Wollongong City Council has resolved to lodge a submission supporting progression of a Homes NSW Planning Proposal that would allow up to 2500 new homes to be built at Bellambi Point over the next two decades.
Homes NSW currently owns 138 of 171 lots at the northern end of Bellambi Estate, with 465 dwellings located on the 26-hectare subject site. The bulk of the remaining lots are privately owned, while seven are owned by the Aboriginal Housing Office and two by Council.
With the social housing waiting list for the Wollongong LGA stretching to 2,300, housing stock constructed at Bellambi Estate more than 50 years ago no longer meets the needs of Homes NSW.
Homes NSW lodged a State-assessed planning proposal with the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) seeking amendments to the Wollongong Local Environment Plan (2009) to allow redevelopment of the site. The proposal was placed on public exhibition.
At Monday's (23 March) ordinary meeting, Council endorsed a submission to support the proposal while urging consideration of an increase in the amount of affordable housing provided and seeking a commitment to accompanying infrastructure improvements.
The report tabled noted that the proposal to increase social, affordable and market housing at Bellambi aligns with several of the goals outlined in Council's Housing Strategy (2023) which identifies the need to increase housing supply across the LGA.
Council's submission supports a greater increase in social housing than currently proposed and also urges Homes NSW to consider inclusion of a minimum of 10 per cent affordable housing provision, which is not included in the current proposal. This would align with a key requirement of Council's Housing Strategy for developments that increase residential density.
While the precinct has several existing community and recreation facilities catering to the existing population, Council's submission also seeks a commitment from Homes NSW to provide or fund a range of community, open space and recreational infrastructure to support the development and anticipated population growth.
Lord Mayor of Wollongong Councillor Tania Brown said Council remains broadly supportive of the proposal aimed at addressing the housing needs of our city.
"Housing insecurity and the challenge of providing affordable housing is not unique to Wollongong, but we need to consider all the ways we can work with other agencies to ease that pressure," Cr Brown said.
"We are a rapidly growing area, and with that growth the housing needs of our community has evolved. We need to respond to those changing needs and do what we can to reduce housing stress in the short-term, while also planning for the future.
"We are generally supportive of the proposal and the positive impact it can have, but we want to ensure that the desired outcomes support our existing housing strategies and include plans for new and improved infrastructure to support a growing community. These priorities will be outlined in our submission."
The Planning Proposal suggests rezoning most of the residential area from R2 Low Density Residential to R3 Medium Density, and rezoning land near Bellambi Pool to E1 Local Centre to facilitate local shops, services and a plaza. It also proposes an increase in building height limits from 9m to between 13m and 22m and a reduction in minimum lot size from 449m2 to 200m2.
The Planning Proposal applies to the northern part of Bellambi Estate, north of Rothery Street and Bott Drive. The land south of Rothery Street is not part of the Planning Proposal and no change to planning controls in that areas are proposed.
