UCI Wollongong accommodation boosted with 'glamping' plan for Vikings rugby oval

There would be 60 luxury tents, showers, a laundry service for clean linen, and food trucks under the Development Application (DA) on show at Wollongong City Council.

But the proposal may risk becoming the Illawarra's own version of the Splendour in the Grass mudbath, as the low-lying area along Swan St may the most regularly flooded part of Wollongong city.

With an estimated 35,000 people coming for the September event, the DA cites Destination Wollongong predictions of a bed shortage and athletes being forced to stay in Sydney.

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"With homeowners encouraged to AirBnB their properties, accommodation is reaching beyond premium prices resulting in a shortage of affordable accommodation," it says.

The race route goes along Corrimal St, past the proposed "glamping" - glamour camping - village.

Vikings former board member Toby Dawson said the plan developed from an idea to set up a UCI "live site" with food facilities and bike storage so people could gather to watch the action.

"As tenants of a community asset, our board has made a decision that we want it to be used for 12 months of the year - so we have been actively looking at ways to use our facilities outside the traditional football season," he said.

The council had warned about the risk of flooding, and said the plan must be cancelled if there is heavy rainfall.

"We're acutely aware of the impacts and the effects on our ground of serious extended water or extreme short periods of water inundation," Mr Dawson said.

"We are engaging with the Bureau of Meteorology and the SES in the leadup to the event so we know what the forecast is going to be. We won't have people floating away on their glamping beds; we'll make sure that every precaution is made in the leadup to the event and if decisions have to be made for patrons' safety, and protection of the grounds ... we may have to make this tough decision.

"But we've been managing these grounds for 50 years - we understand the water flow."