Thirroul residents awoke to an unusual sight on Saturday morning, with more than a hundred white protest signs poking out of the ground at WF Jackson Park along Lawrence Hargrave Drive.
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Resident Stephen Le Bas, who was up at 4am hammering in the signs, said the installation was a silent protest against the massive Thirroul Plaza development plans.
"We wanted to hold a community meeting in this park, but we couldn't do that with COVID, so it's silent protest," he said.
We wanted to hold a community meeting in this park, but we couldn't do that with COVID, so it's silent protest. It's essentially a collection of the voices which can not be heard.
- Stephen Le Bas
"The placards all contain quotes from the community, taken from social media sites and the NSW Planning Alerts. So it's essentially a collection of the voices which can not be heard."
If approved by state planning authorities, the development would see a three-storey complex of 82 apartments, shops and a major supermarket built in place of the ageing Thirroul Plaza.
The $60 million plans emerged in May, and immediately caused a stir among residents, who feared the large number of apartments badly affect the already congested town's traffic as well as the live music at nearby pubs and venues.
With another Thirroul resident Louise Wellington, Mr Le Bas runs a group called Thirroul Community for a Sustainable Town Centre, which was set up to oppose the plaza development plans.
The pair scoured social media to find some of the prominent messages about the development to create their placards.
"They say things like 'A group of developers do not get to decide the future of our town' and 'let the plaza be something new and vibrant'," Mr Le Bas said.
The plans have been criticised by Wollongong council and Transport for NSW, with developers asked to resubmit their proposal for further assessment. It will eventually be considered by the state's Joint Regional Planning Panel due to the size and cost of the plans.
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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.
