Artarmon Village Inc emerged in 2013 as a localised chamber of commerce focused on the needs of the shopping village on each side of Artarmon rail station. Our goals are to make our precinct attractive and amenable to residents and visitors.

We have always enjoyed a productive relationship and aligned goals with the Artarmon Progress Association and thank the APA team for its collaboration through the year.

We have had a recent reshuffle and I am very proud of the AVI committee members, who are:

• Ian Huntley (Inter Desserts) vice president/secretary

• Valerio Domenici (Zucchero Caffe Bar) treasurer • Anshul Aggarwal (Associations Forum)

• Evita Barboza (Artarmon Fruity Latin Market)

• Rickie Norris (Gelatissimo Artarmon).

Thank you for years of dedicated service to the two committee members who are stepping down: • Nikhil Mehta (Artarmon Dentists) • Jeremy Ong (Laing + Simmons Artarmon).

Next year we will see the most significant upgrade to Wilkes Avenue and Hampden Road in decades – or perhaps a century.

There will be important changes, including:

• Hampden Road traffic lights moving to the Broughton Road corner
• Clean, accessible, parent-friendly public toilets in the village
• Public amenities designed to encourage people to work, rest and play in our centre.

Ideally, the lift to the station platform should be accessible from both sides. We understand the APA has made representations to the state government for this to be done. Please log on to ‘Have Your Say Willoughby’ and comment on the plans for the upgrades. It is the best way to access the most recent plans.

This has been a challenging year for everyone, and I believe we got through the worst of it together. Ultimately, we would love Artarmon Village to recover from the pandemic as a functional, seven-day-a-week shopping destination for everyone. Somewhere that is accessible and amenable. A place where people want to ‘hang out’. A place that hums all day and buzzes at night. A place where residents feel happy and safe. A place they are proud of.

Let us work together in 2021 and make it happen! Best wishes to all Artarmon residents for a healthy and happy 2021 from Artarmon Village Inc

“This is the Artarmon Village section of the Artarmon Gazette. To read the full copy of the Gazette please click here“