ARARAT’S business community has been urged to start preparing for the impact of the town’s eventual bypass.
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Ararat Rural City Mayor, Cr Paul Hooper said adjusting to seismic change such as the bypass won’t be easy.
“We have significant challenges going forward, the bypass of Ararat alone, whenever that occurs, will change Ararat forever,” he said.
“We need to look at what that means, what we do to plan for that, how does that change businesses’ mindsets and the way that they market and present their businesses.
“Because you won’t have 3000 vehicle movements a day coming through High Street and Barkly Street.”
Cr Hooper said the Ararat Regional Business Association should play an important role in the future direction of Ararat’s business community, but that it too needed to move with the times.
“Retail has changed forever, strip shopping has changed forever,” he said.
“In the past, one of the limitations of ARBA has been that it mainly focused around Barkly Street.
“Id like to see it be more representative than that, it terms of major employers, farming groups, accommodation providers, because I mean tourism is business.
“I know that’s not easy, but in the longer term, it is the peak advocacy body for business as it currently stands within the municipality. I would like to see it broaden its brush.
“I think it is important that ARBA grows and becomes the representative body for all businesses.
“If it can do that then I think it will benefit businesses, certainly provide better direction to council about the business community, what their needs and wants are.”
ARBA will release a three-year strategic plan at its annual general meeting to be held in the Visitor Information Centre at the Ararat Railway Complex tonight at 6pm.
The ARBA Strategic Plan 2015-2017 sets out an agenda to drive increased support to the local business community. It also aims to increase business networking opportunities and provide a collective voice for members.
Central Grampians Local Learning Employment Network chief executive officer James Skene will be the guest speaker.
Cr Hooper said ARBA was doing great work under current president Graeme Foster and with construction of the Ararat Wind Farm on the horizon confidence was returning to the business community.
