Planning Proposal – Wollongong Council Land and Property Review

Help shape the future of Council-owned land in our community

As part of the development and adoption of the Wollongong Housing Strategy 2023, Council identified that a number of Council‑owned public reserves were incorrectly zoned R2 Low Density Residential instead of RE1 Public Recreation, C2 Environmental Conservation, or C3 Environmental Management. This mis‑zoning currently results in these reserves being included in residential housing development data, which over‑estimates the availability and vacancy of residential land in the Wollongong Local Government Area and affects calculations of available open space. In response, Council committed in 2023 to review all Council‑owned public reserves to ensure these important community spaces are protected for their intended recreation and conservation purposes, and to determine whether any locations may also support future housing or other community needs.

A thorough and strategic assessment has now been completed for all Council‑owned land that is zoned (or partly zoned) R2 Low Density Residential - a total of 477 properties, and R3 Medium Density Residential, covering 23 properties.

On 26 May 2025, Council resolved to prepare a Planning Proposal to implement the review’s recommendations and to publicly exhibit all related documents. A Gateway Determination was granted on 12 December 2025 from the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, allowing for public exhibition. The planning proposal will be open for community feedback from 17 February to 31 March 2026.

Review of Council-owned public reserves:

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 the review identified:

1. Most properties need zoning updated to match their real purpose (see the Council Report).
   • More than half of the properties reviewed are zoned in a way that doesn’t reflect how they are actually used. These sites should be rezoned for public recreation (RE1 Public Recreation) so they can be protected as community open space into the future.
   • A smaller number of sites were found to be better suited to environmental protection and are proposed to be rezoned to C2 Environmental Conservation or C3 Environmental Management. These sites would also be given a Community land classification to reinforce their protection.
2. Council land suitable for reclassification
   • The review identified eleven (11) Council‑owned sites that are not needed for recreation, conservation or other community purposes. These sites may be suitable for a development zoning and an Operational land classification.
3. Non-Council owned sites needing updated planning controls
   • The review also found five (5) privately owned properties where the existing planning controls should be updated to reflect ownership or to enable transfer to Council.

What reclassifications are being proposed:

Council proposes to reclassify eleven (11) properties not required for a recreation, conservation or community purpose and that are appropriate for a development zone and Operational land classification.

Details of each of the properties and the reason for their proposed reclassification are contained in information sheets which can be viewed by clicking on the link below for each site:

Council is proposing to correct some long‑standing mapping errors in the Wollongong Local Environmental Plan 2009. This involves updating the zoning of a few privately owned properties that sit along the edges of local reserves. Two (2) properties would change from part RE1 Public Recreation to R2 Low Density Residential, and one (1) would change from part RE1 Public Recreation to R1 General Residential, so that the zoning accurately reflects how the land is actually used.

In addition, Council is proposing to rezone two (2) properties owned by Homes NSW from R2 Low Density Residential to RE1 Public Recreation and classify them as Community land. This will allow Council to receive these properties so that a heritage fig tree on the site can be protected for the community into the future.

Details of each of the properties and the reason for their proposed rezoning are contained in the document which can be viewed by clicking on the link below:

• Point Street Bulli; Blackett Street/Cliff Road, North Wollongong; Galong Crescent, Koonawarra; Grand View Parade, Lake Heights (2 properties).

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.