reasonable as that idea is, what was without question once a beach, is now, “a mangrove habitat, your seaweed is probably “precious seagrass”.
      That said I have been saying for some years that the esplanade should have a probably $20-50million plus dollar upgrade (look at Cairns(particularly) and Townsville foreshores, even Redcliffe.
      It has the potential to be the next Southbank.

      
      

      • Ambitious Wynnum Leader Wanted November 25, 2013 at 2:47 pm
        I’m talking about $20-50k of sand and $5k worth of sifting equipment to renovate the existing beach. There is no environmental issue, just lazy community leadership.
        The mangrove habitats are north of wynnum and south of Lota are great assets and should be cared for.

        
        

        • Derek Miles November 25, 2013 at 3:26 pm
          Too right. Wynnum foreshores should be mangroves and pandanas. We don’t have beaches in Wynnum that are natural. If you want beaches you have to go to the other side of Stradbroke – that is where you have natural sand beaches. So why make Wynnum something it is not. I rather like seaweed floating on the foreshores. We get rid of the mangroves and we get rid of fish – which do you prefer – a desolate Moreton Bay or an un-natural beach that costs lots of rate payers money? And before you know it – the newly installed sand will once again turn to mud.

          
          

        • Ambitious Wynnum Leader Wanted November 25, 2013 at 3:42 pm
          Then why do u suggest a $50,000,000 redevelopment of the shoreline?
          Take your time.

          
          

• Derek Miles November 25, 2013 at 3:27 pm
  And once again, none of this relates to the problem of rejuvenating the Wynnum central business district. Unless people are enticed from the foreshores over the weekend up to the CBD, then the problem remains unsolved.

  
  

  • Ambitious Wynnum Leader Wanted November 25, 2013 at 3:47 pm
    I agree we’re straying from the point: Wynnum CBD rejuvenation.
    So here’s the question to bring us back to it:
    Why can’t the landlords of Wynnum be asked to either cash their landownership into equity in a master-planned development, or forfeit their property at a reasonable rate determined by a 3rd party?

    
    

• Derek Miles November 25, 2013 at 3:55 pm
  Oh yeah Ambitious Wynnum Leader Wanted. Now you have a job. Have a go yourself and please kindly report your success on this post thread. We would all love to know. I think you might want a few hundred thousand travelling around the world looking for the landlords. I can give you the name of one who lives in Sydney and see how you go with him – that is if you managed to escape without your head bitten off. Give it a go.

  
  

  • Ambitious Wynnum Leader Wanted November 25, 2013 at 4:34 pm
    A) get Govt backing to rejuvenate Wynnum CBD (do we not have this already?)
    B) offer landowners an equity deal in the new development
    C) if the answer is no to B) or they are unfindable after 6 months, Compulsory Acquisition (Urgent Acquisition), supported by A).
    The tail shouldn’t wag the dog. The people of Wynnum deserve better.

    
    

    • phil saunders November 25, 2013 at 5:13 pm
      Will you get it through your head that no Government in the free world is going to do any type of Compulsory Acquisition of the Wynnum CBD, it just does not happen.
      Do you understand that all levels of Government are only interested in public services and infrastructure not Commercial Developement, that is not part what they are elected to do.
      We already have the only tools that we are likely to get from Government – a Neighbourhood plan that allows reasonably high density in the CBD and a TOD designation of the area both of which should have encouraged developemnt but – No.
      This is very much a commercial issue not a Government one.
      What is your real agenda – it always seems to come back to your view that the Government at all levels is to blame for everything and responsible for everything, and yet you happily give them the power to take anyones property at anytime(sounds a bit like communism to me, but that failed)????

      
      

      • Ambitious Wynnum Leader Wanted November 25, 2013 at 6:48 pm
        Do you own any of said properties?

        
        

• admin November 25, 2013 at 5:24 pm
  Thank you to everybody who has posted feedback here and taken part in the debate about what we’d all like to see in Wynnum Central. We’re now going to close comments on this post but please feel free to continue to comment on other posts – we really value your feedback and engagement.