The developers behind the Tallawarra Lands housing estate have asked NSW Planning to allow hundreds of extra homes to be built on the shores of Lake Illawarra.
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The Sydney-based Bridgehill Group are hoping to bump up residential lots on the old power station land by 46 per cent – increasing the number of houses from 1010 to 1480.
According to documents lodged by Cardno, Bridgehill is proposing to make a number of significant changes to a concept plan for the southern Dapto site approved in 2013.
The site is split into three precincts – the North Shore, which connects to Koonawarra; Central, which links up with Mount Brown; and the Lakeside precinct which links to Yallah Bay and was proposed to have 350 homes as well as a 200-home retirement village and a school.
The developers note Lakeside is not expected to be developed “in the foreseeable future”, as it is “proposed to be retained within Energy Australia ownership whilst contamination issues associated with the previous Tallawarra Coal Fired Power Station are completed”.
They say this means the overall site has had a “reduction of developable land”, at the same time as a “significant increase” in the demand for new housing lots in the Illawarra.
“This increased demand is especially strong for small lot sizes that support townhouse and attached dwelling housing type,” their application says.
“The site is well located for higher density development, due to the proximity to open space, services and the region’s major centres, Wollongong and Shellharbour.”
To meet this demand, Bridgehill have proposed increasing the amount of residential zoned land in the North Shore and Central precincts, and asked for permission to make lot sizes smaller in these areas.
This will allow for the development of townhouses and other attached dwellings, they said.
Bridgehill is the second major Illawarra developer to ask for permission to increase the density of homes in its development in recent months.
Also under consideration is a request from Calderwood developers Lend Lease to put up to 7000 homes on the land where 4800 dwellings are already approved.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said the developers were responding to a policy shift from the state government, which is trying to improve housing affordability by making it easier to build different types of homes.
However, he said the increasing density – and therefore population – could pose a challenge for the council, which would need to pay for extra infrastructure.
“The implications are mainly for the M1 and access on and off the motorway,” he said.
“We’ve got the Albion Park Rail bypass going through and we’re concerned about all the interconnectivity that’s required there.
He said the growing number of homes in what’s known as the West Lake Illawarra area according to NSW Government plans was creating “pinch points” along the motorway.
“At the present time the M1 is very congested, especially in that area – so as far as I’m concerned this proposal will certainly make an impact,” Cr Bradbery said.
The new Tallawarra proposal is open for public comment until July 24.
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.
