These are either being re-developed, or dual-occupied, increasing housing density in the Suburb. This has put pressure on the road infrastructure. Lawrence Hargrave Drive is the only through road in the northern suburbs of the Illawarra. The increased dwelling density is seeing a growth in congestion on the main arterial route. Thirroul is one of only two designated villages in the Wollongong Local Government Area. The backdrop to the Thirroul town centre is the iconic Illawarra escarpment. Key to the village atmosphere is the shopping strip where residents and tourists can easily park in the village to visit local cafes and shops. Residents are concerned that the village feel of the suburb is threatened by the increased development pressures being placed on the area. In early 2020 a large development application was lodged for the redevelopment of the Thirroul Plaza site. The current plaza is a single storey, purely commercial enterprise, and contains no residences. The application (DA-2020/363) proposes a three-storey structure that would retain the commercial operation and see 80 residential units developed on the site. The size of the structure would also significantly impair the view to the escarpment from the village shopping strip. The development also requires the elimination of most of the kerbside parking in the village. Business owners and residents alike are very concerned about the impact this development will have on Thirroul village. In 2020 a group called Save Thirroul Village was set up to work alongside the Thirroul Village Committee to oppose the development application proposing the redevelopment of the Thirroul Plaza site. STV was formed to assist the community in lodging objections. A number of objections from local residents and businesses were lodged against this development over the four iterations of the application. The groups are working together to promote the best outcomes for development within Thirroul. In popular culture Thirroul features in the musical piece Small Town by Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe. A note published by Faber Music states that forty years after the visit of D.H. Lawrence and his novel Kangaroo, "Peter Sculthorpe envisaged Thirroul as the quintessential Australian town, frozen in a more innocent time". The music evokes the architecture of the town, the township monument and includes a rendering of the Last Post evoking an Anzac Day ceremony at the town war memorial. Churches St Michael's Catholic Church St David's Anglican Church C3 Church Thirroul Notable people John