Growth, politics and community: the man behind Corrimal’s ambitious urban renewal plan
As pressure mounts to solve Australia’s housing crisis, Ball’s leadership on the Illawarra’s largest infill development offers a case study in navigating local resistance and state planning policy.
One of the Illawarra’s most significant urban transformations in Corrimal is unfolding on an 18-hectare site once home to the Corrimal Cokeworks.
Closed off to the public for over a century, the future of this land has the potential to dramatically reshape the suburb.
Residents are well aware of its impact. Over the decade since the site ceased operations, they’ve actively voiced their concerns about traffic, congestion, and overdevelopment through groups like the Corrimal Community Action Group and the 2518 Facebook community.
So when Steve Ball, Senior Project Director at Legacy Property, recently announced that demolition was complete and construction of the first 179 apartments would begin within weeks, we were curious to learn how he and his team managed such a sensitive redevelopment - and appeared to do so with the community’s support.
