Merimbula Chamber of Commerce will hold a town summit on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 February to workshop a new vision for the town and present it to politicians and government representatives.
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Merimbula Chamber of Commerce president Nigel Ayling said it was about taking the first step towards economic recovery with a summit that would bring together local businesses and key stakeholders.
"After a horror year in 2020 with bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic that caused severe disruption to Merimbula, the town needs to pull together and start looking towards a brighter future," Mr Ayling said.
He said that Eden-Monaro MP Kristy McBain had already said she would attend and he was hoping that Bega MP Andrew Constance would be there along with councillors and council's general manager Leanne Barnes.
"The summit plans to provide new hope for the people who live and work here, plans for a vibrant town centre, creation of new job opportunities, more economic development and an overall improvement to the well-being of our community."
The tired look of Merimbula town centre has been a much-discussed issue for some time and the retail precinct will be one of the key issues to be investigated.
"With the global decline of traditional retail, the impact of online shopping, followed by bushfires and COVID, Merimbula's retail shops have taken a beating," Mr Ayling said.
"We may have to face the reality that some of these empty shops may never be filled again. We need to work with the local commercial property owners and council to see if we can redevelop some of these areas for other use including green space, or mixed zone sites that combine retail, residential and office use," he added.
Mr Ayling said state agencies offering funding had been invited along with landlords, business owners, sporting groups, state chamber and tourism representatives.
"The CBD upgrade will be at the top of the agenda, with questions being asked of government about why this hasn't been implemented yet.
"The CBD upgrade and Spiire Plan has been talked about for as long as I have been here and still nothing has been done about it. There is a ton of money floating around for infrastructure at the moment and we need to ensure that Merimbula gets its fair share," Mr Ayling said.
"The town is tired and needs a massive upgrade."
The Friday session will mainly be an opportunity to workshop the key issues and prioritise them.
"Saturday, will be the time when we present a summary and the outcomes we're looking for," Mr Ayling said.
He said there was a lot of funding available but when it came up, the government agencies wanted to know that those applying had carried out community consultation.
"We're pre-empting a lot of the stuff that every funding body wants to know."
The town summit will be held on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 February and will be facilitated by People Place and Partnership, a boutique placemaking and place change agency.
"The outcome of the summit needs to be a clear and concise action plan detailing what the community want to happen so we can present it back to government and get change happening quickly," said Jo Kelly, director of People Place and Partnership.
The summit is being funded through a grant from the Mumbulla Foundation and also via grants from the RSL and Club Sapphire as part of the Club Grants program.
Key stakeholders will receive an invitation however there will be some positions for the public to take part. Anyone wishing to attend should register their interest by Friday 29 January 2021 through https://ewouk.com.au/merimbula-town-summit/.
