Villagers take action to preserve Stanwell Park

Stanwell Park residents concerned about the character of their village have formed a planning group which will send its recommendations through to Wollongong City Council for incorporation in its Local Environment Plan.
About 20 residents signed up for the group following a public meeting at the Stanwell Park CWA Hall on 14 May, attended by ward councillors Dave Martin and Alice Cartan and the Lord Mayor, Cr Alex Darling.
The meeting was attended by more than 150 people and concerns were raised about development, planning and traffic issues in the village.
Cr Cartan told residents the proposed development at the newsagency site had been rejected in its current form and the developer would have to “go back to the drawing board”. (See story, Page 5)
Calls for a moratorium on development pending council’s review of its city-wide plan were dismissed by councillors as legally indefensible.
“There’s no legal basis where the council can do that when we receive applications for particular zones,” said Cr Martin.
Residents were concerned about developers building residential accommodation in commercial zones as a much higher density would result. However, under current planning laws, residential units can be built above commercial premises.
Cr Carolyn Griffith, who also attended the meeting, said council was seeking to address the anomaly which allowed developers to achieve a greater yield of residential units in commercial zones.
“A 3B development can have minimal commercial and the major part residential which has a higher FSR (floor space ratio) than a commercial zone,” she said. “It’s a loophole in the policy which allows residential development to take place in a commercial zone.”
Cr Cartan said commercial developments were not required to have the same setbacks and open space as residential projects.
Residents also raised concerns about the lack of footpaths and pedestrian crossings in Stanwell Park and called on the council to introduce traffic calming devices.
Cr Martin conceded the council had not done a local area traffic management plan in Stanwell Park and this needed to be addressed.
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However, on the topic of footpaths, he said council needed to tread carefully.
“There are significant heritage concerns in Stanwell Park and footpaths could impact on the local topography and vegetation which is very sensitive,” he said.
Anyone interested in participating in the planning group should contact Michelle Grosvenor on 4294 8822, 0408 618 700 or email michelle.g@ozemail.com.au.