FAQ

Council is seeking input into a request to rezone land to permit residential development and environmental conservation within the precincts known as Lady Carrington Estate South, Central Bushland and Camps Creek, located at Otford Road, Lilyvale Road, Undola Road and Walker Lane on the eastern side of Helensburgh.

The land is privately owned and has been subject to a number of rezoning proposals over the last 30+ years.

The original (2013) Planning Proposal requested related only to the Lady Carrington Estate South and Central Bushland precincts.  This area remains the detailed study area and the area proposed to be rezoned to permit urban development is focused on the Lady Carrington Estate South located at Otford Road and Lilyvale Road, Helensburgh. The detailed study area has an area of 39 hectares and consists of 101 small size lots (1000m2), paper roads and parts of 3 larger 40 hectare lots.  The small lots were created in 1891 as part of the Lilyvale Township Expansion plan.

In October 2019 the Planning Proposal request was expanded to include the majority of lots in the Ensile Pty Ltd / Bob’s Bushland holding (142 lots, 205 hectares).  A map is available in the 2019 folder in Document Library).  The land is currently zoned E3 Environmental Management and E2 Environmental Conservation.  The change in area was in response to a question from the Wollongong Local Planning Panel (July 2019) about the future of the balance of the holding.

The revised proposal proposes that:

• 17.81 hectares is rezoned to R2 Low Density Residential, with a minimum lot size of 449m2

• 1.39 hectares to E4 Environmental Living, with a minimum lot size of 1,250m2

• 1.51 hectares to RE1 Public Recreation,

• 0.89 hectares to E3 Environmental Management, and

• the balance of 184.06 hectares retaining an E2 Environmental Conservation Zone. 

The land in this planning proposal is privately owned and has been subject to a number of rezoning proposals over the last 30+ years. 

For this reason, Council has decided to make all relevant documents available to the community. 

Documents have been placed into 9 different folders to make it easier for the community to navigate through the library.  A list of the folders appears below.  Please visit the document library to the right of this page to access the information.

• 2013 Planning Proposal application
• 2013b Council Report 29 July 2013
• 2014 Joint Regional Planning Panel Review
• 2015 Council meeting 23 February 2015
• 2016 Studies
• 2016b Agency referrals
• 2018 Studies
• 2019 Wollongong Local Planning Panel
• 2019b Revised proposal.

The current Planning Proposal request process commenced in 2013, and has included the following events:

• 14 October 2019 – revised draft Planning Proposal submitted, responding to issues raised by the Wollongong Local Planning Panel.  The revised proposal

  • expanded the study area to include the majority of lots in the Ensile Pty Ltd / Bob’s Bushland holding (142 lots, 205 hectares),

  • reduces the proposed area to be rezoned to permit urban development within the Lady Carrington Estate South / Central Bushland precincts, and the impact on bushland.

• 31 July 2019 – draft Planning Proposal reviewed by Wollongong Local Planning Panel

  • Panel’s advice to Council - to see this advice, go to the Document Library and open the 2019 folder.

  • Council officers report to Panel - to see this report, go to the Document Library and open the 2019 folder.

• July 2018 - Additional studies submitted by the applicant, addressing feedback from State agencies - to see these additional studies, go to the Document Library and open the 2018 folder.

• May 2016 - Studies lodged to support a rezoning to permit urban development - to see these studies, go to the Document Library and open the 2016 folder. At this stage the total study area was some 39 hectares of which 28 hectares was proposed to be rezoned. The reports were distributed to State agencies for comment. 

• 23 February 2015 - Council considered the Department’s response [to see the response, go to the Document Library and go to the 2015 folder] and resolved (in part) to advise the Department that Council is willing to be the Relevant Planning Authority.

• 18 December 2014 - The Department of Planning advised that it has accepted the recommendations of the JRPP and determined that an amended proposal should proceed to Gateway determination. The boundary of the rezoning being determined by additional studies.

• The Department asked Council to prepare a Planning Proposal for Gateway determination, following the completion of the required additional studies, to be prepared by the proponent. The Department has indicated that if Council does not wish to progress the matter an alternate Relevant Planning Authority (RPA) may be appointed.

• 25 August 2014 - Council considered a report on the JRPP recommendations [link to report] and resolved (in part) to advise the Department of Planning that Council:

objects to the JRPP’s recommendation on the Lady Carrington Estate South precinct and emphasising Council’s desire to review any additional information that may lead to a Gateway determination and exhibition.

• In July 2014 - the JRPP recommended that further studies be undertaken for the Lady Carrington Estate South precinct to guide the preparation of a Planning Proposal to permit residential development. [to view the information, visit the Document Library and go to the 2014 folder ].

• 5 February 2014 - the NSW Department of Planning referred Council’s Planning Proposal to the Southern Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) for review and recommendations. The Department also referred to the JRPP a Pre-Gateway appeal lodged by Smyth Planning Pty Ltd against Council’s refusal to support the rezoning of the Lady Carrington Estate South and the Land Pooling precincts to permit urban development.

• 29 July 2013 - Council considered 13 reports addressing the issues raised in the submissions received during the exhibition. [to view the Council Report, go to the Document Library and view the 2013 folder ] In terms of the Lady Carrington Estate South precinct, Council resolved (in part) that:

2  The part of the Planning Proposal for the Lady Carrington Estate South precinct which seeks to amend the Wollongong Local Environmental Plan 2009 by rezoning the precinct to the E2 Environmental Conservation zone be progressed to finalisation.

3  The preparation of a new draft Planning Proposal to rezone the Land Pooling and Lady Carrington Estate South precincts to permit residential development, in exchange for the transfer of the Ensile Pty Ltd holdings within Lady Carrington Estate, Lilyvale, Central Bushland and Otford Valley Farm precincts to Council or the State, via a draft Planning agreement, as requested by Smyth Planning on 21 June 2013, not be supported.

• 21 June 2013 – a rezoning proposal for Lady Carrington Estate South precinct was lodged seeking an urban zoning to permit low density residential development.

• 6 August to 26 October 2012 - exhibition of draft Planning Proposal.

• 28 November 2011 - Council considered 12 reports on the former 7(d) lands and resolved in part that a new draft planning proposal be prepared to rezone the … Lady Carrington Estate South to E2 Environmental Conservation. [see the 2011 folder in the Document Library]

You can provide your comments up until 31 January 2020 via:

Email council@wollongong.nsw.gov.au

or

Mail Locked Bag 8821, Wollongong DC NSW 2500

The General Manager

Wollongong City Council

Please quote  PP-2013/3 in your email or letter.