As the isolated west coast hub of Queenstown transitions to a tourism economy, some formerly abandoned shopfronts are getting a new lease on life. But other properties aren't getting leased at all.
In Queenstown on Tasmania's West Coast, there's growing unease about the number of shops on the main street being snapped up by a single group of developers, and then left vacant.
Locals tell of asking to rent the shops from John — whose number is advertised in the windows — but being flatly told no, or being asked to pay rental prices they believed were exorbitant and unfeasible for the area.Anthony Brown from Destination West Coast said there is not a lack of demand. "When you walk down the main street it looks empty. That's really not what we want to portray from a tourism point of view.
"The rent they're asking for is fairly high, and for a new business opening up it's not easy," he said.The West Coast Council has been trying to work out a solution, including a vacancy levy.
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