Wollongong City Council has ticked off some major milestones, with the Quarterly Review Statement (Quarterly Report) tabled at Monday's (25 August) Council meeting highlighting multiple major projects that have been completed or set in motion since April.
The quarterly report outlines achievements and performance in priority areas such as building a sustainable Wollongong, fostering community connection in our suburbs, and improving transport connectivity to enhance the liveability of our city.
The quarter (April-June) saw Council award the tender for works on the Southern Suburbs Community Centre and Library. The $41.7 million package of works includes the finalisation of design and construction of a three-storey building containing a much-needed community hub.
The importance of Wollongong City Libraries as community connection points is highlighted in the statement, with figures revealing 141,075 visits to our branches, 344,000 loans, 827 programs and events delivered, and more than 1900 new members signed up.
"We committed to delivering the Southern Suburbs Community Centre and Library in this term of Council and awarding the tender for this project is a major milestone," Lord Mayor of Wollongong Councillor Tania Brown said.
"The huge numbers revealed in this report show how essential our library services are, and how widely they are used by our community. It's testament to our wonderful libraries staff, and to how essential this service is for residents of our southern suburbs.
"Bringing services and events to our suburbs has been a big priority for this Council, so it was terrific to see 8000 people head to Comic Gong at Dapto and more than 500 people enjoy Creative Dialogues at Port Kembla. We also had more than 66,000 people come through the Botanic Garden's gates to enjoy the 2025 Sculpture in the Garden.
"Along with other major achievements in adopting the West Dapto Development Contributions Plan and requesting the State Government undertake a Strategic Business Case for a long-term management of Lake Illawarra, the June quarter has been significant.
"Now it's time to get on with the job of delivering for the community."
Along with adoption of the West Dapto Development Contributions Plan (2025), the June quarter also saw the upgrade to West Dapto Road and Stage 1 of the Cleveland Road Upgrade get underway to support the growing communities in this area vital to our housing future.
The quarter saw further progress on the path to ensuring we are building a sustainable Wollongong, with 23 of 24 projects aligned with Goal 1: We Value and Protect our Environment being either complete or on track.
It includes our partnership with the Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation to launch the Illawarra Shoalhaven Community Renewables Program with the support of delivery partner ShineHub offering discounted solar and battery systems for homes and businesses.
Council adopted amendments to Chapter A2 – Ecologically Sustainable Development - of the Wollongong Development Control Plan (2009), which outlines sustainability considerations for new development, including support for all-electric building options.
New community representatives and an Independent Scientific Advisor were appointed to the Lake Illawarra Implementation Group, which held its first meeting in June 2025, while various clean-up events around the lake saw strong participation for the quarter.
Significantly, in late May 2025 both Wollongong and Shellharbour City Councils resolved to write to the NSW Government, requesting that it resource and undertake a Strategic Business Case to deliver a long-term management solution for the Lake Illawarra entrance.
Wollongong City Council General Manager Greg Doyle praised hard-working Council staff for the achievements outlined in the Quarterly Report and thanked the community for its contribution to their delivery.
"Through various challenges, including recovery from two declared natural disasters in 2024, we're always striving to deliver services for our community that align with key priorities such as building a sustainable Wollongong and creating connected local communities," Mr Doyle said.
"This Quarterly Review Statement outlines progress we have made, and areas we need to prioritise moving forward. We don't shy away from setting ourselves ambitious targets because that is what the community deserves and expects from us.
"Achieving these goals requires extensive engagement and collaboration with our residents to make Wollongong the very best it can be, and I thank our community for its input and its support in delivering outcomes for our city."
