Growing Precincts Together

Local retail precincts are the heart of our communities. Through the Growing Precincts Together program, Council’s Activation and Business Engagement Officers provide hands-on support to key shopping precincts.

Each financial year, Council works closely with selected featured suburban precincts to support tenants and owners of businesses to promote the precinct as a vibrant and attractive destination. The program develops a partnership between Council and local businesses to achieve the vision for the precinct.

Objectives

Through the Growing Precincts Together Program, Council aims to:

build a sense of community within the precinct and increase opportunities for local businesses to connect and collaborate
develop a common language about the precinct (what is on offer and the identity of the precinct)
increase the number of local stakeholders (business, residents, community groups) involved in local business precinct growth activity
increase the number of events, activities and promotions delivered within local business precincts
increase data capture, assessment and analysis for local business precinct performance
encourage longer visitation, return visitation and new visitation.

Step 1 - Understand

Council will do preparatory work to understand the unique offering of the precinct and as well as seeking the views of businesses and customers. This includes:

business audit (vacancy and business mix)
desktop digital audit of businesses to build an initial email contact list
identifying business/community groups in the area
customer and business survey
prepare inspiration ideas:
- reasons to visit - business directory to call attention to the variety of businesses on offer
- celebrate businesses and the precinct
- collaboration ideas: working with the community (for example community groups)
- collaboration ideas: opportunities for businesses to work with each other.

Step 2 - Engage

Precinct information session – a kick-off event to present the precinct analysis (vacancy, business mix), communicate survey findings and present inspiration ideas. This event will also include networking opportunities.
Precinct coffee connect – ongoing networking/collaboration opportunity:
- opportunity to enjoy a coffee for a morning of networking and knowledge sharing. Promote your businesses and share ideas for the precinct while meeting business owners from a range of different sectors
- regularly organised by Council during the first year of working with a precinct
- in precincts with suitable options, can be held in some of the cafes and hospitality venues in the area – each time in a different location. Venues in the precinct interested in hosting a precinct coffee connect meeting can nominate their interest.

Step 3 - Precinct playbook

Council Activation and Business Engagement Officers will draw on the precinct playbook which will offer a framework of opportunities under key headings of Promote, Support, Refresh and Activate.

The precinct playbook will provide links to practical advice and information for communities, businesses, local groups, landowners and other organisations on how to make their local centre more active, attractive, and connected.  Council’s Business Activation and Engagement officers will deliver key initiatives from the playbook based on the needs and priorities of each precinct.

The precinct playbook will be available soon and will focus on identifying achievable actions for Council and businesses to undertake.

More information

Find out about the current Growing Precincts Together projects:

For more information about the Growing Precincts Together project, you can email Council’s Economic Growth and Activation team.

Last updated: 6 July 2023