Help may be on the way for parents struggling to find childcare in Wagga's northern suburbs.
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The council received a development application for a 76-place childcare centre at 89 Valencia Drive in Gobbagombalin on June 26.
The plans for the new Gobbagombalin centre include a 702m2 main building with a covered outdoor play area and off-street parking.
The site has previously been used for agricultural purposes, and recently been subdivided.
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Angel's Paradise is currently Gobba's only childcare centre, offering 80 for the 570 families recorded in the suburb in the 2021 census.
Centre manager Hannah Troy-Hayward said they were getting new inquiries every day, and the Adaptive Montessori specialist is currently at 75 per cent capacity.
"We've seen a lot of growth recently - just going back a couple of years, we were only at 25 per cent," she said.
Wagga Early Years Learning Centre in nearby Boorooma say they are also "getting smashed" with enquiries for people who can't find a place elsewhere, and already have an extensive waiting list.
The Valencia Drive proposal comes on the back of councillors rejecting two applications for childcare centres in the last 18 months, finding they were inappropriate for the area.
Wagga parents have complained of a lack of available childcare in town for years. Parents say the shortage of centres is driving up prices, and discouraging women from returning to the workforce after having children.
In May this year, mother and veterinarian Caroline Duddy told The Daily Advertiser she was forced to travel 160km a day to get her 13 month old daughter Annabelle to childcare in Junee. She said despite her efforts, she hadn't been able to find a spot.
"Because she's in daycare in Junee, it means that she's got to go like an hour before I start work. I don't see her until well after I finish work," she said.
"A lot of people think that it's selfish to have kids and be working.
"It kind of makes me feel like I need to choose between my career and looking after her."
In May, a proposed childcare centre in Turvey Park was rejected by councillors. It was driven to a council vote after passing the threshold of 10 community complaints, and rejected on the grounds it would create dangerous traffic conditions in the area.
In February 2022, councillors rejected a proposed 79 spot childcare centre in Springvale, after residents complained it would disturb the tranquillity of the area.
These rejections have enraged the developers of the proposed centres, who say without additional centres, Wagga will continue to be a childcare desert. Others, including Councillor Tim Koschel have questioned if there was a shortage of childcare centres in Wagga, or a shortage of childcare workers causing a lack of places.
The Sydney based developer behind the proposed Turvey Park centre Darren White told The Daily Advertiser in May the development would have been an asset to the city, and impacts on traffic would have been minimal.
"I think everyone acknowledges Wagga is growing and childcare places are in short supply," he said.
A landmark report handed down by the state government in 2022 found Wagga was one of the Areas in NSW most in need of more childcare places.
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