On December 12, the Waltons walkway was 'closed for maintenance'. Since December 12, not a hint of maintenance has been carried out. What's going on?

The airbridge links the Fortitude Valley Railway Station and Valley Metro with the McWhirters building, and on any given day, it's used by thousands of people. That's when it's open. But on December 12, the fire doors at either end of a 20-metre section of the walkway that runs through the Waltons building – a noted Valley eyesore – were shut by Mount Cathay, the company that owns the property.

Corey Hamilton, owner of the Autographed Memorabilia store on the McWhirters side of the walkway, describes the situation as a clash between Mount Cathay and the owners of the adjoining Happy Valley building. “It's been something that's been going on for quite a while,” he explains, “and it came to a head when one decided to shut the doors to look after his property. And that's what he's done. It started out as one against the other, and now it's impacted everybody else around the Valley... every other business in here is suffering.”

As a condition of the arrangement that allows the bridge to link the buildings, the Happy Valley body corporate is responsible for the insurance and upkeep of the Waltons (Mount Cathay) section of the walkway. Despite allowing the Waltons building to fall into disrepair, Mount Cathay have apparently kept a close enough eye on the property to notice broken and missing tiles in the walkway, which they've cited as the reason for the closure.

Beyond simply making your trips to the train station longer, the walkway's closure has crippled local businesses, particularly those on the McWhirters (and Happy Valley) side. Mr Hamilton says he's witnessed a 90 per cent decrease in foot traffic since December 12, which he claims has led to an estimated loss of up to $2,000,000 for businesses in the centre.

It's a loss that's been felt by Robert Van Kan, owner-manager of the Bank of Queensland branch in the McWhirters building.“I've just had my worst month in twelve years,” Mr Van Kan says. “Twelve years! So it's hurting. It hurts. It's not just seasonal. Some other businesses here are about to throw in the towel.”

Robert Hueston opened his 5 Dogs Gourmet Hot Dogs stand just after the walkway's closure. Like everyone else, he received no advance notice of the closure, and believes it's hurt his business. “We rely on regulars,” he says. “Walk through traffic. People see a brand three or four times and then they'll try it. But we're not getting that exposure.”

The plight of these businesses has certainly been noticed by David Hinchliffe, Councillor for Central Ward (which includes Fortitude Valley). “Of course I am concerned,” Cr Hinchliffe says. “I know most of these traders. I know many have already gone to the wall. The Valley has enough of a struggle wrestling with bad press, people's bias about the Valley etc, without adding this unnecessary problem to the mix.”

Local business owners are quick to point out that it's not just an issue of convenience and commerce. Safety is also a concern. “The worst part,” Mr Hamilton says, “is that instead of coming through the walkway where people would have security and a bit of safety, now they have to go outside, and they're getting hit up by the locals for money. There've been incidents where they've been threatened and assaulted. These are just normal people wanting to go about their business.

“There's a business next to us in here that's looking to put on a security guard and pay him $1000 a week to walk from the train station to the building next to us. That's not even two blocks! That's because their staff do not feel safe. Once you've got people saying that, once their lease is up, they're going to be running out of here as quick as possible. It just grows! It becomes a disease! It can stop now, but we need the public to get on there and help us. Without the public's help, we've got nothing.”

You can show your support for the reopening of the walkway on Facebook by liking the 'Re-Open The Fortitude Valley Walkway (Waltons Bridge)' page, which was created by Mr Hueston. “We had a meeting last Tuesday with all of the small business owners here,” the 5 Dogs owner explains, “and to me, they just needed a new way of doing things. They needed the Facebook. They were all interested in Facebook, but none of them had a clue how to do it. So, basically, I put it together, and I've been smashing it online.”

It's difficult to see how the Facebook page will reach its goal, with no obvious solution on the horizon. The Happy Valley body corporate, responsible for the upkeep of the bridge but defunct at the time it was closed, has reformed at the behest of Brisbane City Council. However, Mount Cathay has since advised the Council that the closure is not a matter of financial cost.

For his part, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk says that while Council has no legal power to force the walkway to be reopened, he will continue to put pressure on its owners until it is. "I've continued to make it clear to the owners of the old Waltons building that the walkway should remain open as part of my tough stance on derelict buildings in the Valley,” Cr Quirk says, “and this will hopefully be the breakthrough we've all been working towards.”

While conceding “the impotence of both the Council and the State in relation to this inter-property issue”, Cr Hinchliffe has sent an email to the Lord Mayor's office urging him to liase with the Premier's office and take action. “I personally think legal advisers in both the Council and the State should get together to determine whether there is any special legislative action that could be drafted and passed to ensure that this sort of thing doesn't happen,” the email, provided to Scene Magazine by Cr Hinchliffe, reads.

“Where there are public thoroughfares linking buildings (as is the case with this walkway from Lend Lease's Valley Metro, through the Waltons building, to Happy Valley's building and then across the walkway over Wickham St to McWhirters walkway) then I think there is a clear public interest justification for legislation to ensure these thoroughfares are kept open for public use, unless specific circumstances (eg, the need for urgent maintenance etc) require temporary closure.”

Local business owners admit they are unsure how to proceed. “If we knew (the solution) we wouldn't be talking to you,” Mr Van Kamp laughs. “We've put pressure on all sides. I just got off the phone with Anna Bligh's office, because I just wanted to make them aware of what's going on and put some pressure on the parties involved to see some common sense. That's what we want, just common sense. These issues shouldn't be resolved while the bridge is closed. If you've got issues, resolve them while it's open.”

Mr Hamilton fears things will get worse before they get better. “If they don't open the doors, it's going to get worse. It's going to get scary, because people are out there begging for money and now they have a captive audience. You can't avoid them... they get more foot traffic in an hour than I get in a week!”

In the meantime, Cr Hinchliffe – set to retire from politics at the next election – urges concerned citizens to make themselves heard. “The best thing I can suggest is that locals should remain active and vocal. The one thing that stirs politicians into action is public unrest. If the public remain compliant and resigned, then the politicians will keep shrugging their shoulders and saying, 'we have no legal power'. The main change in our community comes from those who say 'this is not good enough and we demand it be fixed'.”

Mr Hueston insists the 'Re-Open The Fortitude Valley Walkway (Waltons Bridge)' Facebook page is the best platform for locals to have their say. “The more people we have, the bigger voice we have, and the more political power we have,” he says. “The only way to influence a government is through interest groups. The main reason I created the Facebook page was to create an interest group which we can use and control.

“Power to the people, you know? We saw that last year with the Arab League. If Facebook can change a country, I'm sure Facebook can open a bloody door.”

The 'Re-Open The Fortitude Valley Walkway (Waltons Bridge)' page can be found here.