The Corrimal Coke Works rezoning proposal is one step closer to reality, after Wollongong City Council voted to release the proposal for public exhibition.
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Illawarra Coke Company (ICC) and Legacy Property have welcomed the decision, and took media on a private tour of the derelict industrial site.
Much of the brick work has crumbled, metal panels are filled with rust and many structures are held in place with temporary wires and scaffolds.
Broken glass and bit of buildings that have blown off in the wind litter the ground. Graffiti covers the walls.
ICC Director Kate Strahorn said keeping trespassers and "urban explorers" out of the unsafe site has been a significant cost to the company since the coke works closed in 2014. Patrols, including guard dogs, are a regular night-time occurance.
She hopes the approval to go to public consultation means ICC will be able to transform half of the 18-hectare site into green space for the community, with parks, a dog park and community gardens, while the other half will be the site of 550 new homes.
"It has always been our intention to deliver homes for local families by transforming this derelict industrial site into a vibrant neighbourhood that will deliver key benefits not only to future residents but to the broader Corrimal community," she said.
"Along with environmental rehabilitation and honouring the site's heritage, we are dedicating more than 50 percent of the property to open space and creating a new regional walking and cycling track for everyone to enjoy.
"The Corrimal Coke Works proposal has the capacity to provide much needed homes for families who will, in turn, contribute $30 million in expenditure to the local economy as well as supporting local sporting clubs, schools and community organisations into the future."
Ms Strahorn said she understands the community has concerns about the development.
Her goal for the public consultation period is to address those concerns. There will be a pop-up information station in Corrimal, which will include a scale model of the site.
"We've done extensive work with council, Transport for NSW and RMS, and that has shown only one access point is needed for the site - and that was at 760 residences," she said.
"It's 550 now, so it should be a non-issue. I can see why there's trepidation, but what is required now is fact.
"Now all of our reports can be publically available I think that information will reassure the community."
She said improvements to Memorial Drive would improve access for current and future residents, and there will be a second access point dedicated for emergency vehicles.
"I understand it sounds like a lot of homes, but once you see how vast the space is, it makes sense," Ms Strahorn said.
She said all Wollongong City Councillors had been offered a tour of the site, but not all councillors had accepted that offer.
Some of the homes will be designated affordable housing.
Affordable housing is designed to address the gap in the market between social housing and the private housing market.
It is for low to moderate income earners, who find it difficult to afford housing in the private rental market but earn too much to qualify for social housing.
The eligibility for Affordable Housing tenants is assessed on an annual basis and based on based on proof of household income.
While much of the old coke works is now run-down, some of the original structures will be preserved as part of the development.
Salvageable materials will also be included in a "heritage precinct".
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