The City of Casey’s $300 million Main Street development, to be located adjacent to Westfield Fountain Gate, may not include new nightclubs, bars and pubs.By Glen Atwell
NIGHTCLUBBERS and pub crawlers have been left in the dark over the City of Casey’s $300 million Main Street development project.
Casey’s Night Time Entertainment Taskforce, chaired by councillor Lorraine Wreford, can not confirm that nightclubs, bars and pubs will be part of the dramatic transformation.
But the owner of Victoria’s most visited nightclub website, Ben Clissold, said he had no doubt that bars and pubs would be part of the new development.
As hordes of young people seeking late-night entertainment travel outside the municipality every week, the night time taskforce will soon present a report recommending a number of initiatives, but Cr Wreford stopped short of labelling the Fountain Gate development as a certain choice for new night time venues.
“The current facilities in the City of Casey are inadequate and that’s why this taskforce was created,” she said.
“The Main Street project will generate some exciting opportunities, but the inclusion of clubs and bars will depend on many factors.”
Cr Wreford said the commercial viability of a nightclub or bar would be a major issue for potential operators.
“It’s not just about whether or not a nightclub or bar will open, but whether or not the operator is going to be profitable,” she said.
“There are a lot of considerations.”
Mr Clissold, owner of nightclub website MaxMoose and a former City of Casey councillor, said Casey needed to urgently address the night time entertainment shortage.
“There are so many young people from Casey travelling outside the municipality to go out,” he said. “People are crying out for more clubs, pubs, bars and dining facilities.
“In my opinion, the City of Casey needs three more midsize nightclubs and I think Main Street will certainly provide some of the answers.”
Mr Clissold said Main Street was an obvious opportunity to develop night time entertainment.
“There’s nothing in writing to allow or disallow night time entertainment in the Main Street,” he said.
“What council needs to do is work out whether or not it wants these types of venues in that precinct.”
Cr Wreford said the night time taskforce had evaluated a number of entertainment areas in and around Melbourne.
“We’re learning about concepts that are working well, and identifying the problems in some areas,” she said.
“At the end of the day, people have to feel safe when they go out at night.”
The Ozone entertainment precinct at Knox Shopping Centre was one suburban development the taskforce was keen to replicate.
But Cr Wreford did not rule out a number of entertainment areas being developed around the City of Casey.
“For example, there might be restaurants in Berwick, bars at Fountain Gate and nightclubs somewhere else,” she said.
The Night Time Entertainment Taskforce surveyed residents in August, asking young people what they thought of the current nightlife options in Casey.
Beca Planning Consultants were engaged to analyse the survey responses and prepare a report to council.
A final report with recommendations was due to be presented to council “by early 2008”.
Cr Wreford said the report was likely to be tabled next month.
The Main Street development will result in 5.1 hectares of land adjacent to the Fountain Gate Shopping Centre being transformed into a retail, civic and community lifestyle and leisure precinct.
Speculation has surrounded which developer will be awarded the project, with Westfield expected to be a frontrunner.
