The Armidale Mall on Beardy Street was once a hive of activity, and is now pretty empty with lots of vacant shops. 

Most attempts to revive the mall have centred on either ripping up the centre of the mall to put a road back in - which the community has strongly rejected a number of times - or focused on retail stores which are rarely able to make enough money with the low foot traffic the mall currently gets. The unreasonably high rents charged for mall shops is often cited as a reason these businesses fail, and with that failure the heart of our city stops. 

Sign this petition to ask Armidale Regional Council to give the mall back to the people by making it an eat street! Eat streets have been wonderfully successful in many parts of the country, and the mall is a perfect location for one. Some things council could do to support this:
- Provide subsidies for restaurants, cafes and bars to relocate or set up their business in the mall 
- Work out a deal with mall property owners to provide lower rents for eateries (perhaps a rates discount?)
- Encourage eateries to trade late every night
- Line the mall with alfresco dining spaces - essential as we move into Covid Normal! - and have no charges from the council for using that alfresco dining space.
- Hold regular night markets where mobile food vendors and others are invited to set up their stalls and enhance the atmosphere
- Host regular outdoor entertainment in the summer months, such as big open air movies or live music
- Organise a festival of New England food producers, where our Eat Street celebrates our excellent local products and produce, attracting tourists and supporting local business 
- Signage and other promotion/advertising

By making the mall an Eat Street we can bring life and people back to the mall, encourage COVID-safe dining, and support local business. Please sign and share this petition today!