We've been running the story about World Internet in kings Cross losing its travel agent tenant because first, council would not let the tenant put up an under-awning sign, and then after a favourable hearing from councillors, blocking the idea of having a three-sided revolving sign, one side for each tenant on the site.
The matter featured at Monday night's community forum meeting where senior staffer Jason Perica -- the man who refused the new idea -- said he would 'look at it'.
He turned up on-site yesterday, with retinue, to talk it out with Avry Ben-Zeev, owner of World Internet. What if five or ten tenants on a site wanted signs, asked Perica? Ben-Zeev replied that this was hypothetical.
Perica apparently said the revolving sign was 'against his principles'. We agree. principles are much more important than small matters like driving people out of business. Moving signs ARE against the rules, even though the rules are in the process of being changed. Compromise ideas like awarding a temporary permit until the new rules are set would be, simply, immoral.
We note that JC Decaux installations all over the city now have moving signs. They must come under a different set of principles, maybe because they are a big multinational company?
Mr Ben-Zeev can appeal to a commission of councillors if the decision still goes against him. We'll keep you posted.
STOP PRESS -- Councillor Shayne Mallard has also visited World Internet to assess the situation. The Liberal Councillor lives in Potts Point -- good to see him taking more and more interest in local issues.
7 comments:
"He turned up on-site yesterday, with retinue, to talk it out with Avry Ben-Zeev, owner of World Internet. What if five or ten tenants on a site wanted signs, asked Perica? Ben-Zeev replied that this was hypothetical."
A shop with five or ten tenants ?
I don't get it . If World Internet an internet cafe provided a service of not just an internet cafe but also a money exchange and a travel agency and a photocopier would they be allowed to have an underawning sign for each service? I doubt it.
So whats the diffrence if he sublets his shop? Each shop should only have one sign. The council is absolutely correct in its decision. Just because he sublet his shop should not be a reason to change the council policy.
The Cross is a mess and looks a mess. Jason Perica has made a wise decision.
World Internet has its name splashed all over its premises. It should rethink its signage policy and advertise all services inside on the large amount of glass frontage it presently has.
His underawning sign should say Internet money exchange and travel agency.
The travel agency in Vistoria St has no such problem. It has a number of services without the street clutter.
That all depends whether you like organic clutter or imposed sterility. There is a wide body of work showing that the latter kills districts, tending to make them mono-cultural and boring. The fact that council only supports the 'steriles' while ignoring and suppressing the 'clutterbuts' is anti-democratic, a point that the 'steriles' always seem to ignore.
Sterile is fine for Phillip Street -- it's a financial district. Why should Kings Cross look identical? Are you saying all areas of the city should be identical? That's a shaky position to take. Read Richard Florida's research on the subject. Top-down squelching kills economic activity, and World Internet is just a tiny example of it.
In any case, they are not asking for multiple signs but a single revolving sign. Does movement also offend your sensibilities (and if so, why not campaign against the JC Decaux moving signs?)
I've seen the proposed new sign Its very clever.
One sign with three moving parts. We need a little movement in the Cross, everything is so still.
Go for it Jason. We do not want the Cross to look like another Westfield.
Do you?
Mallard would make a great Lord Mayor. He understands how to make a suburb revive.
Then let's see Shayne show us what he's made of! He has been very quiet on the Kings Cross front until just lately.
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