Neighbourhood Forum 4 to Address Bellambi Point Rezoning and Local Planning Today

Community Members to Gather at Towradgi for Neighbourhood Forum 4

Wollongong residents from the northern suburbs will gather tonight, Tuesday, 7 April 2026, for the latest session of Neighbourhood Forum 4 (NF4). The meeting, scheduled to take place from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at the Towradgi Community Hall, comes at a critical time for local planning, with several major development proposals currently under review by the Wollongong City Council and the New South Wales Government.

Neighbourhood Forum 4 represents the interests of residents in Balgownie, Bellambi, Corrimal, East Corrimal, Fairy Meadow, Fernhill, Mount Ousley, Mount Pleasant, Russell Vale, Tarrawanna, and Towradgi. Tonight’s session is expected to focus heavily on the ongoing controversy surrounding the Bellambi Point Rezoning proposal, which has sparked significant debate across the region over the past several weeks.

Bellambi Point Rezoning Remains a Top Priority

The primary item of interest for tonight’s forum is the fallout from the Wollongong City Council’s recent endorsement of a draft submission regarding the Bellambi Point area. On 23 March, the Council voted to support a proposal from Homes NSW that would see the rezoning of land from low-density to medium-density residential. This plan includes:

• Increasing building heights from 9 metres to up to 22 metres in certain sections.
• Reducing minimum lot sizes from 449 square metres to 200 square metres.
• The long-term redevelopment of the northern part of the Bellambi Estate to support higher-density dwellings.

While the Council, led by Lord Mayor Tania Brown, has expressed support for the broad goals of increasing housing supply to address regional shortages, the proposal has faced opposition from local community groups and public housing advocates. A protest held late last month at Bellambi Beach saw residents voice concerns over the scale of the proposed changes and the potential impact on the character of the existing community. Tonight’s forum provides a formal platform for residents to discuss these developments as the final recommendation moves toward the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces.

Focus on Transparency and Local Governance

In addition to specific planning matters, tonight’s meeting follows a period of heightened scrutiny regarding Council transparency. Recent reports have highlighted concerns among some local representatives regarding the use of non-public workshops to brief councillors on sensitive housing projects. As a result, community-led sessions like Neighbourhood Forum 4 have taken on an increasingly vital role as a transparent venue for direct public discourse and information sharing.

The meeting at the corner of Moray and Towradgi Roads is open to all members of the public. Residents are encouraged to attend to share their perspectives on how these sweeping planning changes and other local infrastructure projects will affect the livability of the northern Illawarra suburbs.