The Corrimal Chamber of Commerce is getting behind plans to revitalise the commercial centre of Corrimal.
At its December meeting, Wollongong City Council decided to proceed with revitalisation plans for Corrimal and is now writing a draft Development Control Plan for the suburb. Council has committed to gathering stakeholder input for the updated DCP.
Corrimal Chamber has kicked off this process by conducting a survey of 110 local businesses of which 45% were also Corrimal residents.
“Time-poor business owners have so far found it difficult to get directly involved in the consultation process around the revitalisation. So the Chamber went door-to-door to over 100 businesses to talk to them about the key issues,” said Wendy Fogarty, President of the Corrimal Chamber of Commerce.
“Our research supported Council’s decision to adopt a consolidated CBD area, with height limits of 4 storeys with the commercial centre. Indeed, we found support for even higher limits, with threequarters of respondents saying they would support a proposal up to 6 storeys high within the CBD zone.
“Almost two thirds of respondents were also in agreement with Council’s decision to maintain zero set-backs for two-storey buildings within the commercial area,” she said.
There was also overwhelming support (94%) for safety and amenity improvements to Corrimal Memorial Park and Robert Ziems Park. Meanwhile, three-quarters of respondents supported the idea of increase bike paths around the commercial centre.
“One issue neglected in the original plan was signage. We are pleased to see improved signage for the suburb is a key part of the plans to be taken forward. We want to welcome potential customers to our businesses and let them know they are entering the major town of the northern suburbs,” said Ms Fogarty.
The Chamber will be sending the results of its survey, including additional written comments from 45 respondents, to Wollongong City Council and local Parliamentary representatives. “We are sure that Council will appreciate our efforts in pulling together this information for them to assist in their writing of the DCP. The business community looks forward to working with Council to complete this process as quickly as possible so that these plans can become a reality.” said Ms
Fogarty.
The Chamber itself is also undergoing a make-over and is considering a name change to reflect a new direction to support businesses in surrounding suburbs. “For the first time we have established sub-committees in Woonona, Fairy Meadow and Bulli to ensure businesses in these suburbs have a dedicated voice within our Chamber. By talking directly with these businesses, the Chamber will have a strong voice for local business and be able to communicate information directly to Council to assist with their decision making processes.
“We might need to update our name to reflect this shift. Our survey showed overwhelming support for this (89% in favour) and we’ll be working with our members to gather their thoughts in the coming months,” concluded Ms Fogarty.
ENDS
For further comments, contact Wendy Fogarty, President Corrimal Chamber of Commerce – 0409 662 227
