Businesses on Marine Terrace believe the Rocks Laneway closure is overdue

The trial closure of Rock Laneway for two weeks has come after a litany of daily disturbances and anti-social elements that force people to avoid using the area, businesses say. Staff in nearby businesses have welcomed the move to close the laneway for a fortnight, hopeful it will decrease the number of disturbances. The City of Greater Geraldton announced they had made the decision jointly with local police to temporarily shut the walkway for two weeks, as a trial to help curb anti-social behaviour in the area. A retail worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she was glad to hear the news. “Finally. Something happens every day there. It’s so unpleasant for everyone passing by, and people avoid it because they know what to expect,” she said. “It’s been worse in the last three months. It would impact business if there wasn’t a route to get through Blooms and Wondabake because a lot of our elderly customers can’t walk the full distance to go around the block. “It’s such a shame to see it go to waste. It’s a beautiful space when it’s all done up for the events they host there.” Mayor Jerry Clune said while he was extremely disappointed to see the community space close temporarily because of the actions of a small portion of the community, he was hopeful the situation can be improved. “The decision to trial a two-week closure of Rocks Laneway was not made lightly,” he said. “We’ve been in discussions with local police for some time now and we hope trialling a short-term closure will help to diminish the disruptive behaviour in the laneway as we explore longer-term solutions.” Another worker in the area said she had been calling police to attend disturbances “every second day.” “It’s been particularly bad for the last six months,” she said. “They’re not violent to other people but they’re aggressive to each other. They scream and yell, they’re drinking and spilling it — the laneway gets cleaned every morning and by the afternoon it’s trashed. There’s rubbish, spit and toilet paper everywhere.” She added people walking along Marine Terrace avoid using the ATM next to the laneway for fear their money will be stolen from them. The worker said people who congregated in the laneway would ask for money from people walking past, which makes people feel uncomfortable. “It needs to be opened for events only,” she said. City CEO Ross McKim said the city “welcomes constructive input on how Rocks Laneway can be improved in order to mitigate anti-social behaviour and make this space the beloved and valued asset to our community that we know it can be.” To date the city has reduced the opening hours, installed CCTV, removed Wi-Fi access, removed power access and is funding community activation in the space, which was opened in 2019. Geraldton Police OIC Sen. Sgt Chris Martin said police had responded to a number of reports within Rocks Laneway in recent weeks and he was confident the temporary measure would reduce the anti-social behaviour. The laneway will be reopened Thursday, March 28.