The transformation of lower Crown Street Mall into a high-rise business precinct is set to continue, after developers have revealed plans for another 11-storey office block in the area.
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In plans with Wollongong City Council, a development company named Triple One Crown has lodged a proposal for an office building with ground floor retail space and basement parking.
If approved, it will be built in place of the 1970s office building which houses Nikolovski Lawyers and the late 19th to early 20th century "Kembla Chambers" shopfront between 111 to 119 Crown Street.
The Kembla Chambers shopfront will be reconstructed, according to the development plans.
The proposed building is next door to Langs Corner, which is currently being demolished to make way for an 11-storey complex at the corner of Kembla Street and the mall.
Once home to music venues Yours and Owls and Rad Bar, the redevelopment of Langs Corner sparked a backlash in 2017, with more than 500 people opposing the plan.
The project was given approval to go ahead last year, under the condition the developers keep the heritage facade of the old building.
Demolition on that site is now underway, with the new office block slated for completion in 2020.
A heritage impact statement for the Kembla Chambers proposal, on exhibition through Wollongong council, says the new proposal will enhance the streetscape in lower Crown Street Mall.
The building will have a "podium" style design with two-and-three-storey levels facing Crown Street, with the 11-storey building rising from the top of these levels.
"The podium level has been designed to respect the height and scale of the Crown Street and Simpson Place streetscapes, with the 11-storey tower element setback to minimise impact," the heritage statement says.
The heritage plan - prepared by Paul Davies Pty Ltd, the same architecture firm which designed the approved Langs Corner redevelopment - also says Lois Lane, which connects the mall to Simpson Place, will be kept as part of the design to provide an important pedestrian link through the area.
The site neighbours several heritage items, including the Royal Bank building, built in 1911, St Andrews Chruch, and the 1882-built Wesley Uniting Church.
"Though the site itself is neither heritage listed nor of heritage significance, it is part of the pedestrianised section of Crown Street, the main street of Wollongong, and can be considered to be a visually important site within this streetscape context," the heritage impact consultant says.
The Kembla Chambers plan will be on exhibition until December 4.