Reflections on the Thirroul Plaza DA
By Stephen Le Bas and Louise Wellington, of Save Thirroul Village. With the fourth exhibition period of the Thirroul Plaza concluding last month, perhaps it is time to reflect on why the community still opposes the DA. It is also an opportunity to...
By Stephen Le Bas and Louise Wellington, of Save Thirroul Village.
With the fourth exhibition period of the Thirroul Plaza concluding last month, perhaps it is time to reflect on why the community still opposes the DA.
It is also an opportunity to reflect on the possibilities for the site if the community had been consulted by the developer.
Over the past two years, the community has continued to object to what the developer proposes for the Thirroul Plaza because:
1. The loss of street parking on Lawrence Hargrave Drive (LHD) and King Street will affect the village amenity
2. Local businesses viability will be threatened due to the loss of street parking
3. The additional traffic lights, and additional vehicles, will add to Thirroul’s traffic woes
4. The views to the escarpment will be blocked and there will be early shadowing of businesses
5. The size and bulk of the design is not suited to Thirroul’s streetscape
6. The live music at Beaches and Anita’s will be under threat due to the high-density residential complex proposed to be built above these venues.
But what is interesting is that both the Government and the Community have suggested other solutions that have not been taken up by the developer. Let’s take a look at what they are.
TfNSW proposed alternate traffic plans to the developer in an email in July 2020, including a traffic plan titled “Option D” (see image titled Option D below.) The developers rejected this traffic-management approach.
Option D utilises the existing set of traffic lights at the corner of LHD & Raymond Road, and does not require sacrificing street parking in Thirroul town centre. Under the proposal, Raymond Road would be extended through the current Plaza site and join with Redman Avenue. It would also include 45-degree-angle parking along King St, creating a low-speed shared precinct. The block-like nature of the proposed development would be broken up, presenting greater opportunities to preserve escarpment views, and the existing character of Thirroul’s streetscape.
This approach would form the basis of far more creative urban design, architecture, and development on the site. The current plaza proposal displays neither a sympathetic nor sensitive integration of its new building with the character of an existing low-density town centre that has a significant natural feature, the Illawarra escarpment.
The image, below left, is an impression of how a design utilising Option D may appear at the intersection of LHD and Raymond Road. It shows the view looking west along the proposed extension of Raymond Road through the existing Plaza site. As can be seen, the size and bulk of the proposed development is significantly reduced, and the result is far more in keeping with the current feel of the Thirroul town centre.
So why was Option D rejected? We cannot confirm, only speculate: Option D doesn’t allow for the number of apartments in the current proposal.
What Option D would do, when combined with well-considered urban and architectural design,
is make this iconic site the jewel of the Northern Illawarra. The site should take advantage of the existing character of Thirroul village and fulfil the role of a town square, where pop-up stalls, street festivals and the like can occur.
The Thirroul Plaza site is too important to have the wrong development proceed. Once an iconic site with huge potential such as this is lost to a very poor development decision, it will be lost to the community forever. We can’t let this happen!
