FAQs

A Local Environmental Plan (LEP) is a legal document which guides development and land use within a specific area. An LEP states whether development: 

• Is permissible on the land; 
• Is subject to specific restrictions, including development controls for height, minimum lot size, floor space ratios, heritage, acid sulphate soils, flooding etc.; 
• Requires the consent of Council. 

The Wollongong Local Environmental Plan 2009 (WLEP 2009) applies to land within the Wollongong Local Government Area.  

A request to amend what is in a LEP such as the zoning of land, the development standards applying to land, or the permitted land uses, is known as a Planning Proposal and is undertaken through the Gateway process under NSW government planning legislation. 

Council or a Government Agency can initiate a Planning Proposal based on a strategic direction or policy, or a landowner may request Council to consider an amendment.  

Information on Planning Proposals, and the process of making and amending a Local Environmental Plan can be found in: 

• Council Policy Template (nsw.gov.au) 
• Local Environmental Plan Making Guideline – August 2023 (nsw.gov.au) 

A Development Control Plan (DCP) is a document that explains how developments need to be designed to meet the conditions of the Local Environmental Plan (LEP) and State-wide rules. 

For example, an LEP might tell you how big your house can be compared to the size of your land, and the DCP will outline details like where windows or balconies should go, or how fences should be built. 

There are many chapters in the Wollongong DCP 2009, and each one covers a different type of development. This includes everything from residential houses to businesses, bush fire and stormwater management, and local heritage. 

There are also sections of the DCP that have specific rules for smaller local areas, like the City Centre, and numerous residential estates. 

Many developments will need to meet the rules of more than one DCP chapter. 

The Corrimal Town Centre Plan sets the vision and strategic direction for the Corrimal Town Centre. The Plan identifies 5 Key Sites and the Wilga Street Block is one of these key sites. The Corrimal Town Centre Plan identifies that the planning controls that apply to the Wilga Street Block are in need of review. The controls allow less development than is allowed in the rest of Corrimal Town Centre. This has meant that we have seen little renewal of the buildings and facilities on the Block. 

Wollongong City Council own 101 Wilga Street, Corrimal. This land is currently licensed for use as an at-grade carpark which sits in the middle of the Wilga Street Block Study Area. This project has assumed through the testing of planning controls and lot amalgamations that the current number of Council-owned public carparking spaces are retained within the Block. 

This project is focused on what planning controls would result in the best development outcome. As a key landowner within the Block, this study has tested what options are available for Council’s land holdings to help contribute to an improved outcome. 

The testing undertaken and the options presented within this Study do not suggest or commit Council to selling or redeveloping Council’s land within the Wilga Street Block, rather illustrate options and opportunities for Council to contribute to an improved outcome for the Block. 

The planning proposal process does not approve any development. Any future development will be subject to the relevant assessment and approval processes, such as a development application. 

Stakeholders will be notified of any proposed development within the Wilga Street Block in accordance with Council’s Community Participation Plan.   

Following the public exhibition period, the Planning Proposal will be assessed, taking into account all stakeholder submissions, and a Post Exhibition Report will be prepared for Council’s consideration. 

The Post Exhibition Report will be considered at a Council meeting where Councillors will decide whether the Planning Proposal should be recommended to be finalised as reported. 

Subject to the outcome, it will then be forwarded to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment for finalisation and amendment of the Wollongong Local Environmental Plan. 

The Local Plan-Making Authority (LPMA) is identified in a Gateway Determination and names the authority who will undertake the statutory functions of making the LEP. 

As Council is a landholder within the Block, Council requested not to be authorised as the LPMA for this planning proposal.  

Should the proposal progress to finalisation, the Department of Planning & Environment will undertake the statutory functions to make the amendment to the Wollongong Local Environmental Plan 2009.