A prominent Wollongong property owner has added his voice to the growing campaign to reopen Crown Street Mall, arguing such a move could pave the way for an international hotel to be built at the old David Jones site.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Michael Corban, who owns a number of properties in the Wollongong city centre, recently penned a letter to Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery and the 12 councillors, detailing his ideas for the mall.
"Imagine what it could look like: Crown St with wide footpaths; people enjoying food and drinks at open air cafes; slow moving traffic and a cycle way continuing the length of Crown St to the beach," he said.
"There could be electric trackless trains taking people from the railway to the city and down Crown St to the beach, then back through McCabe Park."
Mr Corban said he was "trying to give councillors an inspiring vision" of what the mall would look like with traffic, and also said the reopening would help to encourage certain types of property development - including an international hotel - in the area.
While he said he no longer had any commercial interest in the mall except for a share in Tramps Menswear, the developer said he would be willing to forgo a hotel investment at one of his own properties to ensure the prosperity of the mall.
"I've got a hotel chain looking at my Flinders Street properties - I'm prepared to forgo that site and do something else with it if we could get them to commit to going to David Jones," he said.
"But I've spoken to many people and they would consider being in a beautiful precinct if it can be opened, but nobody is going to consider being in the mall if it's a dead as it is through the day."
Mr Corban has also dismissed recent calls to resurrect an old plan for a mall water park, saying this would be better suited to MacCabe Park.
"Imagine a beautiful cycle way around MacCabe Park, with electric train carts transporting people around the park but also to the CBD and beach," he told councillors.
"We could enjoy a water park, night markets, growers markets, various art installations and even a festival like Sydney's VIVID, lighting up the park, our CBD and our beautiful beaches."
Asked if he would be running for council to implement such ideas, Mr Corban left his options open.
"I'll see how we go between now and the election," he said.
However, he did say that he and "about 50 people from the community" would be continually campaigning for the mall to reopen and that this would extend to the council elections if necessary.
"All I can say is thank goodness we're on countdown to the election," he said.
"We have a passion for seeing our city transformed."
The Lord Mayor said he thought Mr Corban's letter contained some good ideas, but also said that the council had to take a long-term planning view and could not change course just because of someone's vision.
For instance, Cr Bradbery said building a hotel at the former David Jones was "an excellent idea" but that this would need to be lodged by a developer willing to fund such a project. He also said the council agreed with Mr Corban's concept for MacCabe Park, and has been working for more than a decade to try to acquire the properties around the park to allow that to come to fruition.
"The reality is that these things take time," he said.
"These people are asking the council to rip up an asset that cost about $20 million - and I'm not for or against reopening the mall, but you have to put up a better case than a subjective opinion.
"I will listen to any case for or against, but we have to bring the rest of the community with us."
As the council develops its updated city centre planning rules over the coming months, Cr Bradbery said it would be holding a series of forums to allow all interested parties - not just developers - to have their say on the future of the CBD.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
