Walkway woes back to haunt Valley traders?

NEWS

An appeal against the Supreme Court decision back in May that ordered the reopening of the Waltons walkway has many nearby Fortitude Valley traders once again wondering if they have a commercial future.

Mount Cathay Pty Ltd, owner of the Waltons building that houses a 20-metre stretch of the vital walkway that links Valley Metro and the Brunswick Street railway station to McWhirters and beyond, is appealing against the court’s ruling on 19 March that it was responsible for the upkeep of its section of the walkway and that the walkway was safe to use. The court ordered the company to reopen the fire doors immediately and awarded court costs to Lend Lease, owners of the adjoining Valley Metro centre, who brought the legal action that ended the three-and-a-half months’ long impasse.
Pedestrian traffic through to the McWhirters retail space and beyond slowed to a trickle after the walkway closed on Sunday night 10 December 2011 and The Independent understands that walkthrough figures have never recovered fully and are still 20 to 25 per cent down on pre-closure levels.
In recent months, a number of McWhirters traders have closed their doors. Perhaps the biggest blow was the closure of long-term tenant Bakers Crust that supplied many other local outlets with their bakery needs. Others to shut up shop have included 000 Look Shiny pop art collectables, Bewitching Blooms florists and an Indian food takeaway. At least three other tenants have told The Independent they are counting down the months to current leases expire so they too can walk away.
After the Waltons walkway doors were reopened, remedial work was undertaken on that section, with a smooth industrial vinyl flooring replacing the tiled surface that had a number of tiles broken or missing.
Hearing of the appeal has reportedly been adjourned until 11 September.