Wollongong councillors hope to convince the NSW Government to hand back large swathes of valuable land on the Lake Illawarra foreshore for just $1.
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At Monday night’s council meeting, independent councillor Dom Figliomeni flagged the bargain sale plan, raising concerns about the health of the lake.
He highlighted the disjointed state of Lake Illawarra foreshore ownership since the state disbanded its Lake Illawarra Authority (LIA), asking council staff to prepare a confidential briefing on the possibility of getting land which was commandeered by the government in 2014 transferred back to Wollongong council for $1.
When the government scrapped the LIA, the lands department took responsibility for Berkeley Harbour, Yallah Bay, works and infrastructure around the lake entrance, private foreshore structures and public jetties, wharves and boat ramps
The government’s property arm took control over the developable waterfront areas along King Street at Warrawong, including the Kully Bay wetlands and the open space along Northcliffe Drive.
It has considered the development of residential, commercial or retail sites on this high value land.
Meantime, the LIA break-up saw Wollongong council saddled with long list of other, more costly, parts of the lake foreshore.
Cr Figliomeni said action over the lake lands was necessary as there was no longer “synchonisation” between the various governing bodies responsible for water quality and monitoring – activities which needed to have their funding assured to keep the lake in good health.
“I suggest in order to fund this, the land that is currently held by the NSW Government within the Wollongong LGA, is transferred to Wollongong council and the funds generated are [dedicated] for the future management of the lake,” Cr Figliomeni said.
Labor councillor Janice Kershaw supported his motion, describing LIA scrapping as “another fight we lost” and expressing her disappointment state “wanted to give us all the really bad bits, and wanted to keep the really good bits and do major motel developments on it”.
Labor’s Vicky King remarked that $1 was too much for the council to pay, as she thought the land should be handed back for free.
“This present government [thinks] they can rip this bloody town off,” she said.
“They’ve taken the bus, they’ve taken our land around Lake Illawarra… We should be given our land back”
Councillors voted unanimously to receive a confidential briefing on the land transfer proposal and Lake Illawarra funding.
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.
