The Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) met in Wollongong to sign off the university’s $71.4 million Kooloobong complex which will house more than 800 students in three buildings.

They also approved an $7.9 million multi-storey car park next to the residential site, which will provide 359 spaces. The university was directed to find 150 alternative parking spaces for staff during construction of the car park, and confirmed it was already in talks with TAFE to use spaces on the other side of the M1 Freeway.

UOW’s chief administrative officer Melva Crouch welcomed the approvals, and said she anticipated both projects would be constructed in time for the 2018 academic year. 

“This is going to be a wonderful thing for the university, our reputation and the students who actually live there,” she said. “Having good student accommodation has been proven in a number of studies to actually produce better academic performance.”

At the meeting, residents made a last ditch effort to object to the plans, raising long-held concerns about the effects of more students living on campus.

Campaigners also said they believed the university should no longer be exempt from paying developer contributions, as truck movements during construction would cause damage to roads and footpaths. However, JRPP chair Pam Allan said changing these contributions was not within the panel’s scope.

Ms Crouch said the university was committed to making sure the campus and its surrounds remained “green and attractive”, and repeated her earlier commitment to funding a traffic study for the area. 

She said a master plan, which will govern future development at the university, was “well underway”, with community consultation to begin early next year.

The accommodation overhaul includes a post-graduate block at the eastern end of Northfields Avenue, taking the total precinct value to more than $110 million.

The post-graduate buildings are already under construction after being approved in July.