Wollongong City Council is planning to sell off five public parks in an effort to rake in $3.5 million.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Next week, councillors have been asked to approve the rezoning of blocks in Corrimal, Dapto, Bulli, Bellambi and Mount Ousley to make way for their future sale and housing developments.
The blocks, located in suburban streets, were given to the council as “public garden and recreation space” in the 1950s and 60s.
However, council staff say they are now considered “surplus” land which are “largely unused by the general public”, and could be used to generate income of about $3.5 million.
For instance, at Range Place in Bulli, a 1682sqm block given to the council in 1962 could be divided into two lots and auctioned, a report to councillors said.
Staff noted there had been some concern from residents in the cul-de-sac that developing the park could increase traffic, but said this issue could be addressed in a future development application.
“There was also a lot of interest received in purchasing the land,” the council said.
At 26 Park Road, in Bellambi, the council is proposing to sell a flood prone park created in 1956 by classifying it as operational land.
The council notes the park is located in an area deemed a medium flood risk, and has noted concerns from neighbours that developing the land could increase flooding on their property.
However, the staff report says these issues could be resolved at a later stage.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said he was supportive of the land rezoning and subsequent sale of the blocks, as it would free up maintenance staff to look after other areas.
“We have about 420-odd parks and ovals throughout the city, and it means we don’t have staff running around maintaining these small pockets,” he said.
“If they’re sold, it gives the opportunity for someone else to look after them.
“I’m quite happy for them to be sold on, and then the proceeds can be applied to other areas.”
While he noted selling five small blocks would not “make a big dint in the housing affordability crisis”, Cr Bradbery said filling in extra land in the northern suburbs had been estimated to be able to provide another 5000 homes.
He said the council, as part of a review in the last term, had been looking to formalise “residual blocks” which were costing the city money.
“It’s just tidying up all these little fragments of land all over the city but I’m not anticipating a lot more of this will go on,” he said.
The other affected lots, to be debated on Monday, are at 18 Stanbrook Avenue, Mount Ousley, Baringa Place in Dapto and Bloomfield Avenue Park, Corrimal.
The Mount Ousley block was handed to council around 1962, and is currently used by Vodafone and the NBN, which have infrastructure on the land.
Baringa Place in Dapto is proposed to be reclassified so it can be jointly purchased by adjoining land owners, who approached the council as they are concerned about illegal activities and loitering.
The 1157sqm block which forms part of Bloomfield Avenue Park is in a high flood risk precinct, and runs behind five properties on Lyndon Avenue.
The five land owners have approached the council and hope to subdivide the park, if it is reclassified, to add the land to their properties.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
