Realta lodges 230-apartment, 13-storey plan for Weerona, Wollongong
Realta Enterprises has lodged SSD-95714214 for six buildings of 6 to 13 storeys on the Weerona College site in Wollongong, on exhibition until 23 October 2026.
Realta Enterprises wants to replace the former Weerona College student residence in Wollongong with six buildings of up to 13 storeys, holding 230 apartments and 84 co-living rooms. The proposal is on exhibition and has not been approved.
Why it matters
The NSW Planning Portal lists the state significant development application, SSD-95714214, for Throsby Drive and Foley Street in Wollongong City Council’s area. It covers demolition and six buildings of 6 to 13 storeys with residential, co-living and commercial uses. The Illawarra Mercury reports the University of Wollongong sold the site in 2021 and Realta paid $22 million. It also reports a separate rezoning report seeks to lift the height limit from 9 metres to 58 metres.
That height jump is the swing factor. A 6 to 13 storey scheme only works if the planning controls move, so the rezoning is as important as the built form. The Mercury reports a visual assessment rates the view from Throsby Drive as “moderate-severe”, while still calling the overall outcome acceptable.
The numbers
- 230 apartments, including 35 affordable rental dwellings (12 one-bedroom, 19 two-bedroom, four three-bedroom), per the Illawarra Mercury.
- 84 co-living rooms in a sixth building.
- 258 basement parking spaces; the Planning Portal lists two basement levels.
- Height limit sought: 58 metres, up from 9 metres.
- Traffic: 142 vehicle trips in the weekday morning peak and 93 in the evening, per the Mercury.
- Site purchase: $22 million, per the Mercury.
The portal page does not state a capital investment value or dwelling counts, so those figures rest on the Mercury report.
What’s next
Public submissions on the Planning Portal close on 23 October 2026. The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure then assesses the application. The Mercury reports construction would be staged, starting with the two buildings on the Throsby Drive and Foley Street corner.
More Illawarra and statewide projects are tracked in our New South Wales coverage.
What we checked
What we checked ourselves, and where you can check it too.
- Public recordThe NSW Planning Portal lists SSD-95714214 at Throsby Drive and Foley Street, Wollongong City, as on exhibition from 9 October to 23 October 2026, for six buildings of 6 to 13 storeys with residential, co-living and commercial uses.View the record on planningportal.nsw.gov.au