Developer Charlie Daoud 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.

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.

“The project was designed to cater for the rigid frame trucks needed to service ALDI,” he says.

“The community were not altogether pleased with the outcome, even when it was approved, and understandably so.”

Mr Daoud says he decided to look at the project with fresh eyes.

“If we include the whole area [Council’s holdings plus Daoud’s 66 Collins St and 3 Akuna St – an extra 2,500m2], and don’t have the restriction of a full line supermarket, what could we do here?

“Without this restriction, the project can be scaled back significantly and become much more community and person centric.”

He engaged Geoff Bonus, one of Sydney’s leading urban design experts, to find a solution that took into account the concerns the community had about the previous proposal, and incorporated

the findings of the new Town Centre Study and the Local Strategic Planning Statement.

He says their solution, which is still at the conceptual stage, was met with enthusiasm when shown to councillors in December last year.

Mr Daoud has shared the vision with The Bugle, the first time it has been shown to the public. Some of its main components are:

• turning the entire footprint of the Mitre 10 [The Collective] building into a covered public open space, to encourage foot traffic into the complex and create a town square for use as an arts and community space. A further open pathway would lead up to Akuna Street, creating a viewline through the complex.
• creating a new laneway at the back of the existing Terralong St shops, connecting Shoalhaven and Collins Streets, to encourage interconnection and provide opportunity for more retail area facing the lane for other property owners
• retaining the trees on the Akuna St side of the site and the 66 Collins St house
• moving a smaller supermarket component into the heart of the complex, with delivery access and exit via Collins St
• a number of residential towers, to 11 metres, designed by different architects to vary their look
• public car parking
• low density design with walkability a key design element.

“We feel our ideas have addressed the significant concerns of Council and the community, and were looking forward to beginning community consultation,” he says.

“Without the restriction of a full line supermarket, we have been able to scale back the development considerably.

“It has enabled us to build for people, not for trucks.

“I spend half of my time here, and have lots of friends and family down here so I consider it my second home.

“Given my passion for good outcomes, I just see this as a really good opportunity for the town.”

A model built by the Daouds so they could show the scale of the development and how the various components might fit

He says they are happy to pay a fair price for the land, having already invested $2.2million in the project since 2016.

“The redevelopment of the integrated site could commence in a much earlier timeframe than would otherwise be possible if Council elects to tender the Akuna Street property in isolation,” he says.

“We are in a unique position with our land ownership and intellectual property to get the best outcome for the community.”

Without the benefit of the work his firm has already put into the project, and the constraints on using just Council’s land, Mr Daoud believes the project could be stalled another four to five years.