Planning Proposal - Reclassification of Council's Land Associated with Stewart Street East Carpark

Find out what's proposed for the Stewart Street East carpark

Council is inviting community feedback on a Planning Proposal to reclassify two Council‑owned properties at 135 Corrimal Street and 13 Stewart Street, Wollongong from Community Land to Operational Land to support access to the Stewart Street East Carpark.

This follows a Council resolution made on 15 December 2025 and a Gateway Determination from the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure on 16 February 2026, allowing the proposal to proceed to public exhibition. The planning proposal is open for community feedback from 3 March to 31 March 2026.

Definitions:

Community land includes spaces we all use and enjoy, such as parks, playgrounds, sports fields and natural areas. These places are managed through a Plan of Management, which sets out how they can be used and cared for. Council currently manages around 1,674 hectares of Community land. This land can’t be sold or leased long‑term unless it is reclassified as Operational land through a Planning Proposal.

Operational land is land used for the day-to-day functions of a Council and may or may not be open to the general public. An example this is a works depot or Council garage. Operational land gives Council more flexibility in how the land can be used. It may support activities such as commercial, residential or other operational purposes. Council currently owns about 448 hectares of land classified as Operational.

What is being recommended?

The Planning Proposal seeks to update the Wollongong Local Environmental Plan 2009 (Schedule 4), so these two sites are correctly classified as Operational Land. Council originally purchased the properties in 1996 and 2000.

• 13 Stewart Street currently provides the main vehicle entry and exit for the carpark, which is also used during major events.
• 135 Corrimal Street is currently leased to a community organisation.

A recent review of Council‑owned land found that these properties were not classified as Operational land, even though they have long been used for operational purposes. The existing Community land classification limits options such as long‑term leasing, commercial arrangements and development.

Reclassifying the land will ensure it can continue to support both current operations and future planning needs for the area.

Public hearing:

After the exhibition finishes, a public hearing will be held. This hearing will give the community an opportunity to learn more about the review recommendations in relation to the changes proposed to the classification of public land.

We will notify everyone who has provided feedback on this exhibition of the public hearing details. This will also be published as a newsfeed on this page.