Aged-care provider Warrigal wants to rezone about 10 hectares south of Wollongong's CBD to make way for taller buildings and create a "south-east gateway precinct" for the city.
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The aged-care provider hopes to increase the height limits and floor space ratios for all land bordered by Corrimal, Swan, Kembla and Glebe streets, effectively creating a high-density entranceway at the city's southern limits.
This 10-hectare rectangle is suited to the changes in density because "it will allow for the development of significant landmark buildings to frame the southern gateway entrance to the Wollongong city centre and allow for more efficient utilisation of the land", Warrigal's planning documents say.
The not-for-profit organisation has been trying to build a high-rise seniors complex of serviced apartments on part of the land for the past eight years and been knocked back several times by the council.
Warrigal first bought land on Corrimal and Beach streets in 2006, and developed plans to build a facility made up of a three-storey high-dependency unit and two six-storey serviced apartment buildings.
The 120-bed high-dependency unit was approved after a Land and Environment Court battle with the council in 2010, but the organisation maintained the tall serviced-apartment complex was necessary to make the facility financially viable.
In 2011, it submitted a rezoning proposal to increase height and density on their site, however, this was knocked back by councillors in 2012 due to concerns the height was out of character with the surrounding area.
Councillors were also concerned it flew in the face of the council's future plans to review the zoning of the whole "Wollongong south precinct", which would likely extend north of Swan Street up to Glebe and Ellen streets and west from Corrimal Street to the railway line.
However, according to Warrigal's documents, the council has not committed funding to do this until at least 2015-16, which is why the aged-care provider has stepped in to do its own review. The Warrigal-led review is appropriate, according to the planners, because the council does not have the resources to commit to long-term strategic planning for this area.
The organisation has asked the council to forward its proposal to NSW Planning Minister Pru Goward for consideration, which would then make way for it to proceed to public exhibition and formal consideration by the community and councillors.