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1 MAY 2021
Greenfields sites under spotlight Just a day after the draft Planning Proposal to rezone land between Saddleback Mountain Road and Weir Street in South Kiama went on public display, the April meeting of Council has voted to support a Planning Proposal for a 166 allotment development in Campbell Street, Gerringong. The new Proposal is in an area that has been identified in the Kiama Local Strategic Planning Statement, and is smaller than that rejected by Council last year. Councillors Way, Brown, Watson, Steel and Honey voted for supporting the Proposal, citing lack of housing stock and it being in the urban strategy. Councillors Reilly, Sloan and Rice voted against it, arguing for the retention of
agricultural land and the buffer between Gerringong and Gerroa. Councillor Westhoff was absent from the meeting. “While we understand there are development pressures for increased housing in Kiama Municipality this proposal should be considered in the context of the agricultural significance of the farmlands and the contribution they will play in the future to feed our increasing population,” said Howard H Jones in a letter to councillors before the meeting, on behalf of the Gerroa Environmental Protection Society. “There are strong arguments to stop the continued fragmentation of Kiama’s unique soils and value our farmlands as a finite resource when considering this proposal.”
The land at Campbell St, Gerringong
The Proposal will now proceed to the Department of Planning and Environment for a Gateway Determination. Submissions on the further progressed South Kiama Proposal close on 17 May. It is a Planning Proposal that was not supported by Council at that time, but was given Gateway by the Department of Planning. The final decision will be made by the Minister. Council’s recommendation has to be with him by the end of June. In its Proposal, the developer White Constructions, says, “Given the limited agricultural production capacity of the site, the site’s proximity to existing urban areas and the availability of public utilities to service the site it is appropriate for rezoning to allow
Fax: 4232 2676 ksmr@bigpond.com
After Hours Towing 0438 424 574
Daoud still hopeful
Full information at www. kiama.nsw.gov.au/Your-say Developer Charlie Daoud
The land at South Kiama
Phone: 42322757
21B Barney Street, KIAMA
residential development.” They are looking for the 40ha site to yield 444 lots: 285 residential allotments >450m², 156 small residential allotments >300m², and three large lots >1,000m². The April Meeting of the Central Precinct heard it is forming a subcommittee to prepare a submission. Concerns were voiced about the extra traffic that will be generated (around 525 in morning peakhour, largely onto Saddleback Mountain Rd), runoff, the capacity of local schools and the sewerage system, and the logic of it being approved before a local Housing Strategy is developed. Individuals were encouraged to also make submissions.
is disappointed that Kiama councillors narrowly decided not to continue to work with him on an expanded vision for Akuna St, instead voting for staff to develop their own masterplan and put the site out to tender. He is still hopeful the project can go ahead, and will soon be writing to Council asking it to reconsider. “I don’t think the merits of what we are proposing have been fully appreciated,” he says.
A covered town square on the Mitre 10 site is part of the Daoud vision
Mr Daoud got involved with the project a year or so ago, building on the work already done by his father Nick Daoud. At the heart of the original design for the site, which was eventually approved by the Regional Planning Panel after the time the Daouds had been given by Council, was the condition for it to include a full line Aldi supermarket. continued on p4
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