Helensburgh: Please note new address in Community Centre and Library DA
Monday, 5 October is the last chance for residents to have their say on the DA for Helensburgh's new Community Centre and Library
Parking spaces have been doubled to 22 in Wollongong City Council's plans for Helensburgh's new Community Centre and Library. But residents submitting feedback should note another small but significant numerical change in the development application (DA).
Since the site of the long-awaited public building was announced in August 2024, council has described the location as 53-55 Walker Street.
In the DA, it is listed as 55-57 Walker Street.
With Monday, October 5 being the last chance for residents to share their thoughts on the 2508 district's biggest development in decades, the Illawarra Flame asked council why the address had changed and if this invalidates earlier reports.
Essentially, the answer is that two blocks have become one and the driveway of the current library has crept into the plans to allow for 11 more parking spaces.
"Council has worked with NSW Land Registry Services to consolidate what was formerly two lots at 53-55 Walker Street, into a single lot now listed as 55 Walker Street," a Wollongong City Council spokesperson said.
"Reports completed prior to the lot consolidation (i.e. waste management, disability access, acoustic and noise impact assessment) and included in the DA documents remain relevant to the project’s intended outcomes.
"In addition, a portion of the additional parking included in the updated design based on community feedback sits on part of 57 Walker Street, as does the exit to Walker Street. Accordingly, the DA references 55 and 57 Walker Street."
Council still plans to sell what's left of the old library site to cover the new building.
"The long-term plan for the current library site remains eventual sale following the completion of the new Community Centre and Library," the council spokesperson said.
Major project to cost $15.5m
Helensburgh's new community centre and library – which will also be used by residents of Darkes Forest, Otford, Stanwell Tops, Stanwell Park and Coalcliff – is tipped to cost about $15.5 million.
2508 postcode residents have told the Illawarra Flame they are worried the town's new centre could now be delayed, as Wollongong City Council faces a $16 million cut in funding due to proposed new methodology for distributing Commonwealth Financial Assistance Grants to councils across the state.
"Funding provided to Council via the NSW Local Government Grants Commission (Grants Commission) is general purpose funding with a smaller local roads component," a council spokesperson said today.
"This funding is not specifically tied to any one project and is currently utilised across Council’s budget and adopted Infrastructure Delivery Program (IDP).
"We are currently preparing a submission to the Grants Commission’s review of its funding distribution methodology that will go before an extraordinary meeting of Council on 8 October. Noting this process is still at the review stage, there has been no reconsideration of Council’s budget, IDP or specific projects.
"We will keep the community updated if there are any proposed changes."
Extension for NF1 submission approved
Designed by local business Sherson Architecture, the plans on exhibition show a two-storey building, with the library downstairs and above it a large hall, which could seat more than 200 people and be used for events, exhibitions and performances. The updated landscape design includes more trees, with sandstone elements inspired by the escarpment.
Neighbourhood Forum 1 (NF1), the community group led by volunteer convenor Warwick Erwin, asked council for extra time to review the DA.
NF1 said with more than 600 pages of documents the group needed time to review traffic impact, sustainability claims and maintenance costs, as well as other issues, including "Federal Disability Discrimination Act implications".
In a letter to council, the NF1 convenor wrote: "Wollongong City Council has taken over 45 years to replace a temporary demountable building used for the district's library and the community deserves time to review the plans thrust upon them."
Council declined to extend general submissions, but has granted NF1 an extension to submit its collated submission by 16 October, two days after the group's next meeting on Wednesday, 14 October.
Parents support library progress
The P&C presidents of Helensburgh and Stanwell Park Public Schools support progress on the new mixed-use centre.
Tim Hardaker, P&C president at Stanwell Park Public School, said: “Any investment in the northern Illawarra and our local communities is a positive thing, and after what feels like a literal lifetime of having a ‘temporary’ library, it’s really exciting to see a permanent solution on the horizon.
“We also love the fact that the project has been designed by a Stanwell Park Public School parent."
Engagement on a future library began in 2017. If the new Helensburgh Community Centre and Library meets its scheduled completion date of "late 2028", this public facility will have involved more than a decade of consultation, planning and construction.
More info
- The Helensburgh Community Centre and Library project page on Council's website has updates and project history.
- The exhibition period for Development Application (DA-2026/592) is from 7 September to 5 October.
- Big picture feedback via council's world-first Wollongong Goals collaboration with Canva closes on Tuesday, 6 October. More than 10,000 goals have been collected so far.
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Genevieve Swart
