The figures come from an independent demographic resource provider after the population of Wagga was forecast to reach 80,000 in the same period.

More than 300 new dwellings will pop up on average each year and there is “more than enough room” to accommodate these homes, according to Wagga city strategy manager Tristan Kell.

“The challenge is to provide additional opportunities in the CBD,” he said.

“We want to try and encourage some more diversity. There is 84 per cent of our housing that is separate detached accommodation. 

“74 per cent are 3 or 4 Bedrooms.

“We need to encourage one and two bedroom housing types within the core of the city.”

There is a strategic council plan that is “identifying areas with sensible future growth” and looking at how to convert under-used parcels of land around the CBD to make it a “higher density” area.

But smaller units are generally “harder to shift,” according to LJ Hooker director Richard Rossiter, because Wagga home owners “are used to having space”.

“The whole concept of having higher density living is probably not front of mind for a lot of people in Wagga,” he said.

“I think it’s a good policy to push for medium density but again, I think people are looking for space.

“So reducing unit sizes, I’m not convinced there will be demand for that.”

The homes have “got to go north of the river,” according to veteran builder Wayne Carter. He said it comes back down to duplicating the Gobba bridge.

“We’ve got attractions underpin the economy like the air force in Kapooka and the uni, which are some of the key cogs for Wagga.

“It’s a no-brainer when you think that the bulk of Wagga is still to the south of the Murrumbidgee when all the growth is going to the north.

“It’s all the more important that we need the duplication of the Gobba bridge.”

The growth is still an opportunity, according to Mr Kell.

“Wagga’s very much an important location in Australia’s south eastern seaboard with key freight routes traversing through it.

“It is an important location for the Wiradjuri people.

 There are elements of our built form that represent 19th Century European architecture, which is important to be preserved in perpetuity.