Planning Proposal – Preliminary Notification – Irvine Street, Gwynneville precinct
Consultation has concluded
To assist Council in its initial assessment of a Planning Proposal request, Council is seeking preliminary landowner / community input. Council has received a Planning Proposal request from Homes NSW(External link) seeking to amend the planning controls that apply to the Irvine Street, Gwynneville precinct which is bounded by Irvine Street, Madoline Street, Wollongong Botanic Garden and Murphy Avenue, as shown on the map:
Homes NSW is a division within the Department of Communities and Justice responsible for delivering, managing and maintaining social housing across New South Wales.
As part of its work to address the housing crisis and deliver more new social and affordable homes in the Illawarra, Homes NSW is investigating suitability of the Gwynneville precinct for housing renewal and increased density.
Located close to existing public transport, services, Wollongong University and the Botanic Gardens, the Gwynneville precinct has been identified as an area capable of supporting more social, affordable and diverse housing supply to meet Wollongong’s urgent need for housing, that better meets the needs of residents and the community.
Planning for any housing renewal project is done in collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders and the community. Homes NSW will work closely with the City of Wollongong, University of Wollongong, the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council, social housing residents, property owners, stakeholder groups, businesses and the community to investigate and implement the renewal of the Gwynneville precinct.
Planning Proposal request
Homes NSW is seeking to renew its housing stock within the Gwynneville precinct to better serve the needs of its tenants, and to increase the number of social, affordable and diverse (private market, seniors, student accommodation and key worker) dwellings within the precinct.
Of the 131 lots within the Gwynneville precinct, Homes NSW owns 75 lots containing 79 dwellings and the remaining lots are privately owned. The Planning Proposal applies to all lots within the precinct.
The submitted Planning Proposal request, proposes:
- Rezoning most of the precinct from R2 Low Density Residential to R4 High Density Residential (excluding some lots fronting Murphys Avenue and lots proposed to be zoned RE1 Public Recreation)
- Rezoning part of the precinct from R2 Low Density Residential to RE1 Public Recreation – increasing the amount of open space from 0.83ha to 1.22ha
- Retaining the existing 0.5:1 floor space ratio (FSR) FSR and 9m Building Height standard as base controls
- Dividing the precinct into 17 key development sites, where a bonus provision to encourage consolidation will increase the height to between 15-22m (3-6storeys), and FSR to between 0.6:1 to 1.8:1 is proposed, with a requirement to provide 50% social and affordable housing, and open space withing each development site.
Homes NSW estimates that the changes to the planning controls would enable the construction of 1,250 dwellings, with 50% (625 dwellings) being proposed as social and affordable homes and 50% market housing.
To achieve the proposed development sites, existing lots will be required to be amalgamated into one of 17 development sites of between 1,330m2 and 6,200m2 in area. The Key Sites maps in the Planning Proposal request shows the proposed development sites / amalgamation pattern.
The submitted concept plan, documents and reports can be viewed in the Documents.
A project outline is also available on the Homes NSW website(External link).
This preliminary notification is the first step in a comprehensive rezoning process and will assist Council in its initial assessment of the proposal. If Council resolves to prepare a Planning Proposal and it is supported by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, then a formal exhibition / consultation process will occur towards the end of 2024 or early 2025. If the planning controls are changed, further consultation will occur through the Development Application process for individual development applications.
Please submit any comments to Council by 30 August 2024, by:
- Completing the online form
- Emailing records@wollongong.nsw.gov.au(External link) (External link) (External link)
- Writing to Wollongong City Council, Locked Bag 8821 WOLLONGONG DC NSW 2500
Any submissions become public documents and may be viewed by other persons on request. Please read Council's Privacy Policy(External link) before submitting your feedback.
Homes NSW and Council recognise that through renewal comes change, and that this impacts people and existing communities. Any questions concerning the effect on individual tenancies should be referred to Homes NSW at: communityengagement@homes.nsw.gov.au(External link)
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(External link). If you need an interpreter, you can contact us through the Translating and Interpreting Service(External link) on 131 450. You’ll need to provide our phone number 02 4227 7111 for either service.