The Corrimal community came out in force on Sunday to voice their concerns about plans to build more than 730 homes on the former Corrimal cokeworks site.
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More than 150 people attended the forum organised to update residents on the planned re-zoning and redevelopment of the industrial site, which was the oldest continuous coke-making operation in the world.
In early April Wollongong councillors voted to allow a proposal to rezone the former cokeworks site for 736 homes to progress through the NSW planning system.
However, they warned developers, the Illawarra Coke Company, that much more research would need to be done if final approval was to go ahead.
Councillors expressed traffic, environment and flooding concerns.
Community forum organiser Anne Marret said many residents had expressed similar concerns.
“The traffic is the biggest issue but you can’t separate traffic from pedestrian issues. That’s huge,” she said.
“It’s way too huge at the moment. It’s now more than 730 homes and at the moment [developer Kate Strahorn] she is only planning one access to it, on Railway Street.
“Even if it is half that size there has to be another access space coming in and out of it – maybe a slip-off from Memorial Drive.”
Sunday’s community forum at Corrimal RSL was the second of its kind in recent months.
Ms Marett said over 100 people turned out to the February 18 meeting.
‘’We got an enormous response, we were expecting maybe 20 people to show up,” she said.
“What quickly became apparent was that most people didn’t know about the development until they got our leaflet promoting the community forum.
“But it didn’t take them long to point out all the concerns they had about the proposal.”
Organisers will use feedback from Sunday’s community forum to take along “a properly endorsed community message” to the developer and councillors in the coming weeks.
They have also encouraged community members to make submissions to both Wollongong Council and the state government.
“We want to get on the front foot before it is too late to do anything,’ Ms Marret said.
“We want to work with the owner so that when it is rezoned and eventually comes back to the DA, we’ve had our input, we don’t have to fight any of that.”
She said Illawarra Coke Company director Kate Strahorn had been in contact with the group.
“We are really hoping she will meet with the community. But I expect she won’t until after it goes on public exhibition, which is the norm.”
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
