Wollongong Hospital director of nursing Matthew Lamey, NSW Minister for Planning Paul Scully, NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park and Wollongong Hospital general manager Dr Elaine Pretorious. Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
A plan that involves the radical redevelopment of Wollongong’s health precinct and train station surrounds is up for public consultation.
The NSW Government’s Draft Wollongong Health Precinct Strategy and the Wollongong Station Masterplan outline a long-term blueprint to guide the future development of the area.
The draft strategy aims to boost the hospital’s capacity, increase affordable housing and improve links between the hospital, train station and CBD.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces and Member for Wollongong Paul Scully said the area would become a “world-class” healthcare centre and hub for the broader Illawarra region.
“As the population of the Illawarra Shoalhaven region is expected to grow to 575,000 by 2041, it has never been more important to get these crucial planning steps right,” he said.
“We need to make sure we have enough housing closer to where people work, and easily accessible health infrastructure.”
The draft includes a projected 4000 additional homes for the precinct over coming decades to provide housing for students and health workers.
Mr Scully said he anticipated the apartments would be a mix of one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom dwellings.
He said the additional housing would help make homes in the region more affordable and denied that there was an oversupply of apartment buildings in the CBD.
“One- and two-bedroom apartments are a popular option,” he said.
“It is in incredible demand; I get so many calls to my office, sometimes it feels like a real estate office.
“There is a need to add density to the core of our city – one of the fundamental problems we have with attracting and retaining people to the care economy is affordable housing near their work.”
By 2031, it is expected there will be 25,000 more hospital admissions across the region, and an added 39,000 emergency department presentations.
Health Minister Ryan Park said the draft strategy put building blocks in place to make sure the Wollongong Health Precinct meets the health and other service needs of this growing population.
He acknowledged the hospital was already understaffed and said he was hopeful staffing levels would improve ahead of the expansion.
“There’s no way to sugarcoat it, the biggest challenge I face as Health Minister is critical staff shortages,” he said.
“While buildings are important, what keeps me up at night is staffing public hospitals including this one.
“I’m trying to bridge that gap, but we can’t do it in a single year.
“Wollongong Public Hospital is the region’s principal referral hospital and specialises in a range of complex health services to support a growing and ageing population.
“It is running at near capacity and strategic upgrades will be required to ensure it continues to meet the healthcare needs of the Illawarra now and into the future.”
Transport for NSW has developed a Draft Wollongong Station Precinct Masterplan which will be made publicly available alongside the Draft Wollongong Health Precinct Strategy.
The Transport for NSW draft masterplan outlines a long-term vision for transforming the train station precinct into a vibrant, connected and inviting transport hub that reflects the unique identity of Wollongong.
It provides direct active and public transport links to the surrounding area including to the city centre, foreshore and hospital.
The draft masterplan proposes to upgrade the gateways to and from the station on Crown Street, Gladstone Avenue and Station Street and identifies ‘opportunity sites’ for future development.
Public consultation for both the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s (DPHI) Draft Wollongong Health Precinct Strategy and Transport for NSW’s Draft Wollongong Station Precinct Masterplan is open until 11 June.
Read the draft strategy and draft masterplan and make a submission here.
Get more information on the Wollongong Health Precinct here.
