West Dapto has been targeted for large-scale urban expansion in the City of Wollongong, and has the potential to accommodate approximately 60,000 people over a 25 to 30 year period. The suburb of Horsley is the first stage of the West Dapto Development and is currently under development. When completed, Horsley will accommodate 8,000 people. Bong Bong Road provides the major form of access to the suburbs of West Dapto and Horsley. Unfortunately, Bong Bong Road is affected by floodwaters, cutting off access to West Dapto and Horsley in flood times. Moreover, Bong Bong road does not provide a suitable 'gateway' to the new developing areas. Wollongong City Council has responded to these problems by proposing to extend Fowlers Road (west of the Princes Highway). Council has taken steps to:

• reserve land affected by the road alignment and negotiate with the owner to acquire the land;
• identify a horizontal alignment of the proposed road and its linkages to the west; and
• adopt a Section 94 Contributions Plan (GP) and start collecting contributions to pay for the road.

Council commissioned Forbes Rigby Pty Ltd to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposal. This EIA:

1. describes the environment of the study area;
2. assesses a number of proposed routes across the Mullet Creek floodplain;
3. identifies a preferred alternative;
4. proposes a conceptual design of the proposed work; and
5. assesses the likely environmental significance of these impacts against the 'heads of consideration' under section 79C of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (as amended).