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Councillor Lisa Ruffell has called on the next City of Greater Bendigo council to make the design of the Hargreaves Mall a priority, saying antisocial behaviour has only increased since the most recent revamp several years ago.
Cr Ruffell, who is not standing for re-election in October, said the mall’s current design, which she referred to as a “runway strip”, was a major factor contributing to the presence of unruly youths.
“The design is grey, dull and cold and I think council really need to address some shade, get rid of the cold seats and make them a bit more friendly for elderly people as well as young people,” she said.
“The traders have said before the mall was redesigned that they need to look at this, but they weren’t listening.
“I think it needs to be addressed sooner rather than later, we can’t just be talking about this for the next four years.”
Cr Ruffell said recent moves to encourage more events in the mall did not address the underlying issue, which was how to attract more people to the area all year round.
“We don’t want to just keep having activities because people shouldn’t have to come to the mall for activities and events, they should come to have a shopping experience and help support the shops and small businesses,” she said.
Cr Ruffell welcomed an increased police presence in the mall during the past six weeks, but said the current crop of troublemakers was the most violent and disruptive she had seen in two decades.
“It hasn't changed for 20 odd years, it's just got worse,” she said.
“It’s great to have the support of the police, they’ve cleared it a little bit but there’s groups that still come down.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got shop owners that are fearful for their safety and fearful for their staff’s safety, because they get followed home and if they say anything to the people their windows will get smashed or they get threatened.”
Cr Ruffell made the comments at a forum in which councillors met with police, local state MPs Jacinta Allan and Maree Edwards and state Parliamentary Secretary for Justice Ben Carroll, and she welcomed a renewed commitment to including traders’ voices on the Safe City Forum which Ms Edwards will also join.
Mr Carroll said there were avenues for the state government to assist with funding for CCTV but stressed it was only one element of crime prevention and would require co-operation between the council and the police.
“Police resources are very valuable, they certainly don’t like spending a lot of their time watching a newsreel essentially,” he said.