HUNDREDS flocked to the Church Street rotunda on Saturday to get a taste of how just how easy it is to Ignite the CBD.
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Crowds were treated to a flash mob and entertained by young circus performers, while the young and the young-at-heart could have their faces painted and challenge one another on the temporary ping-pong table.
Dubbo City councillor Allan Smith has been campaigning to liven up Dubbo’s CBD for at least 15 years, and said he thinks council has finally got the ball rolling.
“It’s great to see people using the space,” Cr Smith said.
“I think the whole central business district is an under-utilised space, especially outside business hours. It’s about entertainment, it’s about residential - this would be a great place to live [in the CBD] provided we can get stuff happening, to give it more life 24/7.”
Dubbo City Council’s Ignite the CBD campaign has received more than 450 submissions and 1000 ideas for reinvigorating Dubbo’s central business district, and some of those ideas were put into action across the weekend.
“This is really just an example of how simple it is,” Dubbo City mayor Mathew Dickerson said, adding that the council hopes the community and business sector would take the initiative to enliven the CBD.
“If you have an idea, council is here to facilitate and help, and not to put up hoops,” Cr Dickerson said.
Dancers from Dubbo Ballet Studio impressed when they broke out in a flash mob, before a handful of Dubbo City’s councillors tried their hands at drawing on the blackboard frames on the side of the old Michael Hill jewelers building.
“The implementation of some of the ideas show people are keen to be here and in this space,” Cr Smith said.
“If this can grow it will be great for Dubbo. I think businesses are starting to see what can happen, they’re starting to see the benefits.”
“It’s just a matter now of whether they grasp it and run with it. Hopefully the community can grab hold of this and it’s good to see a starting to flourish cafe set which shows the maturity of this city.”
“It’s more cosmopolitan. If it works in major cities around the world, why can’t it work in Dubbo?”