Despite flooding concerns raised by neighbours, the St George Illawarra Dragons has submitted changes to plans for a $50 million community and high-performance centre on the site of University of Wollongong's Innovation Campus at Fairy Meadow. The plans are on exhibition for comment until 27 November 2024. 

These plans are the amongst the first to be considered since the election of a new Council, and a Lord Mayor who has identified city-wide flooding as one of her top priorities as she begins her four-year term. 

The Dragons describe the project as "an industry leading, high-performance training and administration facility that will help create a significant legacy for the community." They say it will also allow "five-plus existing facilities to come together under one roof."

The centre will include two new training fields, a state-of-the-art sporting and education facility and car parking.

Community concerns

When the original plans were lodged in December 2022, there were community objections on three main grounds: heritage, the flood risk and noise.

The site in question was once a migrant hospital, providing a home for thousands arriving in Australia to start a new life in the 1950s-1970s. The Dragons' original plans included the removal of the remaining Nissen huts on site. The three huts are listed on the NSW State Heritage Register.

"As part of the amended DA, a decision has been made to keep the huts in their current location," the Dragons said in a statement. "No works are proposed to the huts or any area within their heritage curtilage."

This news has been welcomed by the Illawarra's migrant and heritage communities.

Located on a floodplain

The Dragons have acknowledged their new high-performance centre is located within the Fairy and Cabbage Tree Creeks Floodplain. The catchment has experienced several significant floods over the past 30 years and locals fear new development and the construction of sporting fields will only increase the flood risk to nearby properties.

"The site is categorised as predominantly 'medium' flood risk, meaning that there is a significant risk of flood damage and/or danger to life, but these can be minimised by the application of appropriate development controls," consultant Ethos Urban wrote in a report to Wollongong City Council in October 2024.

In a lengthy submission to Council, residents living close to the site said the project should never be allowed to proceed and that the now largely empty site acts "like a sponge" to absorb water in times of heavy rain. They fear the Dragons project will increase the flood risk in an area already recognised as being severely flood prone. One of the key requirements of the plans for the site is that "the proposed development shall not increase flood affectation elsewhere".

The Dragons' new application says, "the proponent worked closely with Council during the process to achieve an outcome that had no net impact on flooding of the site and the ongoing flood impact to the surrounding areas."

Dropping the building to ground level

The biggest changes to the site plans involve the main building on site, which was previously raised almost one metre above ground level on piers. "...the building on piers is no longer required, instead it is proposed to relocate some of the available cut to underneath the building, so that the building is largely on fill at the ground level, with a small part of the building in the east located on piers," the application said.

It adds that there "is sufficient cut and fill volumes available as a result of the proposed development" to support the changes being sought. It is proposed that the car park will remain above the one in 100 year flood level on piers "to ensure it does not impede waterflow".

The application outlines the delicate balancing act required to ensure there's no worsening of flood risk as a result of the development.

"Generally, there is to be no net increase in fill in the floodplain. Compensatory excavation may be used to offset fill; however, the compensatory excavation must be taken from an adjacent area of similar flood function that is lower in the floodplain than the proposed fill areas. Cut and fill drawings and volume calculations must be supplied to Council.

"The development, as proposed to be modified, is substantially the same development as that originally approved in that...the proposed works relating to flooding have no impact on the flood function of the site and the conveyancing of flood water across the site."

Noise concerns

Earlier, objections were also raised from locals about noise issues from the site once the project was finished.

In a statement the Dragons said "the development will be designed to minimise impacts from noise to nearby neighbours. An operations management plan will be prepared to guide and manage day-to-day operations, including hours of operation and game times. An acoustic report has also been prepared that will assess the impact of the proposed development on surrounding neighbours..."

Titled DA-2022/1126/A, the amended plans are available for review on the Wollongong City Council website.