Steelmaker Unveils Port Kembla Transformation

A parcel of land larger than the Melbourne CBD will be transformed into a multi-industrial precinct under plans revealed by BlueScope for a site next to its Port Kembla steelworks site.

Unveiled this week, the masterplan will guide the development of 200ha of excess land in the Wollongong suburb about 95km south-west of Sydney.

Eighteen months in the making, BlueScope said its plans had the potential to create 30,000 jobs in emerging industries such as clean energy and defence.

The company said it believed the precinct could employ as many people as it did during the heyday of the steelworks.

BlueScope managing director and chief executive Mark Vassella said it would be “one of the most significant land transformation and job creation opportunities in Australia”.

BlueScope said it had engaged Denmark’s Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), a “global leader in urban design and architecture of industrial sites”, to craft a “new urban model” for the land.

The project met BlueScope’s First Nation’s Framework, recognising Country and aiming to retain more than 60 per cent of the transformed site as green and blue space, and open parklands, the company said.

“As we approach our 100-year anniversary of steelmaking in Port Kembla, we are acutely aware of the cultural and historical significance of this site, one of the largest manufacturing sites in Australia,” Vassella said.

“Our plan is to retain approximately 70 per cent of the existing building floorspace to preserve this important steelmaking heritage.

“Our urban planners BIG often remind us of the global scale of this opportunity.

“They also remind us how unique the opportunity is given we own the land, it’s just over an hour from Sydney, is adjacent to Australia’s largest manufacturing site, has access to a deep sea port and the local transport infrastructure includes a six-lane highway and four train stations within its boundary.”

Vassella said preliminary economic modelling by Deloitte suggested the masterplan could generate an additional 20,000 jobs and contribute up to $5 billion annually to the gross regional product.

A so-called ‘super TAFE’ is also part of plans after a memorandum of understanding was signed between the steelmaker and TAFE NSW.

Under the MoU, signed by TAFE NSW managing director Steve Brady and BlueScope’s Vassella, the two parties will during the next six months explore the establishment of a flagship training campus on the site.

“We are delighted to be working with TAFE NSW to explore this opportunity. They share our vision for ensuring continued growth in opportunities that support people looking to build their careers in the Illawarra region,” Vassella said.

He said that now the masterplan had been revealed “the real work starts”.

“This includes further community consultation, conducting commercial analysis on how this long-term development play could be structured and financed, as well as addressing streamlined planning approval frameworks, and determining infrastructure requirements,” Vassella said.