Council eyes Flinders Street rezoning to unlock Wollongong’s northern gateway
Flinders Street is under the spotlight as Wollongong City Council considers a major planning overhaul to transform the city’s northern gateway into a high-density urban precinct.
Wollongong’s northern gateway is on the brink of a major transformation, with Flinders Street fast emerging as the city’s next growth hotspot.
Wollongong City Council is leading a Flinders Street Precinct Review, which could unlock thousands of new homes, mixed-use towers and greater building heights along the key entry route from North Wollongong Station to the CBD.
Once dominated by car yards and light industry, the strip is rapidly changing, with significant projects in the pipeline, including Blaq’s Brooklyn Square and Level 33’s proposal for 1,500 apartments on the former Bunnings site.
A Precinct Under Pressure
The council’s Director of Planning and Environment, Linda Davis, told The Pulse Illawarra that the precinct’s role is changing rapidly.
“Flinders Street is one of the main gateways into the city,” Ms Davis said. “Historically, it’s been full of car yards and low-investment development, but that’s changing as developer interest grows.”
Ms Davis said the review stems directly from three of the city’s key strategic documents, the Housing Strategy 2023, Industrial Lands Review 2023 and Retail and Business Centres Strategy 2023, all of which flagged the need to rethink Flinders Street’s future role.
That work has taken on new urgency amid rising development pressure, including Level 33’s State Significant Development on the former Bunnings site.
While the project is being assessed through the state’s planning system and could fall under the Housing Delivery Authority’s accelerated housing pathways, Council is also mindful of early state discussions about a potential Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) precinct around North Wollongong Station.
Together, those state-led initiatives have intensified the need for a coordinated local framework to guide the gateway’s transformation.
“We started to see developer interest in areas within the precinct,” she said. “Rather than deal with those proposals in isolation, we decided to prioritise a precinct analysis.”
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Thousands of Homes in the Pipeline
That shift is already visible on the ground. Several major residential and mixed-use projects are completed, proposed or underway along Flinders Street. Including PARQ on Flinders project, which delivered more than 220 apartments and Blaq’s Brooklyn Square development of over 100 units at 36 Flinders Street.
Upzoning on the Table
Most of the corridor is currently zoned E3 Productivity Support, intended for industrial and employment uses supporting the city’s core business areas. The review is examining whether these zones should be modified to allow higher-density housing, mixed-use and taller buildings.
“We are looking to upzone in that precinct,” Ms Davis said.
“We’re testing different built-form outcomes - things like height, view corridors, and how to create functional places where people can live and work.”
The council’s consultants, Architectus, have completed site analysis and initial modelling, with an Urban Design Framework expected to be presented to councillors in October for endorsement for public exhibition.
If adopted, the framework would establish the vision and design principles for the area, but would not immediately alter zoning controls.
Ms Davis said it’s not the first time the council has taken this forward-thinking approach to planning in Wollongong - highlighting the Wollongong City Centre Urban Design Framework adopted in 2020.
“It’s an approach we’ve used for the city centre … It’s worked for us as a non-statutory document that sets the groundwork and informs the statutory processes that come after.”
What you might have missed
The Lifeline South Coast Big Book Fair is back, running from October 23–26, 2025, at the Illawarra Sports Stadium.
The event will feature more than 85,000 pre-loved books across 60 genres, plus author talks and unbeatable bargains.
Early birds can pay $10 for first pick on Thursday night, with gold coin entry Friday to Sunday and half-price books on Sunday afternoon.
More details here.
Hot Ticket
The Illawarra Festival of Architecture & Design (IFAD) returns on October 18-19, promising a packed weekend of tours, talks and creativity celebrating the region’s design scene.
The two-day event will showcase the Illawarra’s most innovative homes and studios through guided tours, open studios and a cycling architecture trail, highlighting how design is shaping the region’s future.
A major highlight will be the Evening with the Masters concert at the Wollongong Art Gallery on Saturday, October 18, a classical performance raising funds for the Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre. You can get tickets here.
On Sunday, October 19 architects and designers will gather at the University of Wollongong’s Sustainable Buildings Research Centre for panel discussions under the theme “Outside In: Landscape and Life.”
The weekend will close with the Illawarra Architecture & Design Awards, celebrating standout regional projects.
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