“Junction Court was a dead area, it was a complete failure like in every other regional town. The idea almost wiped out Parramatta when they tried it,” he said.

“In every regional town those types of areas became dead and unruly areas.

“You have to ask what its purpose was in the first place.”

Mr Baxter laid the blame squarely on Shoalhaven City Council, saying it failed to enforce the developer of Nowra Mall to have his shop opening onto the area.

“Nowra probably wouldn’t have had this issue if council had enforced that in the first place,” he said.

“So it has always been a waste of time, space and money.

“Our association wanted it opened 

to traffic because it was a failure.

“Traffic there means you don’t have unruly people hanging around causing the public to avoid that area.

“The intention is people will come back to that part of the CBD, but it won’t happen overnight.”

Mr Baxter said the association was encouraging the opening of Junction Street through to Stockland.