Adelaide’s Gouger Street is set to undergo a $15 million redevelopment led by the Adelaide City Council, prompting concerns among local businesses about prolonged disruption and reduced parking availability. The revitalisation project is expected to bring significant changes to the central business district’s busy dining strip but has already raised alarms from longtime restaurant operators who fear a sharp decline in customer traffic.

Wah Hing, a family-owned restaurant established for more than two decades, is among the businesses anticipating financial losses due to ongoing construction and associated challenges. Emilia Elovaris, 28, whose family runs Wah Hing, voiced concerns about mounting difficulties, including noise, dust, and heavy vehicle movement during night works, which have begun despite major construction yet to start.

Elovaris highlighted the impact on outdoor dining, noting that the atmosphere has already shifted, driving patrons indoors or causing them to leave early. She also raised issues regarding the removal of privately purchased commercial-grade outdoor tables, which her family invested in but are reportedly excluded from the council’s new boulevard design.

The project, which has reached about 70 percent completion in its design phase, aims to improve pedestrian safety and enhance the streetscape along Gouger Street. Planned upgrades include wider footpaths, new zebra crossings, improved lighting, upgraded signage, increased greenery with a planted median at Mill Street, and additional public seating. However, these enhancements come with the reduction of on-street car parking, a point of major concern for local traders.

Elovaris cited parking scarcity as a critical issue, noting existing constraints that are expected to worsen following the project’s completion. She expressed worries that the combined effect of construction disruption and fewer parking spaces will deter visitors and shoppers, further affecting trade in a precinct that relies heavily on both local and city residents for patronage.

The Gouger Street works form part of a broader city council initiative that includes approximately $10 million in asset renewal, integrated with main street upgrades scheduled for Hindley, O’Connell, and Hutt streets.

Despite the council’s efforts to modernize and enhance the city’s public spaces, local traders like Elovaris are calling for increased transparency and more active consultation to better manage the impact on businesses during the redevelopment process.

Efforts to obtain comment from Adelaide City Council on the concerns raised were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.