A resurrected Te Atatu Peninsula Business Association plans to rejuvenate the town centre and entice shoppers away from malls.
Graeme Smith, of Off The Shelf Books, says the association will apply to become incorporated next month, before holding its first annual meeting and selecting a committee in June.
The association will form
a partnership with Waitakere City Council to give residents input into the redevelopment of the peninsula's town centre, community centre and library.
Mr Smith says verandahs on the main strip are not uniform and they need revamping.
The issue of some landlords still owning sections of the footpath also needs to be solved. ``It's a very messy, unco-ordinated town centre,'' says Mr Smith. ``We need to get people using the centre better.
``But to do that we need to present it better and promote it better.''
Mr Smith says businesses on the shopping strip are competing with five nearby malls, and operators are on a thin margin.
He says the aim is to attract residents to do most of their shopping in their town centre.
``If we get them to buy their standard items with us then they get familiar with the shops and it will be to everyone's advantage,'' says Mr Smith.
Mr Smith says when he opened his bookshop about six months ago he was surprised there hadn't been a business association since about 2000.
He says other key functions of the new association will be to work with the council to keep rates under control, work with landlords to maintain buildings, and help those entering business to be successful. - by Kylie Munro
To find out more about the Te Atatu Peninsula Business Association call Graeme Smith on 834 7900.
