The state government’s draft plan sets a target of an additional 45,000 dwellings for the Illawarra region by 2031.

Its release again raised concerns the southern boundary of Gerringong could be further expanded into farmland.

The government’s latest draft planning document has identified South Gerringong as a potential greenfield area.

The draft plan’s housing target for the Kiama municipality during the next 20 years is 3600 dwellings, comprising 1900 single-dwelling houses, 700 multi-dwelling houses and 1000 apartments.

The plan says changes to height and density controls could mean Kiama town centre provides 760 new apartments.

A Department of Planning and Environment forum on the draft plan took place at Kiama Leagues Club on Wednesday night. 

Kiama Mayor Brian Petschler and Councillor Kathy Rice also attended the meeting at Kiama Leagues Club. 

Residents raised issues such as the southern boundary of Gerringong, protecting the boundary and unique identity of Jamberoo, concerns the draft plan could enable sand mining in biologically significant forests at Gerroa and whether it considered the impact of climate change. 

The plan is on exhibition until December 7.

A Department of Planning and Environment spokesperson said the department has been working with council on the Kiama Urban Strategy and the development potential of the Kiama and Gerringong Town Centre since the release of the Illawarra Regional Strategy in 2007, and with the draft Illawarra Regional Growth and Infrastructure Plan.

“The area west of Elambra Estate, identified in council’s draft Kiama Urban Strategy for South Gerringong is a starting point for discussions regarding the South Gerringong boundary. “This area makes a logical extension to South Gerringong, while preserving the rural buffer between South Gerringong and Gerroa and taking advantage of infrastructure investments in water, sewer and electricity.

“Providing sufficient housing to meet projected demands while preserving the character and amenity of the Kiama area is a significant challenge that will require the department and the council to work together, while ensuring the community are part of the process.”

Meanwhile, at Tuesday night’s  council meeting, Kiama councillors endorsed a submission in response to the draft plan, reaffirming the council’s view that a southern boundary of Gerringong had been set.

Cr Petschler said the council’s message to the department was being keen to have discussions relating to factors including tourism, agriculture and population and housing forecasts.

Cr Petschler said a key issue was that the southern boundary of Gerringong had been established at the time Kiama’s 2011 local environmental plan was produced.

Council also expressed concerns that the projected housing forecasts suggested for Kiama by the department did not stand up against Kiama’s historical growth or council projections.

“While the overall housing target for the Kiama LGA has been reduced from 4800 in the Illawarra discussion paper to 3600 in the draft plan, it is noted that the report prepared by SGS Economics, ‘Review of Illawarra Housing Market’ puts the demand for housing at 3000 over the same period as the draft plan,” council’s report stated. 

“This highlights the variability in formulating realistic targets and the fact that this issue needs to be addressed as a major concern for this council and one that requires further discussion prior to formalisation of a Regional Growth Plan.”

Despite endorsing the council’s submission, Cr Mark Way indicated he believed there was a need for further clarification on Gerringong’s southern boundary, particularly regarding land that had previously been earmarked as having potential for housing during the Gerringong Charette process of the 1990s.

‘‘The comments I’ve been hearing out of Gerringong in recent times from the Greens indicate they don’t want any development whatsoever, and I think that’s quite unfair,’’ Cr Way said.

‘‘It would seem to me a logical southern boundary would be along the Elambra Estate going west.

‘‘I think it’s a bit unfair of some of the people down there to say ‘we love living in Gerringong and don’t want anyone else to live here’ ... I started to hear that around 20 years ago.”

The NSW Labor Party have pledged that if elected at the 2015 State Election, it will maintain the current southern boundary of Gerringong.  

“We will preserve the current boundaries, being the existing line of houses running roughly east west and the agricultural land between Gerringong and Gerroa, which is so important to local industry," Glenn Kolomeitz, the Labor candidate for Kiama said.