‘I’m frustrated’: Councillor exasperated as multimillion-dollar Gerringong development deferred

A multimillion-dollar development in Gerringong caused another fissure in Kiama Council’s development divide.

The ongoing development divide on Kiama Council showed no signs of abating during Tuesday night’s monthly meeting.

Veteran councillor Warren Steel threw his arms up during debate over the fate of the Gerringong Dairy Co-op building, complaining that “When the Greens get a chance…” before being interrupted by Mayor Neil Reilly to consider his comments.

The Co-op was purchased in 2020 for $2.25 million by long-time Gerringong residents David Phillips and Charlene Dawson in conjunction with the Matters family who own and operate the popular Hill Bar & Grill in the south coast town.

The owners Gerringong Dairy Co-op want it to become a wining and dining attraction. Picture: Supplied

The owners want to invest a similar amount into turning the building next to Gerrignong station into an adaptive space which would function as two restaurants, takeaway food and drink premises and retail space.

The proposed four-stage development would also include the construction of a barbecue hut, new amenities, carparking and the demolition of former hardware supplies masonry brick buildings.

There has been some community pushback to the development, particularly from those who live on Belinda St near the Co-op with the main qualms regarding noise, waste disposal and street parking.

“What do they expect?” Cr Steel said.

“Do they expect it just to sit there and stay? This will be great for the whole area.”

Independent councillor Karen Renkema-Lang argued it was the council’s responsibility to “make a fair and balanced decision to support business development… while ensuring the harms of residents who won’t benefit financially are minimised”.

The motion to approve the development, which was tabled by councillor Mark Croxford only drew the support of Cr Steel and Cr Matt Brown.

NA

Greens councillor Kathy Rice moved to have the matter deferred for further consultation with the motion agreed to by all, except the aforementioned trio.

“I’m frustrated,” Cr Steel wailed.

“They’re going to put a lot of money into it, they’re going to bend over backwards for their neighbours and bring a lot of money into the town.”

“When the Greens get a chance…”

Any other business…

Kiama set for new art space

Kiama’s creative arts scene received a boost with the council approving a proposal to turn a former removals site into an art exhibition space.

Internationally acclaimed artists Cobi Cockburn and Charles ‘Chick’ Butcher own and live at the property at 7 Mark St which they intend on turning into a hub to exhibit their own work as well as other creative artists.

The proposal would see the studio host up to 14 ticketed exhibitions a year, as well as multiple artist talks and workshops.

NA

The council did receive concerns such as street parking, frequency of the events, and duration of the event days (from 10am to 10pm), but Cr Brown said it was “hardly an imposition on the street” and reminded councillors of their pledges to the creative arts industry during the council election campaign.

“We’re talking about just one exhibition a month with 80 people,” he said.

“We need to be supporting these things. We need to stop getting bogged down in the nitty gritty.

“We don’t have enough art spaces.”

Cr Steel fist pumped the air as the motion was carried with the support of all the councillors barring Cr Renkema-Lang and Cr Rice.

However, Kiama Council chief executive Jane Stroud questioned councillors about opting to impose a three-year trial period for the arthouse.

“We don’t put someone in a house and review it in 12 months,” Ms Stroud said.

“Professionally, I don’t see the point of a review. When people start a business they create a business model, it’s not for my staff to dictate how they run their business.

“While in NSW you can do this (impose a trial period), at my core I am uncomfortable with the council delaying making a decision on this.”

Woolies upgrade

NA

Councillors were able to call a truce to unanimously pass through a DA to upgrade Kiama’s main shopping complex.

Kiama Village, the 17-store precinct on Terralong St, is now set to undergo a major renovation which will include a larger, full-range Woolworths supermarket, new specialty stores, improved carparking, improved access, refurbished interior and better landscaping.

“It’s a very exciting development,” Cr Brown said.

“We need to get this going and the whole town is very excited about this project.”

The revamp, which is being managed by the Woolworths Group, isn’t expected to be completed until at least the end of 2023.