The developers behind a controversial drug recovery house are preparing to make their case to the Land and Environment Court.
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The Riverina Recovery House has generated considerable debate, with the fight over the proposed Gurwood Street location raging for almost two years. Property owners argued it would lower their land values and could endanger children, while medical professionals argued about the need for a recovery house in the city.
Two successive councils opposed the plan, which led developer Debbie Cox to seek a conciliation hearing at the Land and Environment Court next month. If an agreement with council cannot be reached, Mrs Cox said she would seek a full hearing of the court.
“We don’t just want to target people in Wagga with this service, there’s nothing else close by like what we’re proposing,” Mrs Cox said. “It’s unique, it’s proven to work and if we can help a few people we’d be stoked.”
However, neighbours of the facility continue to oppose the development, concerned that it could bring an undesirable element to their quiet, leafy street.
One of the biggest concerns is the way the recovery house’s approval was sought: Neighbours say by allowing a “change of use” for the former Millie’s Guesthouse, it opened the door for future use as a halfway house for criminals. Developers deny this would be the case.
The appeal comes as regional drug problems once again make headlines, with national media outlets painting Wagga as an ice hotspot.
Police and treatment organisations have disputed the claims that Wagga is any worse than other regional areas, but local magistrate Erin Kennedy told The Daily Advertiser that more resources were needed to combat ice.
“We do need more support with rehabilitation options locally,” she said. “The services we have work so hard, but they can’t keep up.”
Magistrate Kennedy said of almost 5000 cases she oversaw annually, more than 2000 were ice-related, with cases ranging from possession and supply to habit-funding and drug-driven crime.