The University of Wollongong will build another on-campus multistorey car park in an effort to get the approval for its controversial new accommodation towers across the line.
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According to documents lodged with Wollongong City Council, the university plans to build a new multi-level facility on the university’s existing south-western car park, which is next to one of its two planned accommodation projects.
The parking station would provide a minimum of 270 spaces for on-campus residents, with existing spaces for other students and staff also maintained.
The extra car spaces would service three new buildings projected to house 800 extra undergraduate students in the Kooloobong Village residential precinct.
Additionally, 208 students in the other proposed accommodation tower, along Northfields Avenue, would have access to 35 extra secure parking spaces the existing multistorey car park. The loss of these parks for other staff and students off-set by new spaces being built at the northern edge of the campus.
For several months, the university has resisted a push to provide extra parking for the accommodation blocks from Gwynneville and Keiraville residents, who were worried an influx of new on-campus residents would further clog up their streets with parked cars.
The university had originally proposed just 158 car spaces, or one for every 7.2 students, for both projects.
The council had also raised some concerns about this lack of parking for student residents, and last month, the Joint Regional Planning Panel weighed in.
The planning authority deferred its decision on the Northfields project, directing the university to consider the effects of parking and traffic when combined with the Kooloobong proposal.
The panel also threw out UOW’s proposal to co-opt parking spaces at the Innovation Campus for the development, saying additional spots should be provided on campus.
In a letter of commitment, which went on exhibition on Friday, the university says it will lodge a development application to build a multistorey car park in time for the new students housing to open in 2017.
It has asked that the accommodation blocks be given the go-ahead, with the future occupation of the towers conditional on the car park being complete.
The car park would bump the total number of spaces for the Northfields Avenue and Kooloobong residents up to 339, which provides a ratio of one space for every 2.96 students living in the new blocks.
In addition to these parking commitments, vice-chancellor Paul Wellings has written to the council’s general manager David Farmer asking that both organisations work together to develop a campus master plan.
He said this should not be a ‘‘prescriptive’’ planning document, but should examine the way the institution interacts with the rest of the city.
‘‘The appropriate master plan is a strategic document guiding the university’s physical growth and development which is able to respond to longer terms emergent issues and opportunities,’’ Prof Wellings said.
He also reaffirmed the university’s commitment to an access and transport study for Keiraville and Gwynneville.
Residents of the suburbs surrounding the university have been calling for the transport study and the council will commit $100,000 towards the project.
The revised parking commitments areon the council’s website until July 1.
