Recent reports published widely indicate that Wollongong is now Australia's third most expensive city. This shows growth and the extent to which people are willing to take advantage of how Wollongong has evolved from a ‘utility’ town to a beach and resort city in the last few years. The upgrades to shopping centres and precincts, the highly active Crown Street Mall, hatted restaurants and an abundance of cafés and coffee shops make it a very cool place to be.
According to information released by Domain Group, homes in the Greater Sydney region increased 12.2% over the 12 months to the first quarter of 2016, while Wollongong saw growth of 13.6% in the same period. The extent of emerging medium- and high-rise apartment blocks over the last few years has been rapid – and the number of construction cranes silhouetted across the Wollongong skyline shows no signs of reducing in the foreseeable future.
The enormous influx of new residents to the area has resulted in the substantial growth of supporting infrastructure, community facilities, and non-residential property developments across the region. The first-class upgrade of the Win Stadium and Entertainment Centre are good examples of this effect, along with the welcomed expansion of the University of Wollongong, especially the accommodations and the Innovation Campus. Then, there’s the Wollongong Private Hospital and the significant upgrade to the existing public hospital. The list goes on.
Andrew Wilson from the Domain Group suggests: ‘Sooner rather than later, we’ll consider Wollongong part of Sydney. In most instances, these satellite cities also offer a reasonable proximity to the capital city by road and rail whilst being amongst a scenic or coastal lifestyle when the working day is over. It’s a decision between affording to live in Sydney or driving two hours to work, and people are choosing the commute’.
Our team has participated in accessibility consulting for a portion of Wollongong’s rapid expansion and upgrade. Many projects, old and new, maintain access barriers, slip and trip hazards and deficient sanitary facilities, leaving developers, designers, building owners and tenants vulnerable to hefty claims related to discrimination and injury.
Wollongong and the South Coast are not specifically served by an ACAA Accredited Access Consultant, prompting us to open a dedicated office in the heart of the city to serve this need. The new office is headed by John Moulang, who has lived and worked on the South Coast for 15 years and has been an accredited Senior Access Consultant with our firm for over a year. John’s current local projects include four student accommodation buildings at UOW, the Shellharbour Civic Centre and two TAFE upgrades.