Wagga City Council to improve communication with construction sector with quarterly breakfast meetings

Councillors received a report on measures to better engage with the sector at Monday's meeting, including the recommendation that council hold regular forums with stakeholders from across the industry.

Councillor Richard Foley had called for an audit of the way in which council works with the building industry, calling for meetings attended by council planning staff at which key industry figures could air any issues they may have.

A breakfast forum with 50 local construction figures has since taken place in recent months, where the general manager, and other key staff spoke on current challenges facing the housing sector.

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Council staff have committed to quarterly meetings, the next scheduled for May 23.

"I think we live in a very interesting time, the city is growing and expanding north and south ... I look forward to the building and construction industry becoming aware of this and hopefully turning up in greater numbers," Cr Foley said.

Construction is booming at present and is key to any future growth in the city, but some in the industry have suggested relations with council can be difficult.

Two of the city's biggest developers recently lashed out at council over their poor communication after being hit with a $8000 fine for mud on the road in front of one of their sites.

Fetesi Pty Ltd have been operating in Wagga for 40 years and are behind thousands of homes and many developments across the city, including a recent $5 million project on Fernleigh Road.

Last year they won approval from council to develop an abandoned block of land on Lake Albert road into a $12 million shopping complex, containing room for up to 25 potential new stores, restaurants or offices, and were stung with a fine without warning for mud on the road outside this project.

Owners Mick Neason and Phil Andrea told The Daily Advertiser that council's lack of engagement with developers could drive builders away from the city.

"We've created a lot of work, created work for people. I said to the council , 'one day you're just gonna shut the whole industry down. Nobody's going to do this," Mr Andrea said.

"You talk to any developer, they're saying the same thing."

Mr Neason said they've done their best to work constructively with council over the past four decades of operating in Wagga and they attended the first breakfast forum, making the fine even more disappointing, they said.

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