December 8, 2015

Planning panel gives green light to major campus investment

 UOW has welcomed the recent decision by the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) approving its revised application for Stage 2 of its student accommodation expansion project. 

UOW Chief Administration Officer, Ms Melva Crouch, said the revised application incorporates changes in response to community and Wollongong City Council feedback including reduced building heights, increased setbacks and the addition of a six-level car park to provide dedicated student resident parking.

Construction of the accommodation buildings will commence in early 2016 and car park will commence by early 2016, with both projects planned for completion in time for the 2018 academic year.

The projects - aimed at developing the Wollongong campus into a vibrant destination of choice for students - represent an investment of approximately $80 million in the campus ($70 million for the accommodation and close to $10 million for the car park).

“The University of Wollongong and our Partner (Living + Learning Partners) have continued to engage with the community and planning bodies, including Wollongong City Council and the Joint Regional Planning Panel. We listened to their feedback and made changes that will help maintain and improve the character of Northfields Ave.

“UOW has also committed to increasing parking capacity with the construction of a multi-storey carpark in addition to the many other initiatives being pursued by UOW to reduce traffic impacts. By constructing a multi-storey carpark instead of an entirely ground level carpark, more land adjacent to Northfields Ave remains available for landscaping.”

The number of beds the University can provide to students will increase to more than 2,500 via a long-term licence agreement of UOW’s entire student accommodation portfolio with private sector consortium Living + Learning Partners (L+LP).

The deal includes construction of two high-quality student accommodation facilities on the Wollongong campus, comprising a total of more than 1,000 beds. The University will retain responsibility for the day-to-day operations of student accommodation.

To accommodate this growth, a new multi-storey carpark will be located on the site of the existing South-Western Car Park (known as P3).

When combined with the retained ground-level spaces, a total of 614 spaces will be available when the carpark becomes operational in 2017. This includes 359 spaces in the multi-storey car park, of which 275 will be dedicated spaces for student residents.

The carpark expansion will increase the total number of parking spaces by 8.5 per cent and will be coupled with a range of other measures designed to reduce traffic impacts including free bicycle hire and a car share scheme for student residents. 

The University has also commenced work toward preparation of a master plan for its Wollongong Campus which will include consultation with the regional agencies and the local community.