Yatu Lau Arcade Facelift Welcomed

The busy and iconic Yatu Lau Arcade will un­dergo the much-needed facelift it deserves by its owner, Yatu Lau Company Limited.

Last year, the company revealed its intention as well as to rebrand it to Yatu Lau Central, a report from FBC said.

The $10 million renovation works was supposed to have begun by the end of the year.

While it is unclear why it took some time to get the works off the ground, recently, it has become evident with shop owners being issued a letter of eviction.

They have also been given the first opportunity to become tenants when the renovation completes.

If you know Yatu Lau arcade, you know that from Mondays to Saturdays, it is always a hive of activi­ties.

It is one of the most-populated parts of the city giv­en its full-range of services making it a prime busi­ness location.

People from all walks of life make a quick stopover for tea, a haircut or beauty treat.

It is also one of the first and last stopovers for any bus, taxi or van passenger in the Capital City.

We can understand that the livelihood of many of the tenants as well as their employees would be dis­rupted when the renovation works begins.

While many agree and support the idea of the facelift, they have a longstanding tenancy agreement with the owner going back as far as 1998.

Many will be without income and it is vital that they should have already begun looking for alterna­tive means of income to sustain themselves.

Also of importance is the company to honour the loyalty of the some of these businesses and give them the first tenancy option.

Additionally, we look forward to renovations being done with a strategic approach to avoid this building looking like one of those ghost buildings which is be­coming of some in certain parts of the city.

The demand for space and employment in this icon­ic building is a matter of urgency but at the same time we also note that the new look should tick all the standards there are in the building code.

Story By: Ranoba Baoa

Feedback: ranobab@fijisun.com.fj