700 homes, shops and parklands proposed for Corrimal Coke Works site

Corrimal Coke Works when it was operating before 2014. PHOTO: Warren & Diana Ackary

THE rezoning process for the former Corrimal Coke Works site has got underway, with Wollongong City Council resolving to submit a draft Planning Proposal to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment for a Gateway determination to enable public exhibition.

The Illawarra Coke Company is proposing to rezone the 18 hectare property residential development and parkland. The company submitted a rezoning proposal last October seeking to develop up to 700 homes on the land which has been vacant since the coke works closed in 2014.

Under the proposal, 11 hectares would become medium density residential land, while a large portion of the site would be green space, including parks, walking trails and cycleways.

Other proposed features include local shops, cafes, childcare centres and a new plaza adjacent to Corrimal Rail Station.

An aerial view of the Corrimal Coke Works site. Photo: Google.

In February, the ICC surrendered its pollution licence to the Environment Protection Authority which also found no immediate land rehabilitation was considered necessary at this point.

Council has agreed that the site is no longer appropriate for heavy industrial development and a residential outcome is more appropriate. Council has requested dditional studies be prepared and investigations undertaken to confirm the suitability of the site for residential development.

The proponent must also develop a site-specific DCP Chapter, demonstrate design excellence and meet Council’s resolution to include a five per cent Affordable Rental Housing target to support a mixed and balanced future community.

“This is a significant site and Council’s decision to submit the draft Planning Proposal to the Department is the first step in a long process,’’ Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said.

“I want to be clear, this is not permission to build on the site. This simply allows further investigations to start about whether or not residential development is appropriate for this site and the form it should take.  Flooding and access arrangements are significant issues that require further exploration.

“I encourage everyone to read the report that was considered by Council, which is available on our website, and the adopted recommendations from it, to get the full picture of the extensive process that is being worked through.”

The Railway Street front gates of Corrimal Coke Works. Photo: Google Streetview.