Construction workers with Deputy Mayor Linda Campbell and Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown at the demolition site of the former Warrawong Community Centre on Friday (10 January). Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
The new $30 million Southern Suburbs Community Centre and Library in Warrawong is one step closer.
Demolition of the old Warrawong Community Centre at the site near the intersection of King and Greene streets is well underway.
The new centre, which will stand on an expanded parcel of land including the previous site and adjacent properties, will serve Berkeley, Lake Heights, Cringila, Warrawong, Port Kembla, Primbee and Windang.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown said she was delighted work had begun.
“We’re really excited to see the start of this project; it’s a big site council has purchased properties around over a number of years,” she said.
“This facility will have community meeting rooms, the library and house other organisations as well; it’s really going to meet community’s needs.”
One of those organisations is the beloved Warrawong Residents Forum.
The community hub faced an uncertain future when the old community centre closed for construction, before they secured a temporary premises on King Street and a cash injection from the NSW Government to get it up and running.
The not-for-profit can look forward to a new, permanent home when the community centre is built, to continue its work as a trusted, safe and reliable place for people seeking emergency help for essential food supplies, paying utility, rent and mortgage bills, and accessing medical, legal and other vital support services.
It’s the end of an era for the Warrawong Community Centre. Photo: Mitch Jennings.
Deputy Mayor Linda Campbell said the new Southern Suburbs Community Centre would be a hub for community support.
“What’s critical about this project is the way it will uplift the local area,” she said.
“When we look at some of the inbuilt disadvantage in this particular suburb I think it’s really good we provide a top-rate community facility to support residents here.”
The build is a timely one, as the NSW Government has flagged Warrawong as a strategic growth centre for the Illawarra as it scrambles to improve housing supply.
Thousands of new residents could potentially live in the town centre if a controversial development proposal is green-lit.
Cr Campbell said the timing of construction of the community centre was fortunate.
“It would be wonderful if we could get the infrastructure in to all our suburbs before the population,” she said.
It is anticipated the Southern Suburbs Community Centre and Library will be completed in 2026.
Council first held community engagement sessions in 2019 to get input from residents on the design of the centre.
The community’s key demands included culturally inclusive, safe and welcoming spaces, accessible and functional facilities, landscaping and greenery, and play spaces.
The finished complex will include a green ‘town square’ outside, a large forecourt and community veranda, a large community hall with adjoining kitchen, a stepped auditorium, office spaces, a sensory room, disabled changing facilities, and a cafe in addition to the library.
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