Members of the martial arts group Lin Yi and the Chinese Youth Society of Melbourne amazed crowds with displays of artistry and strength at the launch of a new streetscape developments in Springvale’s Buckingham Avenue last week.By Shaun Inguanzo
RECENT claims by Springvale’s peak Asian business body that traders are unhappy with a $940,000 cultural streetscape project have infuriated the City of Greater Dandenong.
The council has since released excerpts from a letter by the Springvale Asian Business Association (SABA) in 2004 to prove it had the support of traders before the project started.
The Buckingham Avenue gateway, entered from Queens Avenue, was officially launched last Thursday with an Asian celebration involving food, fireworks and martial arts demonstrations.
The new gateway consists of two red and gold coloured towers, each with a watermarked sketch of ancient Asian temples.
But last Friday, the Springvale Asian Business Association president Tom Huynh told Star traders would have preferred a traditional gateway entrance, similar to Chinatown, and felt the current design was too modern.
He said SABA and Springvale traders would now lobby council for a more traditional gateway along Springvale Road, or near Windsor Avenue.
“Most of the traders said they didn’t really like it because everyone was looking for a very traditional oriental gateway,” he said.
“We are aiming now to have a traditional gateway, like Chinatown.”
The towers were finished months before last week’s official launch, but Mr Huynh said shop owners had not noticed any increase in trade activity.
“I think (the gateway) helps (encourage trade) a bit, but I asked some traders and they said they had not seen increasing trade for the last few months.”
The City of Greater Dandenong said it was disappointed by the comments, and said traders had been consulted at length.
The council sent Star what it said was an excerpt from a SABA letter addressed to council and dated 16 August 2004, as evidence the group had given its support for the design in the past.
“The revised concept design of the Asian Gateway was well accepted by the community as well as local traders,” the letter’s author, former SABA president Stan Chan wrote.
“We strongly support the proposal and are prepared to work with council to see the completion of its implementation.”
Meanwhile, the $940,000 project’s other works included footpath improvements, street furniture such as bike racks, bins and seats, and the undergrounding of powerlines, with funds contributed mainly by the council, and also by the State Government.
