LAND USE: With BlueScope's Michael Yiend – Wollongong’s 200 Hectares of Opportunity
What happens when 200 hectares of industrial land becomes available for transformation? For Wollongong, it represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape the region's future while honouring its past.
In this compelling episode of Community Matters, Nicky sits down with Michael Yiend, Head of Property Development at BlueScope, to explore an ambitious project that will create an estimated 20,000 jobs and fundamentally change how the community connects with this significant landholding.
Michael explains how changes in steel-making technology have made this transformation possible, creating an unprecedented opportunity to diversify Wollongong's economy while maintaining the region's industrial heritage.
The release of BlueScope's non-operational land as a Special Enterprise Zone opens exciting possibilities; from manufacturing and logistics to public spaces accessible to everyone. But this isn't just about economic development. Michael reveals how the project is built on four essential pillars: connecting industries, communities, country, and ecology.
Discover how BlueScope is working with traditional owners to ensure First Nations voices help shape the master plan, and how "amazing pockets of ecology" will be protected and enhanced rather than sacrificed to development. Learn about plans for cycling paths, pedestrian access, and multi-modal transport options that will increase permeability throughout the area, allowing the community to enjoy and move through this transformed space.
From preserving heritage buildings like “Lindenfels”, the old general manager's house with deep regional history, to partnering with Dutch experts Bjarke Ingels on the master plan, this project demonstrates how industrial evolution can create wins for both business and community.
Michael emphasises BlueScope's fundamental connection to Wollongong: "Unless we are aligned with the community, our steel-making business just does not operate the way it needs to." This philosophy drives ongoing community engagement and ensures local voices will shape the development.
As Nicky perfectly summarises: "Good for Community and Good for BlueScope."
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