The chamber has been working closely with Singleton Council on the project, with chamber members Gill Eason, Jim Gauld, Bruce Whatham and Darren Hill all members of the Streetscape sub committee.

President of the Chamber of Commerce, Gill Eason, said the project had been a long time coming.

“The chamber is very excited about this, it is a huge vision for Singleton and certainly the main street,” Mrs Eason said.

“At the moment the CBD is looking a bit tired, and this is a great opportunity to liven it up.”

Mrs Eason said Singleton had been presented with a unique opportunity for the work, with bulkier businesses looking to relocate to new industrial areas and Gowrie Street Mall about to start work on its redevelopment.

“This is an opportunity to stop the leakage to places like the new shopping precinct in Rutherford, Green Hills, and Newcastle,” Mrs Eason said.

“If we don’t do it, people will get used to shopping elsewhere.

“We’ve got to make our CBD look inviting, exciting, vibrant, and the place to be.”

Mrs Eason said while it was a costly project, it would be well worth it in the long run.

She also said it would be costly in the long run not to build it, as people would continue to bypass shopping in Singleton for other areas.

“We have to have something to attract shoppers here,” she said.

“A lot of people don’t even realise that John Street is our main street, they think that George Street is all we’ve got.

“This redevelopment presents a whole range of possibilities and opportunities.”

Mrs Eason said while it was exciting to present the project to councillors, there was still a lot of work to be done, including sorting out traffic and parking issues and consultation with both the business and wider community.

Streetscape Sub Committee member and local business owner, Bruce Whatham, hoped the council and the community would support the concept.

“This is something for the whole community to enjoy,” Mr Whatham said.