Arcades a focus

REDEVELOPING Dandenong’s once-thriving arcades is a key project in the revitalisation of the city’s CBD.
In a meeting with local media, council officers this week addressed questions surrounding the declining number of shops in both The Hub and Vanity arcades in central Dandenong.
Greater Dandenong development services director Mal Baker said arcades would continue to play an important role in Dandenong’s trade future.
“One just has to go around the world and you will see some arcades are fantastic while others struggle,” he said.
Mr Baker said that of a series of projects “under wraps”, the arcades would be a focus of improvement.
He said a successful arcade was Melbourne’s Block Arcade, which was redeveloped to preserve its 1890s heritage but to meet modern retail standards.
“The Block Arcade is a thoroughfare and meeting place,” Mr Baker said.
Last month Star revealed how Dandenong’s oldest arcade was almost entirely deserted after a 1970s heyday that long-time retailers recalled vividly.
Dandenong Retail Traders’ Association chairman Roy Aspinall said turning the arcade into a factory seconds area could reinvigorate trade and draw more traders back to arcade shopfronts.