Tonight Wollongong City Council received two reports which set a policy framework to support revitalisation of the retail centre of Port Kembla.

Wollongong City Council Administrator, Robert McGregor, said that the retail area of Port Kembla had suffered over the last thirty years as population in the area dropped and following the growth of Warrawong Town Centre.

“These reports propose a number of actions to help support the revitalisation of Wentworth Street, Port Kembla. In particular there are changes that Council can support with ongoing policy reform.”

“This includes a review of our development planning controls for the area to make sure that they are appropriate – without being too onerous on local business, focusing future retail development within the established commercial centre, encouraging residential development and reviewing private parking requirements due to the availability of public parking in the vicinity.”

“The revitalisation of the Port Kembla Town Centre requires more than planning controls. There is also a level of work which must be done, and has already been started, by the local business and property owners themselves.  Council will continue to work with and support the Port Kembla Chamber of Commerce and Port Kembla Quarter group who are working on a number of initiatives to attract business back to the area.”

The report includes two studies carried out on the area which look at both future planning for the area and the economic factors impacting the area.