New proposals looking at the future of the inner city Melbourne strip of Brunswick Street have traders worried.
Proposals being considered by the City of Yarra suggest that the strip could become more pedestrian friendly by removing on-street parking.
But for many of the Greek Australian traders on the popular shopping and dining strip, the prospect doesn’t fill them with much joy.
Owner of Alpha Ouzeri Sam Haralabidis says 90 per cent of his customers drive to dine at his restaurant.
Removing on-street parking will force businesses to haemorrhage customers, Mr Haralabidis says.
“We’ve already got an issue where our customers aren’t coming to dine because they can’t find parking,” he says.
“I saw someone drive up, hop out of their car with their girlfriend, look at the parking restrictions and say, ‘oh, I’d rather go to Lygon Street’, and they went to another district, so they went to the City of Melbourne rather than the City of Yarra.”
Mr Haralambidis says he’s seriously considering moving Alpha Ouzeri away from the strip if the situation gets worse.
His restaurant has also copped bad reviews on the issue, even when the customer’s meal was perfectly fine.
“I get backlash because they write bad reviews, people complaining they’re not coming back because they copped a ticket. They say a $50 meal has cost them $200.”
The City of Yarra has established three working groups to present ideas on how to improve the strip for residents, businesses and visitors.
A council survey has found that 30 per cent of visitors to Brunswick Street come by car, with the rest walking, cycling or coming in via tram.
A 2012 council traffic count found that 13,000 cars a day use the Brunswick Street strip between Alexandra Parade and Johnston Street.
The strip has had its problems in recent years, with many tenants closing shop, citing high rents and not enough foot traffic as major issues.
Restaurateurs find that during winter their restaurants struggle to fill seats, while those that do come are looking to spend less.
According to national hospitality booking agency Dimmi, Victoria is the only state in Australia to have seen a decrease in bookings, the average person spending $54 in 2013 – a reduction of $7 compared to 2012.