Hely Ave: Croft Developments’ 90-home plan decided by council

A plan that could see an additional 200 people move into a bustling development in Wagga has been decided on. See the result here.

Developers behind an expansive plan to see a massive 90 homes built in Wagga have learnt the fate of the proposal, following a decision from council.

This month, Wagga City councillors gave an initial green light to a major planning proposal by Croft Developments for the former Charles Sturt University (CSU) South Campus site at College and Hely street, Turvey Park.

Former plans for the site earmarked a seniors’ housing development for 180 beds, however, new planning documents reveal as many 90 homes could be built as part of a multi-million dollar development.

A planner for the project said the proposal would “permit residential development of 9.146ha of serviced urban land”.

“(The proposal) would enable the construction of additional residential accommodation to house approximately 225 persons,” the planner said.

“This will facilitate further residential development of the land, including other compatible land uses, and capitalise on the land’s locational strengths within the greater Wagga Wagga urban setting.

“It will also contribute to community growth, well-being and expansion of the local economy, thereby triggering further local investment, job creation and additional resources for community support services.”

Picture: Supplied

On Monday night, council decided to support the planning proposal, while recommending amendments to address “site specific matters”.

Councillors Georgia Davies and Amelia Parkins said they were concerned by the ‘lack of green space’ in Wagga, but understood why councillors supported the proposal.

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“Our decision on rezoning has implications on future land developments for the future of Wagga,” Cr Parkins said.

Deputy Mayor Jenny McKinnon was supportive of the development but was mindful of the need for a better land development plan for the future.

“Developers will rezone the residential area which will be great in terms of providing an important service but we need a master plan for the future of green spaces,” Ms McKinnon said.

Committee 4 Wagga president Adam Drummond said that developments were subject to “future land availability” and supported council’s decision.

“Land availability in general, the issues are access and is there going to be enough uptake in the future planning,” he said. “Our focus is on the bigger picture of substantial growth for Wagga in terms of how it can help in the future.

“We are part of the roundtable discussions with all of our stakeholders and major industries about this to ensure we have a liveable city in the future.”

The proposal has been forwarded to NSW planning for Gateway determination.