ONE former Singleton resident is not smitten by all the doom and gloom surrounding the future of business in town.
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In fact, Tim Hedley is so positive about the town’s commercial future he and his wife Brenda have just invested $850,000 on re-developing their commercial building at 108 John Street.
The just completed revamp has added a second storey to the building that has housed, for a number of years, GIO and AlleyKats Hair Studio.
Now the building has four new commercial spaces covering 200square metres and it provides compliant disabled access through a wider arcade that links John Street to the carpark adjacent to Singleton Square.
Commenting on their decision to invest in Singleton at this time, Mr Hedley said he had been around coal mining all his working life and had seen many ups and downs.
“It’s a cyclical business – when you’re at the top you think it will never stop rising and when you’re at the bottom you think it will never rise again, that’s the nature of the business,” he said.
“But things will turn around for mining locally once the companies adjust and restructure to survive the changed circumstances.
“Plus we think Singleton is not simply a one industry town.
“It has a diverse economy and given how close it is to Newcastle, thanks to the Hunter Expressway, this town has enormous potential.”
Mr Hedley left Singleton in 1969 when he completed his schooling at Singleton High School.
He studied mining engineering and was a mine manager working in Newcastle, Wollongong and in Queensland for nearly 30 years.
He now lives in Brisbane but remains close to Singleton, having many family members living in the district.
In 2009 when his father Si Hedley died, he and Brenda decided to buy the commercial building from his estate.
Working with Queensland-based architect Warren Webb, they came up with a design that made the building more contemporary and disabled compliant.
Local builders Perram & Toohey undertook the work, which Mr Hedley says has created the best office space in Singleton.
Commenting on the Town Centre Revitalisation Project, he told The Argus he believed it was the right approach.
“A new look will be great and I think our building plays its part in the revitalisation by making the connection between John Street and Singleton Square precinct easier,” he said.
“We have also renewed our shop front to enhance the streetscape.”