Why does Corrimal need a Town Centre Plan?

    The intent of the Corrimal Town Centre Plan is to provide strategic guidance on the future of Corrimal Town Centre for business, residents and community groups, to test the relevancy of current planning controls and set priorities for infrastructure investment.

    Through Council's Land Use Planning team, the Council has programmed a number of planning studies and master plans for town centres across the Wollongong Local Government Area.  Priorities are set through our Annual Planning cycle.  Council have most recently completed town centre plans for Warrawong, Figtree and Unanderra in 2013.

    Who has contributed to the Plan?

    This plan was developed in partnership with planning and urban design consultants Architectus. The Corrimal Revitalisation Action Group (CRAG), made up of representatives of the Corrimal Chamber of Commerce, Neighbourhood Forum 4, and interested community members, have made a large contribution to this plan. Members of the community also contributed to this plan by providing feedback through Council’s engagement activities, including at Spring into Corrimal 2014 and filling out surveys organised by the CRAG group.

    How can I find out more information and have my say about the Plan?

    You can view hardcopies of the Plan at Corrimal, Wollongong and Thirroul libraries during library hours, or at Council's Customer Service Centre.

    Council staff will be hosting an information kiosk at Memorial Park (near the playground) on Saturday 15 August 9am - 4pm.

    Let us know what you think by:
    Please quote ESP-100.03.010 in your submission.

    Please note that submissions become public documents and may be viewed by other persons on request. Please call (02) 4227 7111 or read our privacy information or if you are legally required to disclose a reportable political donation or gift.

    Why are some of the project ideas only temporary solutions?

    Temporary interventions are being delivered across Australia and the world, successfully inspiring change in public spaces.  Cheaper than large infrastructure projects and reversible, temporary projects can change people’s perceptions of a place and bring about change in a short space of time.

    Temporary projects can be 'one off' and can act as a pilot to test whether an idea would be successful on the street in the long term. 

    Is safety and security a consideration in the plan?

    Delivering a town centre that is safe and welcoming to all is important to everyone and is an important consideration of the Draft Corrimal Town Centre Plan. There are a range of varying factors which come together to influence safety and perceptions of safety, and we all have a role in contributing to safety.

    A thriving town centre with well-designed and maintained spaces and strong connections brings people and energy to the street day and night.  When we invite a diversity of people to a place to shop or interact; a town square to meet with friends; a sports field to kick around a ball with friends; a green park for picnicking in; or the street to eat and enjoy company, we create a safe and vibrant town centre.

    What support will Council give to business owners in improving their shopfronts?

    The draft Corrimal Town Centre Plan does not commit to financial incentives for shopfront upgrades. 

    Council welcomes feedback from business and land owners with regard to what incentives may allow for, or trigger investment for improvements to shopfronts and the appearance of the town centre. This feedback can inform the development of an Implementation Strategy which will identify future budget spending and capital investment by Council.

    Will Corrimal end up full of highrise buildings that block escarpment views?

    To inform the draft Plan, Council developed a 3D model which demonstrates how buildings along the Princes Highway will interact with view lines from Memorial Park.  This 3D model will be used to make informed decisions into the future on how development will impact on views and whether impacts can be minimised through architectural design solutions.

    Any change to the building heights allowed in the Corrimal Town Centre will need to be informed by the Towradgi Creek Floodplain Risk Management Plan and detailed consultation.

    What is Gehl methodology and why was it used for pedestrian and traffic counts?

    By putting people first in the planning process, the Gehl methodology is centred on crafting animated, attractive, sustainable and safe places, and key to the methodology is understanding that high quality streets and places are critical to delivering high quality places.  Collecting key data about the quality of spaces, building frontages and by counting and observing people in the street, the Gehl methodology is renowned for converting high level liveability aspirations to on the ground change.

    Gehl has worked in cities including Melbourne, Adelaide, New York and Copenhagen and Council has partnered with Gehl Architects on the Wollongong Public Spaces Public Life - a detailed analysis of the Wollongong City Centre.  The methodology learnt from this process has been used to inform the development of the Corrimal Town Centre Plan.

    How can we consider developing Corrimal when it's prone to heavy flooding?

    Council has a range of planning controls which guide development on land which is flood prone.  These controls remain applicable in Corrimal.

    Informed by the Towradgi Creek Flood Study, a Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan will be prepared.  This work will review risk levels of flood affected land and explore how best to manage flooding risks in the catchment.  This work will explore a variety of options for flood risk mitigation in the North Corrimal Creek sub-catchment, with possible options including engineering works, infrastructure improvements and changes to planning controls on lands included in the Corrimal Town Centre Plan study area.

    Until this work has been completed, the current planning controls guiding development in flood prone lane remain in place.

    What happens after this exhibition has closed?

    All the feedback we receive during the exhibition period will be analysed and used to make refinements to the draft Plan, before it is reported to Council for endorsement later this year.