The new Director of Environmental Services, Linda Davis, heard the concerns of residents about the pace and scale of development in the Kiama CBD firsthand when she attended the February meeting of the Central Kiama Precinct.

The meeting discussed the revised plans for the Akuna St/Mitre 10 site, which while saving 12 ‘significant’ trees has increased the number of apartments from 94 to 100 (two 3/beds; 60 1/bed; and 38 2/bed) and reduced the size of the commercial space.

Serious concerns were expressed about the inappropriate scale of the development, the traffic and parking ramifications for the whole CBD, the difficulty in laypeople comprehending the ramifications of the plans, and whether getting an Aldi in that location was worth all the negatives.

The Chair of the Precinct, Peter O’Neill, urged people to lodge their concerns with Council by Monday 5 March. Information on the revised plans is available here: https://da.kiama.nsw.gov.au/Application/ApplicationDetails/010.2016.00000304.001/

The meeting also heard the owner of 33 Collins St has taken the Joint Regional Planning Panel’s deferral of its decision on its 60 unit seniors living development
as a deemed refusal, and has gone to the Land & Environment Court for a decision.

The Court is also to decide the fate of the redevelopment of the buildings to the rear of the Grand Hotel.

Ms Davis has agreed to attend the March Precinct meeting, to do a co-presentation with a lawyer on NSW’s planning system.