STIRLING town centres could be revitalised by adapting Vincent’s “change of use” exemption for businesses, councillor Adam Spagnolo says.

Vincent council recently introduced a 12-month “amnesty” on change of use applications for the main Beaufort Street strip in a bid to fill vacant shopfronts (“Red tape relief for strip”, Voice, July 27, 2019), but Cr Spagnolo wants Stirling to investigate applying the exemption to all its town centres, including its section of Beaufort Street.

“I hope that if the move eventuates that it will stimulate business and provide more variety and bring people back to the area,” he says.

“If this were to proceed initially I would see this being on a trial basis with a view to making it more permanent if the exemption works.”

Recently traders have been leaving the Beaufort Street strip in droves and pressure has been mounting on state and local governments to intervene.

Cr Spagnolo wants city officers to prepare a report on the “change of use” exemption for the September 17 planning and development committee meeting.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK