Approval of the much-anticipated $29 million western grandstand at WIN Stadium could be delayed by months because of a zoning issue affecting a strip of land only 8m wide.
Last week, project representatives indicated that demolition of the old grandstand should be completed this month and a contract for major construction work awarded by mid-September.
But the project will have to wait for a section of footpath and road reserve on Harbour St - a strip measuring only about 8-9m wide - to be rezoned before construction can begin.
The zoning issues arose because of the design of the 5872-seat grandstand that overhangs the public footpath area.
The grandstand's second level encroaches over the road reserve by 5.7m, while level three hangs 8.35m over the footpath and road.
The roof structure would be supported by 14 columns inside the road reserve, spaced 7m apart and located 7.2m west of the existing stadium boundary.
The southern Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) meets in Wollongong tomorrow to decide on the WIN Stadium development.
But a council planners report recommends the JRPP only considers the "merits of the proposal" and defer a final decision until the strip is rezoned.
The council has called an extraordinary meeting today to accelerate the roadside strip rezoning to an SP3 tourist zone - that already applies to WIN Stadium.
Administrators will decide whether to submit a planning proposal for Harbour St to the NSW Department of Planning.
If supported by the department, a rezoning proposal typically is placed on public exhibition for up to four weeks, before being referred to the department for assessment and approval.
The western grandstand project is on a tight schedule with construction timed to minimise disruptions to the 2011 NRL calendar. The project was due to be finished by the end of 2011, with St George Illawarra Dragons home games to return as early as next June.
Chris Christodoulou, chairman of the Illawarra Venues Authority that controls WIN Stadium, described the situation as "a small technical issue". But he was hopeful it would not delay the project.
"An amendment to that portion of Harbour St, to allow for a tourism zoning, needs to take place to ensure the western grandstand fully complies with all the zoning requirements," Mr Christodoulou said yesterday. "We don't believe the application to rezone that portion of Harbour St should delay the project overall."
Last week, council administrators resolved to lease the affected portions of the footpath, road reserve and stratum airspace along Harbour St to the stadium's operator - the Illawarra Venues Authority - for 50 years, charging a peppercorn rent of $1 per year.
But the lease failed to resolve the zoning issue, with major recreation facilities prohibited in the B4 mixed use zone that applies to Harbour St.
Under the WIN Stadium development proposal, Harbour St would become a one-way street with a 40km/h speed limit for northbound cars.
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