The Rocks precinct facing ruin as traders flounder and vacancies skyrocket

Phil Jacob State Political Reporter  



Neil Perry's Rockpool restaurant has been closed on George St. Picture: Attila Szilvasi

15 out of 95 rentals now vacant

Long-term retailers paying up to $6000 a week

‘Mismanagement has turned us into a tourist graveyard’

IT’S the birthplace of the nation but Sydney’s world-famous The Rocks precinct is on its knees — with record rental vacancies and those still trading on the brink of ruin.

GALLERY: A WALK THROUGH TIME IN THE ROCKS 
              
With 15 of 95 commercial rentals now vacant, Urban Taskforce boss Chris Johnson has launched an unprecedented tirade against The Rocks’ managing authority, saying it was a far cry from its heyday when ­retailers were lining up to get a slice.

Mr Johnson, a former state ­government Architect and Planning Department executive director, said The Rocks was at a tipping point and needed urgent attention.

The Rocks retail precinct is in trouble. Picture: Attila Szilvasi

“I’ve never seen the Rocks like this before,” Mr Johnson said. “The Rocks was the birthplace of the nation­ and now it’s a mere shadow of its former self. We have millions of tourists visit the area every year and they come to see that? It’s an appalling tourist face for the state.
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Chris Johnson: Rocky time for retail on Sydney doorstep
Editorial: Rocks a historical dead end 
               
Long-term retailers have bemoaned paying full rents of between $4000 to $6000 a week while ­“pop-up” traders get prime shop space for no more than $200 a week.

The area is managed by the Sydney­ Harbour Foreshore Authority, set up by Planning Minister Brad Hazzard.



Newsagent Andrew Packham is feeling the pinch. Picture: Attila Szilvasi

Newsagent Andrew Packham is a second-generation retailer now considering his future thanks to what he describes as “unfair conditions”.

“It’s about time someone said something without fear of retribution from (the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority),” Mr Packham said. “They control our leases but their mismanagement over the years has turned a precinct which was bustling only a decade ago into a tourist graveyard.”

It’s an appalling tourist face for the state

Dozens of retailers have left the area in recent years, including The Sheepskin Shop — which had traded there since 1958 — Rip Curl and David Campese’s rugby shop.

Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority CEO Catherine Gallagher last night vehemently defended her body’s governance of the area.

We are currently embarking on a transformation program of The Rocks which we know will ensure it stays lively and relevant,” she said.

“We get 14 million visitors a year who come to visit The Rocks and the retailers who reside here.

“There’s always a few people who make noises but what we’re all about is making sure we create ­reasons for people to come back.” Ms Gallagher also disagreed with the notion that the upcoming Barangaroo­ precinct would pose a threat to tourist figures.

Children outside the Whalers Arms hotel in The Rocks, Sydney, in an early, undated photo.

Interested parties have said the current crisis in The Rocks is the worst since the famous “green bans” of the early 1970s, when the then state government proposed redeveloping the area by demolishing a large amount of public housing ­occupied by working-class residents.

Opposition Planning spokesman Luke Foley said the latest drama surrounding The Rocks yet again highlighted Mr Hazzard’s inability to handle major issues.

“The situation is crying out for leadership from the minister,” Mr Foley said. “It’s about time someone started paying attention to The Rocks and the people who operate down there.”
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/the-rocks-precinct-facing-ruin-as-traders-flounder-and-vacancies-skyrocket/story-fni0cx12-1226843058215