The following article was written by Jim Gainsford and originally published Wednesday March 2, 2016 by The St George & Sutherland Shire Leader. The following text has been captured using computer software and may not be 100% accurate. You can download a high resolution scan of the original publication HERE.

A ST George District Cham­ber of Commerce is one of the hopes for Hurstville Chamber of Commerce pres­ident Allan Zreik. More car parking and commercial towers and the opening of a major depart­ment store in the Hurstville central business district are also on his wish list. His confidence comes af­ter the chamber has secured a new permanent home, opening an office in the Hurstville Civic Centre. The new office has been provided by Hurstville Coun­cil along with $20,000 grant to assist the chamber in ex­panding its activities. A new website is expected to be launched by the cham­ber of commerce in the next three weeks. Mr Zreik believes it is the start of a new, bright era for the chamber. Running his business Zed n Zed Jewellers at Westfield Shoppingtown for the past 28 years has allowed him to keep a close eye on the evo­lution of the Hurstville CBD. Now that the chamber has a new home, Mr Zreik out­lined its future program. "We will be pushing for more car parking on the edge of the CBD;' Mr Zreik said. "Every apartment build­ing has one parking spot per apartment but each apartment may have three to four people. "We need at least 300 to 400 extra car spaces:' He is hoping that more public car parking could be providing particularly in the Treacy Street area. "It would be great to at­tract another department store into the area:' With the Forest Road upgrade almost complete, the chamber has formed a committee with the council which inspects the streets and laneways of Hurstville monthly to maintain the im­age and safety of the central business district. "After our monthly meet­ing we have a walk-through the CBD to see if there are any problems such are gar­bage, cleanliness, broken pipes or paving. "Maintaining the image of Forest Road is a priority;' he said. "We also talk to the shop­keepers and discuss any problems that may be hap­pening:' Following the decision of the Lugarno Chamber of Commerce to join the Hurs­tville _ Chamber late last year, Mr Zreik encourages other smaller chambers to join. "We want to make it a St George District Chamber of Commerce to represent the voice of business across the region;' he said. "It depends on the coun­cil mergers. ""We don't take sides;' Mr Zreik said. "Whether Labor or Liberal, we talk to every­one:' The Hurstville Chamber of Commerce meets the third Tuesday of the month at Club Central at 8pm. For more information about the chamber phone Mr Zreik on 9579 2889.