Planning and development in Wollongong

Planning for our city's future

Planning and development issues are among the most important considered by Wollongong City Council.

Because Wollongong is a narrow coastal city bordered on the west by the Illawarra Escarpment and on the east by the ocean, most readily developable land has already been taken up. The remaining sites are the most difficult, and in some cases, the most controversial.

Residents of the Wollongong local government area naturally are interested in the type of development that goes on in their neighbourhood, and in their city generally.  Many development applications attract a lot of interest and media coverage, and we have a number of ways to involve the community in decision-making on these vital issues. Visiti our Have your say page to find out how you can express your opinion.

Council has a dual role when it comes to planning and development. Through our City Strategy division, we develop long-term plans and strategies, many of which ultimately become Council policy after a process of consultation.

These policies then guide decisions relating to a particular geographical area or a specific development issue. Visit our City strategy page to find out more about long-term planning in the city of Wollongong and major projects we’re working on.

The Wollongong City-wide Local Environment Plan (LEP) is the over-arching document guiding planning decisions across the city. You can access the LEP and Council’s many other related policies through the Planning policies section of our website.

Our other role is the assessment of development applications, and this takes place in our Development Assessment and Compliance division. If you’re planning to carry out any home renovations or building work, it’s important you first find out everything you need to know about the development application process.You can do this by visiting our Development Applications page, or by speaking to the friendly staff on Level 4 of our administration building in Burelli Street, Wollongong.

If you’re interested in finding out about development proposals around the city, visit our On-line services page to view all proposals currently on public exhibition.