City Planning and Development  

Updated December 2020

The City’s future development is guided by the following key Wagga Wagga City Council plans:-

• Community Strategic Plan 2040 (2017)

• Spatial Plan 2013-2043 (2013)

• Wagga Wagga Integrated Transport Strategy and Implementation Plan 2040 (2017)

• Recreation, Open Space and Community Strategy and Implementation Plan 2040

• Wagga Wagga Local Environmental Plan 2010

• Wagga Wagga Development Control Plan 2010

• Wagga Wagga Local Infrastructure Contributions Plan 2019-2034

All Regional NSW Councils are required to have a Local Strategic Planning Statement (LSPS) in place by 1 July 2020. This document sets out a 20-year vision for land-use in the local area and is reviewed every seven years. The LSPS shapes how the development controls in the local environmental plan evolve over time to meet the community's needs and provides a narrative as to how it is envisaged the City will grow and develop in the future.

Wagga Wagga City Council identified the implementation of the LSPS as a major project for 2019/20 and the draft LSPS was released for public feedback in November 2020. The draft LSPS can be viewed here: WWCC Draft LSPS. Members are encouraged to provide feedback to Council via the same website.

The Council also develops Master Plans for various key areas of the city to inform the Development Control Plan. A number of these Master Plans are due for renewal and some precincts will undertake Master Planning for the first time in the near future, such as the CBD Master Plan and the Smart Cities Strategic Plan.

The Council currently has the Health and Knowledge Precinct Master Plan out for public exhibition.

The State Government’s draft Master Plan for the Special Activation Precinct (SAP) at the Bomen Industrial Estate was released in mid-2020 and public submissions on this document have closed. The submissions report is expected to be released in early 2021 and this feedback will be incorporated into the Final SAP Master Plan. The SAP Master Plan impacts on the existing Wagga Wagga City Council Master Plan for that area.

The designation of a Growth Centre under the State Governments 2018 20-Year Economic Vision for Regional NSW, with a targeted population of 100,000 people by 2038 will require Wagga Wagga City Council plans to be revised to align with this target and address the needs of the city as it grows towards that target. It is expected that Council will progressively update the current plans throughout 2020.

Background

Wagga Wagga City Council proposes to undertake comprehensive reviews and updates of the city’s key planning documents, including the Local Environment Plan and Development Control Plan. It is highly important the reviews of these documents consider the economic benefit of developing flexible, pro-development guidelines that will encourage development activity within the city rather than constrain it. It is critical the process of renewing the documents consists of regular and collaborative consultation with key industry stakeholders to ensure buy-in and support at a local level. 

The importance of a strong, clear plan is evidenced by a comprehensive survey undertaken by C4Wagga’s 65 members in 2017, indicating the LEP is one of the most important community documents. 

It is expected a planning proposal to amend the current LEP will be initiated in mid-2017 and legislated in mid-2018 following the necessary passage through the NSW Department of Planning and Environment’s Gateway Process. In addition, the current LEP will be initiated in 2017 followed by a comprehensive review and renewal in 2018 to ensure the document aligns with the current trends and requirements of development in and around the city.