It’s been two months since the opening of GPT’s landmark Wollongong Central expansion, and development in the city centre is still on the rise.
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The population of the CBD will double in the next two-and-a-half years, according to Wollongong City Council projections, thanks to the large number of new apartments being built or planned.
The council’s economic development manager Mark Grimson said GPT’s completion, along with the end of the mall refurbishment, had marked a milestone. However, he was adamant there would be much more growth in the next few years.
‘‘It’s fair to say that the opening of GPT was a major milestone for our city – it was a long time in the making and has certainly added a new dimension to the CBD,’’ he said.
‘‘But the revitalisation of a city is a journey, it never really ends – and obviously the residential developments that are currently under way will add a new element to our city.’’
In the commercial and mixed-use zones that stretch west from WIN Entertainment to Gladstone Avenue and north from McCabe Park to Smith Street, the population will rise by 97per cent from 2935 to 5793, Mr Grimson said.
These extra residents will live in complexes like the Vantage Apartments, the Oxford on Crown, the five new apartment buildings being built on the former Dwyers site or in one of the many new high-rise buildings still in the planning stages.
‘‘A lot of these are either under construction or approved, so we’d expect them to come on board in the next two-and-a-half years,’’ Mr Grimson said.
This influx of new residential developments meant the city was a long way off having too many restaurants and bars, despite an extra 32 small venues opening in the past two years, he said.
‘‘I think we’re a fair way off [having too many venues] and, talking to agents, the Oxford on Crown, for instance, is pretty much sold, so it would appear at the moment that there’s plenty of demand,’’ he said.
‘‘In fact, what we’re seeing is that there’s probably been that pent-up demand and you’ve got more restaurants, cafes and small bars and that’s where people want to be.
‘‘Not everyone wants to live in the traditional three or four bedroom house in the suburbs any more – they want the hustle and bustle of a city and to spend time in these cafes and bars.’’
