A roadmap to secure the future economic growth, prosperity and social stability of the Illawarra and Shoalhaven has been revealed with the launch of the Illawarra-Shoalhaven City Deal Prospectus in Kiama today.
Four local government councils – Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama and Shoalhaven – have worked closely with eight regional partners to develop a plan to bring transformative change to the region while creating jobs, securing our economic resilience, boosting our visitor economy and enhancing our connectivity to Sydney and regional NSW.
Three years in the making, the Illawarra-Shoalhaven City Deal targets 10 key projects worth $875 million. These projects could deliver 12,550 jobs in the next decade while driving the recovery of the bushfire-ravaged visitor-economy for the Shoalhaven where more than 80 percent of land area was impacted or burned.
Key projects targeted in the City Deal are:
- Picton Road duplication and Mt Ousley Interchange/widening
- South West Illawarra Rail Link (SWIRL)
- Access to the M1 extension at Tripoli Way, Albion Park
- Further development of the Albatross Aviation Technology Precinct
- Wollongong Entertainment Precinct development
- A Blue Highway - Cruise, Boating and Voyaging Network
- Kiama Arts and Cultural Precinct Development
- Nowra Riverfront Mixed-Use Precinct Development
- Circular Economy and Reduced Waste to Landfill Project
- A pipeline of Smart City Regional Projects.
RDA Illawarra Chair Eddy De Gabriele said the transformative inter-regional City Deal would secure our long-term economic resilience.
“The development of this City Deal has been a major collaboration between RDA Illawarra, the Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation (ISJO) and stakeholders in local government, university, peak industry bodies and the private sector,” he said.
“The result is a unified, agreed range of economic transformative projects which, when approved as a City Deal by the NSW and Federal governments, will catalyse our economic development. By governments investing in this region, the entire state of NSW will benefit.”
ISJO Chair and Wollongong City Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery AM said the City Deal proved the power of a collaborative approach was key to developing regional strategies.
“This Illawarra-Shoalhaven City Deal aligns the planning and investment required to accelerate growth, create jobs and drive economic reforms,” he said.
“Building the projects from our Illawarra-Shoalhaven grass-roots stakeholders provides state and federal governments with a solid regional platform on which to secure the future prosperity and liveability of our cities in the south of NSW.”
The development of the Illawarra-Shoalhaven City Deal has been a collaborative process. Along with the four councils, ISJO and RDA Illawarra, key collaborators are the University of Wollongong, Illawarra Business Chamber, Property Council of Australia, Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA), RDA Far South Coast and SMART Infrastructure Facility.