Wagga City Council reject second childcare centre development in a year

On Monday Wagga council voted down a planned two-storey 46 place childcare centre in Turvey Park due to community concerns around parking safety, traffic and stormwater issues in the area.

Residents who spoke against the development described the traffic "nightmare" that would accompany child pick-ups and drop-offs, with the site located directly across from the main school entrance.

The application was voted down five to three, despite council staff recommending the project be approved.

The Daily Advertiser understands that councillors took part in a workshop with the developers and architects of the project in the weeks prior to the meeting to run through any questions regarding the car park and building aesthetic.

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The decision lay with elected councillors as any DA with 10 or more objections goes to a council meeting.

This is the second childcare centre knocked back in the past year after the city's councillors rejected an application for a 79-child centre in Springvale due to opposition from neighbours back in 2022.

Speaking the day after the decision, Council general manager Peter Thompson said developers may think twice before proposing similar projects in central Wagga on the back of those recent DA refusals.

"I think it's something that they would definitely take into account," he said.

"But would they not put a development application in regard? I don't think so. I think that while ever there is demand for childcare in the area, there will be developers that will want to cater to that demand for childcare."

Mr Thompson said the community should be encouraged by the rigour councillors displayed in making their decision, but said the project should have been approved.

"From the position of a professional assessment report, that development application was compliant," he said.

"Childcare is an area of Wagga that is in demand ... we would embrace as we do anytime any developer that would like to establish new childcare centres within the city, but they do need to go through the planning process."

Future investment

One Wagga councillor has since questioned council's role in approving development applications in the first place, adding that this particular case may contribute to a lack of confidence in the city for investors.

They also wondered whether some councillors could be swayed by large community presence at meetings.

The proponents can now ask for a review of the decision, take council to the Land and Environment Court or walk away from the project altogether.

Sydney developer Darren White said he had been working on this project for 12 months and had numerous meetings with council staff prior to lodging the application and appreciated their work during the process.

He left Monday's meeting extremely disappointed.

"Especially given the need for more childcare services in Wagga," he said.

Last year, a project mapping childcare availability in every Australian suburb revealed parts of Wagga had only one childcare spot available for every three children.

The decision comes a week after a $1.5 million plan to transform the old PCYC building on Gurwood Street into a 132-placement childcare centre was lodged with the council.

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