Considering the tumultuous times in which we find ourselves, it is not surprising that even Thirroul has not been spared. Our home has always remained a bastion of old-town values, unprecedented lineage and a deep love of the land and ocean shared by multiple generations of all of Australia’s people. Together with Mt Kembla we have the enviable designation of being called a village, the character of which is protected under DCP chapter D12, formulated by those who came before us and revered the same land before we did.
We have remained within reach of Sydney and access corridors designed to make our lives easier are now serving as a portal that signals our demise. With them come state-directed planning controls formulated by those who know very little of our Eden’s unique geographical challenges. Denied a local decision making process, our heritage, community and history is not prioritised and we now face a formidable threat to the ethos of our village. Unfortunately, much like Milton’s masterpiece, Paradise Lost, our destruction has come from within.
I refer of course to DA 2020/363 for the current Thirroul Plaza site. Succinctly, the proposed 82 units and 361 car bays come at a gross acquisition and build cost of $60 million and potential profit in excess of $40 million. The development will accelerate the maximum operating threshold capacity of Lawrence Hargrave Drive (LHD) by 10 years with 2031 traffic numbers realised by the end of 2021.
The 600 cars per hour will necessitate traffic lights that do nothing to alleviate the congestion on LHD but exist solely to service the site. All of this comes at a devastating cost to local pedestrian traffic, on-street parking and direct access to our medical precinct for the local elderly residents. The economic costs to our local commercial interests will be devastating with national commercial behemoths taking residence in the modernised and larger commercial spaces touted as an upgraded plaza which is the Trojan horse for the multi-storey blue chip properties well out of reach of those who require affordable living.
Current appraisal of the minimally-revised second proposal indicates that there is little or no formal acknowledgement of real community concerns. These include heritage compliance and live music/ performance venues within earshot of future residences. The proposal has the same dogged ectopic contemporary design that obscures our escarpment views save a small westerly stairwell glimpse. Rainfall last month highlighted the hydrological concerns in the Plaza’s medium risk flood plain with expert reports making no reference to ground water or geotechnical issues that have caused multiple local landslides and derailments since the early 20th century.
It will take the people of Thirroul to save our village. We do it for those who came before us, those whom we now raise in hopes that they too will grow up in paradise and for our future generations who will thank us. Milton said it best “Awake, arise or be forever fall’n!”
THIRROUL: A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
The charming character of Thirroul village has inspired many artists over the years. Pictured at top is “Yellow Vespa”, a painting by Donald Keys, capturing a street view of Thirroul Library where the annual Thirroul Arts Festival is held.
“For a long time Thirroul has been where many famous visual artists call home,” Donald writes. “The South Coast’s beaches attract fun-loving people and artists like ants to sugar, yet there are still many who believe Wollongong is a dirty steel town – that’s why there’s an element of pride when I paint a beautiful local scene, and personal enjoyment from producing images that dispel the dirty-town myth.”
