Hall campaigners release council paper trail

In a campaign to save Helensburgh’s old hall, community groups have taken the extraordinary step of publishing years of internal Wollongong City Council communications on a website.

Twenty-six documents are publicly available for the first time in a seven-year saga of water ingress, mould and wood rot that has plagued the town's old hall at 26 Walker Street. They were obtained via the GIPA Act (Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009), a law to make government more open and transparent.

“We released the GIPA findings because the community deserves access to the facts,” said Bronwyn Balderston, speaking on behalf of 2508 Collaborate, a group of volunteers who started a campaign to save the hall late last year.

“For years, there has been uncertainty about what caused the damage to the hall, whether it can be repaired, and what options exist for its future,” Bronwyn said.

“The documents help answer those questions. They show what caused the damage in the first place, what expert investigations identified as the necessary rectification works, and what restoring the hall could look like. They also reveal that Council received expert advice over several years but failed to act, allowing the building to deteriorate further and depriving our community of this valuable facility for the past seven years.”

Could the hall be saved?

One of the earliest GIPAs published is an email dated 16 May 2019, after the hall – once used for everything from playgroups to basketball practice – was already closed to sports. The letter flagged “ongoing problems with water ingress” and recommended engaging a hydraulic consultant.

2508 Collaborate claims this was never done. The group also blames council roadworks in the lane behind the hall for water and drainage problems, criticises the demolition decision for being made behind closed doors, and says the hall could be fixed at “a reasonable cost", rather than demolishing a community asset they believe is worth over $8.5 million.

Council, however, maintains that the old hall's water issues were "extensive" and trying to fix it would have been an "irresponsible use of public funds".

A council spokesperson said that, while the GIPA documents form part of the public record, "Council is concerned that some recent commentary does not fully reflect the information contained in the documents."

In addition, Lord Mayor Tania Brown has categorically denied criticising residents and has instead expressed concern at the tone of debate at a February public meeting, where council staff presented plans for Helensburgh's new community centre and library.

"I have also had reports since then about other meetings in the suburb where women have personally raised with me their reluctance to speak out in these forums," the Lord Mayor said.

"Just this week Council received an email from local residents who confirmed my view in regard to the tone of debate at that meeting and their concern that the loud voices were drowning out broader resident views.

"I want to assure residents there are a wide range of ways community members can provide feedback to Council. We consider feedback from all these channels, including letters and online feedback.

"I always listen to community feedback and have continued to work to address the concerns raised by community members in regard to community facilities in Helensburgh.”

Feedback has highlighted that many residents regret the loss of the old hall's basketball court. So moves are afoot to find an outdoor location for basketball courts in Helensburgh, a council spokesperson confirmed, while noting the old hall "did not meet the size requirements for a safe operating basketball facility".

Heritage of hall site

Adding layers of complexity to years of debate, some of the old hall is on Crown Land and 2508 Collaborate has also uncovered a 1943 Government Gazette notice re-dedicating the Helensburgh West site as a War Memorial.

"Our aim is to ensure the community has accurate information so it can have
an informed conversation about the future of this important War Memorial Hall," Bronwyn of 2508 Collaborate said.

2508 Collaborate is working with Neighbourhood Forum 1, an independent group of residents, supported by Council and convened for the past decade by Warwick Erwin, an award-winning community activist.

NF1 represents residents of the 2508 postcode, which had a population of 9,346 in the 2021 Census, and meetings are generally attended by about 20 people.

Both groups are powered by volunteers. Their ‘save the hall’ campaign has included letterboxing the district, a survey answered by 456 people, which found “81% feel excluded from Council's decision-making process”, and formal GIPA applications, which usually cost $30 each, plus processing fees. 

“The community are disappointed and angry and the loss of trust is palpable,” Bronwyn said.

“The fact that council have ignored internal and external recommendations to seek specialist engineering advice indicates serious neglect and mismanagement of a critical community facility.

"A sport centre, a performing arts space, a war memorial, a place to gather and celebrate… a building that was well loved and well used by so many. Why did this happen? We know how… but why?

"It’s time for WCC to do the right thing and restore our hall.”

A council spokesperson said: "Over several years, Council investigated a range of remediation options to address significant damage caused by ongoing subfloor water ingress and widespread black mould throughout the building. In March 2022, following consultation with Councillors and Neighbourhood Forum 1, it was determined that the significant cost of remediating the hall was not the best use of ratepayer funds given the planned delivery of the new Helensburgh Community Centre and Library, due for completion in 2028.

"The Community Rooms on the eastern side of the former Community Centre building, furthest away from the moisture-affected areas, were remediated and temporarily reopened while the community awaits the new facility."

Cost to obtain documents

NF1 members paid for and submitted the GIPA requests, which convenor Warwick Erwin said cost over $600.

Bronwyn said: “It has cost hundreds of dollars and countless hours of NF1 and 2508 Collaborate volunteers’ time. I myself have spent between 10-15 hours reviewing and collating information with other volunteers. I would say all up we've spent a total of almost 100 hours with about 12 of us from the group pitching in to do the work. This included obtaining, reading, reviewing, summarising and presenting the data on our website."

Warwick believes the GIPA documents reveal a lack of due diligence.

“Releasing first GIPA documents for the existing community hall clearly shows the water problem to have been caused by Council,” he said. “That Council’s actions to 'fix' the water problem were more like covering up the problem. That Council had solutions to fix the issues but staff decided to take the cheapest way out and demolish the building. That Council didn’t understand that they can’t just demolish a War Memorial Hall with two land claims on Crown Land.”

Warwick said members' feedback included a long-held belief the area is under-serviced yet charged "the highest rates”. NF1's goal is to engage in a mediated discussion with council, and he has written to Heathcote MP Maryanne Stuart for assistance.

A council spokesperson said: "Council representatives have met regularly with Neighbourhood Forum 1, and earlier this year hosted public information sessions in Helensburgh for all interested members of the community. Council has not received a request to meet with 2508 Collaborate."

Not out with the old or in with the new

In a final twist to the tale of community groups at loggerheads with their council, the forum has criticised plans for Helensburgh's new centre and library, and come up with their own.

In February 2026, WCC presented Sherson Architecture's designs – for a two-storey multi-purpose facility to be built at 53-55 Walker Street by late 2028 – to a full house at Tradies Helensburgh. However, lack of parking and the sale of the current library site are two major sticking points for NF1. 

Last week the forum revealed new site plans drawn up by Sydney architects Lippmann Partnership. 

In this alternative vision, the current library site is retained and there are 52 parking spaces. 

A council spokesperson said: "Council will continue to share up-to-date and accurate information with the community online at Helensburgh Community Rooms | City of Wollongong.”

Updates on the new centre are posted council's project page.