A FORMER local mayor, who led a 500-strong signature petition against the revocation of the former Loxton Visitor Information Centre (VIC) site’s community land status, says the council needs to listen to the community.
The petition was presented to the District Council of Loxton Waikerie at its general meeting last week, with councillors agreeing to withdraw the push for revocation of the site’s land status.
However, Loxton’s Jan Cass said while she was pleased with the council’s decision she will still push for the VIC services to return to the former site on Bookpurnong Terrace.
She said the current location for the VIC, which is in the town’s library on East Terrace, failed to deliver the same level of service.

“I think there’s not a doubt what the community wants – the community want the VIC (on Bookpurnong Terrace),” Ms Cass said.
“That’s where it always was, it’s such a prominent site, and it’s essential that we have a good, strong VIC in Loxton to sort out what we need, promote the various functions, such as the Christmas lights, and can really manage the tourism.”
In its current location, Ms Cass said tourists find parking and service difficult.
“I’m a volunteer at the Pines, and tourists who come there tell me that they can’t park their vehicles so they move onto Berri,” she said.
“If the tourist office was at the former site, there’s plenty of parking available well within walking distance.
“That’s the trouble – a lot of the people who are tourists are grey nomads and the people in my age group, and can’t walk a long distance.
“The girls in the library do a very good job, but they are not tourist officers.
“They are often very busy in the Loxton Library and so tourists come in, and they get no attention at all because the girls are busy with people lined up at the desk with library matters.
“That doesn’t work particularly well from the feedback we’ve had anyway.”
However, District Council of Loxton Waikerie CEO David Beaton has been firm about the success of the VIC at its new location.
“I don’t think there’s an inclination that the council wishes to move the VIC’s location,” he said.
“The council has been looking at ways to try reduce its overall budget, and we discussed it on Friday that there is a saving of around $230,000 a year for having the VIC in the library.
“The library is also open seven days a week, so there’s both community benefit and we’re still servicing the tourists who come into the area.
“Obviously, neither the library or the VIC are open at the moment, but the statistics on the commissionable sales – we sell to tourists as they come through – at the VIC for the nine months before we closed was equivalent to the 12 months before.”
Mr Beaton said there was every indication that Loxton received more tourists with the VIC in its current spot.
“The thing with the VIC is, when it was in the old building, the council made the right decision on the circumstances at the time they did it,” he said.
“It’s about having the right solution for now and for the future, and understanding that the circumstances of what it is that we’ve got now.”
Mr Beaton said council would access options for the building’s future.
“The council’s decided not to pursue revocation of the community land status, so it remains as it was,” he said.
“Council passed a resolution in December for alternative uses for the building, so it probably has some opportunities for something that can be associated with some economic development or a business that could go into there.
“We’ll put an ad in seeking some expressions of interest from interested groups.”
Ms Cass said the council should listen to the community and rethink its decision on the VIC’s location.
“We’ve always been a town that preserved our history, and I think we should be doing more than what the council’s doing at the moment,” she said.
“I think the community would probably be wanting to have some more input into what goes into that building because after all, the council are there to serve the community.
“So, if that’s what the community wants then in my view, that’s what should happen.”