22/10/2026
MEDIA RELEASE
Merimbula Chamber of Commerce Demands Immediate Halt to Beach Street Works
The Executive Committee of the Merimbula Chamber of Commerce wishes to express its grave concern and strong dissatisfaction with the progress and direction of the road changes and associated works currently taking place within the Beach Street precinct in Merimbula.
The Chamber is calling, in the strongest possible terms, for all works to cease immediately to allow for genuine and meaningful consultation with all stakeholders, particularly the local small business community and the broader Merimbula community.
The Chamber believes that changes of this nature must be informed by open dialogue, transparency and a genuine understanding of the potential impacts on local businesses, residents and visitors. The concerns of those directly affected must be heard and properly considered before any further works proceed.
Furthermore, the Chamber considers the proposed removal of the garden beds in front of the Waterfront Cafe to be wholly unacceptable. These garden beds are an established feature of the Beach Street precinct, and the Chamber firmly believes they must be retained in their current form.
This position reflects the strong views of the Chamber and the wider business community, who believe the existing garden beds contribute to the character and amenity of this important waterfront area.
In addition, the Chamber and broad sections of the local community remain extremely sceptical about the purported temporary nature of this so-called trial. The infrastructure already installed, combined with the intention to remove existing garden beds, gives rise to a very strong impression that there is little that is genuinely temporary about the works currently being undertaken.
The Chamber is deeply concerned that decisions with potentially lasting consequences are being implemented before the community has had a meaningful opportunity to be heard. A trial should not be used as a means of introducing changes that may, in practice, become permanent without genuine consultation and community support.
To reiterate, the Chamber wishes to convey, on behalf of the local business community, its extreme unease at the current situation. The Chamber’s position is unequivocal: all works must cease with immediate effect to ensure that the legitimate and substantial concerns of local businesses and the broader community are properly addressed.
The Chamber has a responsibility to advocate for an environment in which changes within and around the Merimbula C*D improve trading conditions for local businesses rather than undermine them. Any changes to our town centre must recognise the importance of a thriving local business community and the contribution it makes to Merimbula’s economic vitality, character and future.
Over the coming days and weeks, the Chamber will pursue every appropriate avenue to ensure this deeply unsatisfactory situation is resolved in a manner that genuinely considers the concerns of local traders, reflects the interests of the broader community and achieves meaningful support from both.
The Merimbula Chamber of Commerce calls on the relevant authorities to immediately halt all works, commit to genuine stakeholder consultation, retain the garden beds outside the Waterfront Cafe in their current form, and reconsider the current direction of the project before proceeding further.
Yours faithfully,
Nathan O’Donnell
President
Merimbula Chamber of Commerce
On behalf of the Merimbula Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee
ENDS
Media contact: Merimbula Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee
