Proposal to revitalise Nowra's CBD

Shoalhaven Arts Board member Jenny Thompson wants to get council's support to fill empty CBD shops with temporary pop-up stores.

Around six years ago, there was a similar proposal called "Shop Shoalhaven" and two licenses were taken out but improved economic conditions saw the shops being filled with permanent tenants.

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Ms Thompson said the idea has worked well in other towns and believes it may help Nowra's CBD recover.

"Newcastle experimented with this years ago and it was remarkably successful in bringing life back to the CBD," she said.

"If it was a big area like target you could have up to half a dozen different artists... just see who is out there, who would like to do this and showcase what they do.

"It is a movable feast really - we could toss it up in the air and see what comes down."

In 2014, Maitland City Council used pop-up stores as part of its strategy to lure people back to its retail district.

The pop-up stores are a way to temporarily fill an empty retail space, thereby keeping the CBDs interesting and attractive.

The program would operate to connect landlords with potential licensees.

One suggested model to facilitate the pop-up stores would be to operate them as a six month license, so if a permanent commercial tenant comes along then landlords would only need to give the pop-up store 30 days notice.

Ms Thompson said it could also be a great opportunity to engage young unemployed people and get them involved in setting up and running the stores.