Prime coastal green site to remain locked up indefinitely
Apart from a few hit-outs each year, the seaside area is rarely used
It’s less than 100 metres from City Beach and is used by sporting groups less than 10 times a year, but the NSW government has confirmed the historic green space known as Wollongong Showground Number 2 will remain off limits to the public indefinitely.
Since the Dragons rugby league club relocated their training base from the site to their new centre of excellence at UOW’s Innovation Campus, the ground is rarely used. The Dragons used it briefly for their warm-up ahead of Sunday’s final home game of the season this weekend – the 24-22 shock win over Parramatta.
Once the Rugby League World Cup is finished next month, the open space isn’t likely to be used again until March or April.
In July, The Illawarra Flame reported that NSW Greens MP Dr Amanda Cohen had been successful in state parliament in protecting the site adjoining WIN Stadium from developers.
Greens Cr Jess Whittaker was jubilant, saying on Facebook that by “securing a carve-out” in the Venues NSW Amendment Bill, the public would be the big winners.
“Community land should be for community use, not developer profit,” Cr Whittaker said.
Her Greens council colleague Kit Docker called on the government to take down the fence and open up the vacant land for community use.
“In the immediate term, I believe the government should strongly consider opening the site, including removing the fencing, as a temporary public green space,” Cr Docker said.
“With more young families calling the Wollongong CBD home, this would provide much-needed additional space for people to play, gather and enjoy the outdoors as our city becomes increasingly dense.
“The medium and long-term future of the site should be determined through extensive and genuine community consultation. This is a remarkable piece of publicly owned waterfront land and an incredible opportunity for Wollongong.”
The Friends of MacCabe Park were quick to propose the Showground Number 2 site as an alternative to MacCabe Park for a new regional skatepark, but council ruled this out, saying it didn’t own the land.
When The Illawarra Flame contacted Wollongong MP Paul Scully for comment, we were directed to contact the office of the Minister for Sport Steve Kamper MP.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Venues NSW said “the WIN Stadium training field remains in use for Dragons training sessions, and is a key operational space on event days.
“The future use of the site is being considered as part of planning for the proposed redevelopment of the precinct, including a new arena, redeveloped stadium, and beachside complex.
“The community will be invited to have its say on the redevelopment plans, including any proposed changes to the southern training field, when they are placed on public exhibition."
