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From a dog's breakfast to outdoor breakfast - Orange's controversial makeover enters final straight
March 17, 2023
By Peter Holmes
Lords Place is a shambles right now, but Orange City Council's technical services director Ian Greenham says over the next month works will "transform this precinct into an attractive place where people will want to meet".
The timeline for the next phase of Orange City Council’s $1.4 million plan to reimagine Lords Place was released on Friday.
Council says that over the next month:
Eight dining areas will be installed in locations along the street;
Thirteen new “white way” footpath lighting poles will be installed on the western side of the street;
Six new shade structures will be added;
Two new accessible ramps will be built next to disabled parking spaces;
A number of new open-space areas will be created by painting former parking zones, and;
Street furniture will be installed in locations along the street, including in dining areas and open space areas. The furniture includes seats, bicycle racks and plantings.
“The first two dining areas will go in on Monday near Crema and Golden Bowl,” council said.
Lords Place is a dog's breakfast right now, as multiple strands of the project come together.
Trucks, workers, traffic cones, fences and bollards have blocked many of the parking spots, leaving drivers doing laps or giving up and shopping elsewhere.
The frustration among some business operators is palpable, although among those are some who are looking forward to seeing the final results. It’s only then, they say, that they’ll be able to start to gauge what impact the loss of parking spots and addition of dining areas has had on their business.
Council said its crews will continue the roll-out of upgraded water and electricity infrastructure in the block.
“In the coming weeks, water crews will be connecting each business on the eastern side of the road to a newly installed water main, after completing connections on the western side,” council said.
Orange City Council’s director of technical services, Ian Greenham said: “We’re now on the home straight for this project and in the coming weeks people will be able to see the full impact of how attractive this new precinct is going to be.
“So far, the only real changes that people can see are the new trees, but in the next month we’ll be rolling-out the features that will transform this precinct into an attractive place where people will want to meet.
“Council understands the impact that the construction phase is having and appreciates the patience of business and shoppers.”
The installation of 13 pole-mounted footpath lights is being funded by a $250,000 grant from the NSW government.
Businesses can either sign a contract with council to take responsibility for the dining pod outside their establishment, in return for exclusivity, or leave it to council, but allow anyone to use the pod.
The Orange News Examiner spoke to one business owner who said they were not interested in taking on the responsibility of a pod, and another who said they were considering an exclusivity agreement.
If a customer got their general use and private pods confused and ended up drinking a takeaway coffee from Cafe A in Cafe B's private pod, it would be up to Cafe B to choose whether to move them on.
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