The City’s town centres are normally hubs of activity, characterised by unique local businesses that encourage people from all over the metropolitan area to visit, shop and linger.
The flow on effects of the COVID-19 crisis has significantly reduced traffic flow to these areas; but this has presented the City with an opportunity to carry out extra maintenance in town centres and make them even more appealing to the community. This means that when restrictions begin to lift, local businesses will get a much needed boost.
The newly formed Town Centre Blitz team, which includes redeployed City staff, will carry out cleaning and maintenance work along Progress Street in Morley, followed by the Bayswater and Maylands town centres. Works will include pressure cleaning paths, tidying gardens and nature strips, planting new greenery and upgrading planter boxes.
Mayor Dan Bull said the increased cleaning and maintenance regime would help to instil confidence in the community; as well as encourage people back to the area.
“It’s more important than ever that we keep public areas well maintained during the COVID-19 crisis.
“Our local business community is doing it tough right now, so we are doing all we can to support them. Sprucing up the surrounding area is just one of the many ways we are assisting them.
“While there is less traffic around, it’s a good time to give our town centres some extra attention. The Town Centre Blitz team will be working hard to make sure the City’s retail and dining areas are neat, tidy and ready to go when restrictions begin to scale back.
“Around 75 City staff have been redeployed to new roles over the past few weeks as facilities like Bayswater Waves and The RISE remain temporarily closed due to COVID-19.
“Extra hands provided by redeployed staff mean the City’s Parks and Works teams can fast track projects and move through essential maintenance jobs more quickly.
“The City is also working on a series of artworks integrating street infrastructure like pipes and drains to brighten-up town centres. Keep an eye out for these in the coming weeks.”
The team will be tasked with additional works, including mulching the median strip on Collier Road and installing new memorial plinths along Memorial Drive at Riverside Gardens.