Fears persist for Thirroul over plaza development

The developer, Thirroul Plaza Pty Ltd, has been working on modifying its plans after being told by Wollongong City Council to withdraw or face rejection.

But documents obtained from council under freedom of information laws by residents from the Save Thirroul Village group, indicate the extent to which the village streetscape will be changed.

Read more: Council busy not listening to advice on Thirroul traffic

Critics say the four lanes and clearways would not prevent congestion, as the road immediately becomes single-lane again to the immediate north and south.

"Save Thirroul Village, and the residents of Thirroul, are still very concerned about the loss of virtually all street parking in Lawrence Hargrave Dr in Thirroul town centre and King St," spokesman Stephen Le Bas said.

"This will severely compromises the amenity of Thirroul and potentially the viability of small local business that rely on passing traffic stopping and popping into local shops and cafes.

"This will impact the amenity of the medical precinct in King St where locals can currently easily stop and go to the doctors, dentist, chemist. The presence of bollards and chains in the heart of the village is neither desirable nor popular with residents at all."

The developer said there would be extra car parking within the new site.

"We have worked with RMS [Roads and Maritime Services] and council to find a solution to provide streamlined and reduced traffic times in the Thirroul Plaza area," a spokesperson said.

"The proposal to include a fourth lane aims to deliver this along with the introduction of traffic lights. As part of the changes, the loss of some on-street parking has occurred along with the relocation of the bus stop.

"This new design also includes additional on-street parking in King St. As per council's request, Thirroul Plaza will also provide additional car parking within the new development to cater for any loss of on-street parking.

"This proposed design was approved by RMS."

The documents show RMS would support the developers' preferred option if a series of concerns were addressed. These include modifying a pedestrian refuge to discourage pedestrians from using it as a "two-stage" crossing across Lawrence Hargrave Drive, "restricting" the right turn out of McCauley St for safety reasons, and extending plans to better show lane markings.

RMS also forwarded another option for consideration, a new public road extending north from Raymond Rd through the plaza.

We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.