AS demolition work begins on the former Corrimal Coke Works site, Legacy Property has announced the proposed 550-home residential redevelopment on Railway Street will be named ‘The Works’.

Situated on 18ha of land, the development will incorporate a variety of landscapes, precincts, and housing types, including five, four-storey apartment buildings. The 181 apartments will be located at the northern end of the site.

Legacy Property joined Illawarra Coke Company for stage one of the development that has a $75-million capital investment value. There would also be a new road, 2761sq m of private open space and 3630sq m of publicly accessible space.

Works will become Wollongong’s first 5-Star Green Star rated community with certification awarded by the Green Building Council of Australia.

Green Star Communities promote environmental and social sustainability outcomes and are rated on governance, liveability, economic prosperity, environment, and innovation. The aim is to deliver safe, accessible, and culturally rich communities that, through careful planning, design, and construction, provide broad-ranging public benefits while reducing ecological impacts.

Legacy Property Senior Project Director Steve Ball said The Works was designed with sustainability at the forefront of all decisions with the site needing to meet rigorous criteria for sustainable design, construction and operation as well as creating a healthy place for people in order to be awarded the prestigious rating.

“From the start we have always believed the strongest communities are made of diverse people, places, stories and experiences, and we have sought to incorporate those ideals into our vision for The Works,” he said.

“One of the key principles of the Green Star rating tool is to enhance liveability by delivering safe, accessible, and culturally rich communities with tangible positive outcomes and the awarding of a 5-Star rating indicates we are delivering on our promise to the people of Corrimal.

“When complete, The Works will deliver a healthy and active lifestyle through the provision of active transport options, recreational facilities, and public open spaces. The extensive retention and planting of trees, biodiversity enhancement, community gardens, water sensitive urban design water quality improvements, conservation of local flora and fauna, use of responsibly sourced materials, re-using building materials, and waste recycling will all contribute to our Green Star outcomes.”

As to the new name, Mr Ball said it honours the heritage of the site while encompassing the diversity of landscapes and opportunities available within the community.

“We chose the name because it connects directly to the history of the site, referencing the region’s proud working-class roots but also promises everything in one place, a lifestyle that encourages people to meet, share and connect,” he said.

“We’re building a community of different ages, shapes and sizes, a neighbourhood of people at different stages of their lives but who want to share vibrant opportunities, experiences, and activities.

“To us, that is what The Works is all about.”

Since the housing proposal was first announced in 2017, there has been strong community opposition to the proposal. The former coke works operated from 1912 to 2014.

Corrimal Community Action Group (C CAG) has been one of the vocal critics of the plan, citing concerns over traffic, environment and heritage preservation.

Since C CAG’s campaign, the developers have made changes to the original plans for the site, including a reduction in the height limit of apartment blocks from six to four storeys; the number of residences reduced from 760 to 550; a mix of apartment blocks and townhouses; and buildings will no longer encroach into the 100m buffer zone around the flying-fox camp. Also, more of the industrial heritage features of the old coke works will be preserved or interpreted.

While welcoming the concessions made to the original proposal for the site, C CAG continues to raise concerns over traffic management and heritage protection related to the site.

C CAG says as a result of community demands, the current plan is an improvement on the previous proposals. However, there continued to be a number of important issues to be addressed before community acceptance.

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