CBD gets a fix-up

THE scaffolding has been up in Ballina's CBD over the past week as one property owner completes maintenance work, with plans for painting some River St properties in the future.

While the downturn in trade in the town centre has been a talking point, Ballina Chamber of Commerce's executive officer Nadia Eliott-Burgess welcomed the latest revamp.

The most recent work has been done at the western end of the main CBD block, from the Moon St corner where Rockmans is located, with repair work to awnings.

Ms Eliott-Burgess said other business like Westpac and the building opposite Little Woolworths also have had their facades painted recently.

"It's fantastic to see landlords investing some funds back into town centre properties to complement council's $3.3m investment in the next stage of the CBD upgrade," she said.

"This is something we would like to see more of.

"And as the economy improves, we're hoping to see properties refurbished."

She also said that, once the economy improves, the chamber would like to see property owners open up their properties to the Richmond River, to have shopfronts on Fawcett St.

That, she said, would require major renovations.

"It might not be that landlords have the capacity to undertake such big renovations in the current financial climate," she said.