Without much fanfare, the Kiama LGA has become part of the new Illawarra-Shoalhaven City and is set to combine with five other regions (all known as cities) to create a ‘megacity’.

This happened in April when the Greater Sydney Commission morphed into the Greater Cities Commission (GCC).

It is a NSW Government planning initiative to ‘create a globally competitive city region’ along the lines of San Francisco, Greater London, Netherlands’ Randstad and China’s Pearl River Delta, to service an expected nine million residents by 2050.

The Six Cities include the Illawarra-Shoalhaven City (sometimes referred to in GCC publicity as Wollongong), the Central Coast City, the Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle City, the Western Parkland City, the Central River City and the Eastern Harbour City. 

Kiama’s Mayor Neil Reilly has been appointed, along with mayors from Wollongong, Shellharbour and Shoalhaven, to select a Commissioner to represent our region on the Commission.

GCC Chief Commissioner Geoff Roberts AM (former head of the Greater Sydney Commission) says this megacity initiative will mean “more people in the six cities working within 30 minutes of where they live, increased access to homes that families can afford and more equal access to higher education and training opportunities.

“The move will deliver economic and lifestyle benefits to millions of people, supporting growth with fit-for-life infrastructure and allowing more people to enjoy our enviable waterways and natural environment.”

Mayor Reilly says the Commission will provide strategic oversight and co-ordination across Government agencies and councils.

“In areas like Wollongong, which lost their planning in 2008, they will assist the Wollongong Local Planning Panel (WLPP) who make decisions. In our area, planning will be retained as it is.”

Asked if he might be worried whether the veto presently enjoyed by local councils over targets (specifically housing) might be removed by the GCC, he responded, “The legislation says that across the Six Cities housing targets will be set to manage the chronic housing shortage in most areas.

“As we have areas around us who need housing desperately, they will advocate to our eventual Commissioner for this. I will seek guidance from our community via our housing strategy and consultation as to how we will form a strategy that suits us.”

A critic of the GCC who has a strong planning background but did not wish to be named, says, “This is the amalgamation you are having when you are not having an amalgamation. It’s an amalgamation by stealth which will result in a semi-autonomous council, but with no power.”

The City would stretch from Wollongong down to just north of Batemans Bay

Kiama Councillor Karen Renkema-Lang says that while the GCC could provide great opportunities for achieving regional economies of scale for local services and for establishing cohesive and sustained strategic planning across the region, it could also lead to commercial exploitation of the environment that will not necessarily benefit local communities.

“It will also limit the powers of local governments to act in the interest of local communities on many matters and needs to be considered along with recent and dramatic changes to the NSW planning laws.

“Of particular concern is the scrapping of the nine sustainability principles designed to enhance climate resilience and restrict development on inappropriate places such as flood plains.

“Following on from this, other NSW sustainable planning policies were revoked at a lunch hosted by a development lobby group earlier this year. The policies were designed around resilience and sustainability, and intended to increase green space and tree canopy, ban the use of dark roofs, reduce the urban heat effect and enhance walkability.”

The State Member for Kiama, Gareth Ward, who has asked for a briefing on the GCC, says that when he stood for election in 2011, the then O’Farrell Government promised to return planning powers to local communities.

“Over the last few years, I have seen a greater centralisation of planning powers into the hands of bureaucrats. These moves run totally contradictory to the pledge made by the O’Farrell Government.

“Communities have every right to have a say in the future of our urban environment. The South Kiama re-zoning is a perfect example of where the community feel like our voices are not being heard on a major land re-zoning.

“Good planning starts at the local level and I want to commend Mayor Neil Riley for working with me and our community to oppose over-development.”

Kiama’s Peter O’Neill, who is behind the citizens action group for redevelopment of the Bombo Quarry, is concerned that if our Council is not proactive, planning decisions will be made for us by the Commission.  

“This could include additional rezoning of rural areas to meet possible increased housing targets,” he says.

“We need to hold onto our green rolling hills. We need to encourage the Commission to see that we are the green lungs of the southern area, that we have strong tourism potential and that we fulfil their need for liveability.”

He says the Kiama community needs to work with the councillors now to start a discussion around what planning will look like under the GCC.

“The Bombo quarry could be our saviour in providing more housing sites,” he says. “We don’t want the new Planning Minister and Minister for Homes, Anthony Roberts, to look at Kiama and decide we are not pulling our weight.”

Part of the GCC’s remit is to include better transport facilities in the mega region as the aim is for more people in the six cities to work within 30 minutes of where they live.

However, the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region is still waiting for a faster more efficient transport system.

“At the last election, the NSW Coalition promised a report into faster rail,” says Mr Ward.

“This report was to investigate four lines into regional NSW, including the South Coast. I have moved motions in Parliament and asked questions on notice about it.

“To date, the Government has not released this report and in the interests of transparency, the Government must release this Report and tell the public what plans it has to improve public transport in our region.”

Mayor Reilly says that in a recent meeting with the GCC, he raised the topic of improving transport in this region.

“It’s on the agenda. I also spoke of the inadequacy of our east west connections.”

Cllr Renkema-Lang says, “On a positive note, I am pleased that the Mayor is on the front foot with regard to the GCC.

“As members of the Illawarra-Shoalhaven Joint Organisation, the Mayor, the CEO and I are well placed to act co-operatively with our neighbouring councils to ensure we understand the impact it will have on local governments and to determine how we can work together to affect the best possible outcomes for Kiama and the region.”

GCC Chief Executive Elizabeth Mildwater has said the Commission would focus on bringing stakeholders together to collaborate on future planning for a new city region that benefits local communities.

“Each of the six cities will build on its own signature strengths and character. We’ll keep what’s working well today in each city and supercharge this with the combined power that comes with being part of the larger world-class city region.”

The Commission will develop a Six Cities Strategic Plan for discussion in mid-2022, before the finalisation of a new Region Plan by the end of 2023.