At its first meeting for the year, Neighbourhood Forum 5 (which provides advice to Wollongong City Council on issues relating to the city centre and central suburbs) has urged Council to develop a detailed Stormwater Asset Management Plan.

Protection from flooding

Central Wollongong suburbs are regularly impacted by severe flooding, the latest in April 2024 caused millions of dollars in damage to public and private properties.

NF5 believes an up-to-date Stormwater Asset Management Plan will assist Council in providing the best protection for our suburbs, and help minimise property damage, danger and disruption to the community.

Council is also being asked to provide additional stormwater funds in its four-year infrastructure budget to ensure Council's stormwater assets provide greater protection for the health and safety of the community.

NF5 has asked Council to include a member of NF5 on its Flood Committee and provide a copy of the report on the impact of the disastrous floods which occurred on 6 April 2024.

Closed Council meetings

The NSW Government Office of Local Government has released a discussion paper on how councils operate state-wide.

The paper strongly suggests councils should stop the practice of meeting out of public view, prior to regular public meetings to allow greater scrutiny, and give the community greater trust in how and why their council's decisions were being made.

NF5 has supported that proposal believing it will make Wollongong a more open and transparent council if it ceased its regular briefings which are closed to the public and media. The forum is also calling for the reintroduction of open committee meetings to assist Council in its decision making.

Challenging certifiers

Following revelations that after three months Council has no power to challenge approvals by private certifiers, NF5 will support any efforts by Council to seek an extension of the time within which to challenge certifiers' decisions.

Council was also asked to make strong representations to the NSW Government to prohibit certifiers from issuing a construction certificate which is not strictly in accordance with the Development Consent before receiving a response from Council.

Council is also requested that once a construction certificate has been lodged for any development on flood-prone land, officers check that the relevant conditions of consent have been complied with.

Highlands transport links

NF5 will make a submission to the NSW Government supporting better public transport options between Wollongong and the Southern Highlands and Canberra. 

The proposal includes strong support for the completion of the  Maldon Dombarton rail link which will benefit passengers as well as enabling more freight to be moved by rail to Port Kembla.

City centre transport

The forum will ask Council and Transport for NSW to expedite planning, funding and actions to provide major interchange facilities in the area near Wollongong railway station, providing a better amenity for rail, bus, taxis, pedestrians, cyclists and drop-offs. This is in line with TfNSW's Integrated Public Transport Guidelines for regional cities such as Wollongong.

Council is also being asked to advise the timetable for buses to be removed from Lang Park to Atchison Street. The forum also wants to know how many new parking spaces will be created in the Lang Park precinct and what actions are proposed for the loss of valuable CBD parking in Atchison Street.

Pedestrian Safety

Members of the forum have raised serious concerns about the dangers created by electric scooters and bicycles often travelling at high speeds on footpaths heavily used by pedestrians. NF5 has concerns that a serious injury, or worse, is inevitable and it is seeking Council's position on reducing the risk.

After concerns were raised with NF5 about pedestrian safety in Keiraville, Council has been asked to commission an independent road safety audit at the most dangerous intersections and to make the report publicly available.

Major event site

The forum noted that Council was yet to approve next month's Yours and Owls music festival which is proposed for the first time at Lang Park and Flagstaff Hill.

Over the past decade Yours and Owls has used four different locations, highlighting the need for a designated site to host large-scale events of this nature. 

NF5 has asked Council to advise on progress in finding a suitable location in Wollongong for events which can attract up to 20,000 people.

The next meeting of Neighbourhood Forum 5 will take place on Wednesday, 5 March and all interested members of the public are welcome to attend. The meeting will be held in the Wollongong Library Theatrette in Burelli Street.