A City For People | Wollongong City Centre Planning Review

We are inviting the community to share feedback on the Wollongong City Centre Planning Review which includes a Planning Proposal, draft Development Control Plan chapter and changes to the City-Wide Development Contributions Plan.

On 27 October 2025, Council endorsed the public exhibition of the proposed planning updates. A Gateway Determination from the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure was issued on 16 March 2026, allowing the proposal to proceed to community exhibition.

Proposed Changes

To make it easier to understand the proposed changes as part of this Planning Proposal, we've created a summary document of proposed changes for more details about the amendments for all three plans.

Planning Proposal to amend the Wollongong Local Environmental Plan 2009

The Planning Proposal would update the Wollongong Local Environmental Plan 2009 to:

• Protect and strengthen employment and commercial activity by refining E2 and MU1 zone boundaries, preventing loss of employment floor space, adjusting ground‑floor use requirements, and clarifying floor space ratio controls.
• Improve design quality and development controls through updates to design excellence provisions, heights and FSR maps, building separation, site width, street frontage, and sun‑plane protection controls.
• Support strategic development and planning accuracy by introducing incentives for tourism and entertainment uses, updating heritage listings, and modernising planning maps, land reservations, biodiversity mapping, and savings provisions.

These changes aim to better balance employment, housing, design quality and public amenity in the City Centre.

Draft changes to Chapter D13 of the Wollongong Development Control Plan

A revised Chapter D13 – Wollongong City Centre is proposed to replace the current chapter. It provides clearer, more detailed guidance for development applications and includes:

• Updated City Centre precincts and key sites.
• New controls for urban design, built form, public spaces and environmental performance.
• Stronger requirements for good design, solar access, wind, heritage and streetscape quality.
• New sustainability requirements, including a staged transition to fully electric buildings.

Draft updates to the Wollongong City-Wide Development Contributions Plan

Proposed changes would:

• Encourage new commercial development by reducing contributions for some employment uses.
• Allow large commercial office developments to defer payment of contributions until occupation.

To find out more:

• Review the Document Library
• Read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Chat to us in-person:
  • Let's Talk Wollongong Pop Up on Friday 8 May 2026 9am- 12pm at the Crown Street Markets, Wollongong
  • Wollongong Library on Thursday 18 June 2026 5 - 7pm in the Library Theatrette, 41 Burelli Street, Wollongong
• Call us on 4227 7111 to chat to our Land Use Planning team
• You can also view the suite of documents at Wollongong City library during library hours and at Council’s Customer Service Centre, Ground Floor Administration Building, 41 Burelli Street Wollongong, between 9am and 5pm weekdays

Share your thoughts by:

• Completing the online feedback form
• Emailing council@wollongong.nsw.gov.au
• Writing to The General Manager, Wollongong City Council, Locked Bag 8821 WOLLONGONG DC NSW 2500

Accessibility and language assistance

If you’re d/Deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech or language difficulty, you can contact us through the National Relay Service. If you need an interpreter, you can contact us through the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450. You’ll need to provide our phone number 02 4227 7111 for either service.