In 2020, Council ran three phases of community consultation to gather feedback to inform the concept design for the future of Awaba House. As part of the consultation process, a Community Reference Group was formed to provide advice and guidance to help inform the design brief.

We are seeking a suitably qualified design architectural design consultant to manage and coordinate the design to re-construct Awaba House as a combined café/dining and event/function centre.

The design consultant will work with Council to develop a suitable design to re-construct Awaba House. A Development Application submission will also be prepared to submit to Council for assessment. Due to the nature of the building and the heritage considerations required, the design and development application process is more complex than usual, resulting in additional time requirements for this phase.

The development application will be assessed for approval. 

If development approval is granted, detailed design documentation will be developed and a construction certificate obtained.  

We will call for tenders from suitably qualified contractors to undertake construction of Awaba House.

Construction will be undertaken by the successful contractor. Works will be undertaken in a way to minimise impacts on the nearby Museum of Art and Culture, where possible.

We’re proposing to retain and restore the historically significant external form and features of the building, with changes to the internal layout for a modern restaurant and function space. The plans also include a small kiosk and a new terrace to the east of the building providing sheltered outdoor seating, where diners will be able to soak up the stunning lakeside vistas.

This preferred concept design was developed based on community consultation undertaken in 2020, as well as an assessment against Council’s Sustainability Policy criteria.

Ensuring our community and key stakeholders are consulted in the decision-making process is our top priority.

In 2020, Council ran three phases of community consultation to gather feedback to inform the concept design for the future of Awaba House. As part of the consultation process, a Community Reference Group was formed to provide advice and guidance to help inform the design brief.

The process for rebuilding a local heritage building is complex; however, we are doing everything we can to expedite this process. The process will be completed in seven phases.

Council is required to work to the statutory approval process in the same manner as any other developer is required to. Staff have accelerated the timeline as much as practical to streamline the design and development approval period.

Fire and Rescue NSW attended Awaba House on Tuesday 20 August. Following thorough investigations, Fire and Rescue NSW believe the fire may have started in the roof cavity of the building; however, advised the cause of the fire was ‘undetermined’ due to the scale of damage to the roof of the building. There were no suspicious circumstances.