Planning Proposal - Wollongong City Council - NSW Government

• Two business centres that could accommodate service providers such as
financial advisers or law firms along with consulting rooms from which
doctors and other health care professionals can operate.
Strategic support for the rezoning may be found in the Site Compatibilty Certificate
issued by the Director-General of the NSW Department of Planning on 19 August
2010. The Certificate is current for two years and was issued despite the imminence
of the LEP.
6.1.2 Is the planning proposal the best means of achieving the objectives or intended
outcomes or is there a better way?
Hill PDA, through the Wollongong Local Government Area Employment Lands
Strategy, believed that zoning the subject site B6 Enterprise Corridor was the best
way of ensuring the 3(d) zones under Wollongong LEP 1990 continued to provide
business opportunities that would support the Wollongong CBD. However, the
emphasis on providing more business opportunities was very limited by the low FSR
and height limit. The B4 Mixed Use zone provides more redevelopment opportunities
for a site that is:
• In an area of good accessibility;
• Proximate to the CBD, which provides access to health services, recreational
opportunities and retail facilities; and
• In close proximity to the beach which provides an area of high amenity for
residents.
Seniors housing, due to the nature of the development (accessibility is a key issue),
requires a large area of land in close proximity to transport facilities (which are
usually close to the CBD). Land north of Beach Street, which is located within the City
Centre, has a maximum FSR - for residential development - of 1.5:1 and maximum
building heights ranging from 24m to 48m. The development potential of this land
ensures that the land price is higher than that of the subject site. A senior’s housing
project in these areas is not financially viable as the rate of return on a residential
development is much higher and can crowd out the market. The viability of the
project is underpinned by the number of ILUs tht the site can yield as these are not
as heavily serviced as the RACF beds.
Amendment of the building height and FSR provisions of the Wollongong LEP 2009
would enable development to a scale commensurate with B4 zones in the City Centre.
This would ensure satisfactory services can be provided within the facility and a
sufficient number of units can be provided to accommodate the ageing population of
of the area and also to underpin the viability of the project.
6.1.3 Is there a net community benefit?
The Department of Planning, through the Guide to preparing planning proposals,
indicates that a Net Community Benefit Test (NCBT) should be undertaken when
assessing the net community benefit of a planning proposal. According to the Draft
Warrigal Care – Planning Proposal 8