Estimated to cost four million dollars, the service centre will occupy a flat and vacant site on the corner of Sturt Highway and Tasman Road in Gumly Gumly. 

Despite a service station complex of United Petrol and McDonald’s already situated closer to the CBD, on the corner of Kooringal Road and the highway, a nearby business owner embraced a new development.

The Mercury Motor Inn sits adjacent to the proposed site and the owner Pooja Tandan, welcomed the complex. 

“We received a notice about this and I’m quite happy as it will be good for business, with workers able to stay during construction as well as catering to truck drivers," Ms Tandan said. “There’s not much lighting on the Sturt Highway, so this complex will increase the lighting and add more traffic.” 

Ms Tandan said she hopes the development will solve the lack of car parking in Wagga.

“There will be a bigger car park and this will be one of the best things that the locals can use,” she said. 

According to the development application, the highway service station will be a 24 hour operation and will service the needs of the public that encourages a range of compatible uses. There will be 50 parking spaces, with 41 light vehicle spaces and nine truck parking spaces. 

The establishment will provide additional highway service options for the travelling public and will provide fuel and food for trucks travelling directly between Bomen and destinations to the east of Wagga. Therefore, the application said the complex will not undermine the economic strength and primacy of the CBD. 

Public submissions revealed concerns over nearby residential dwellings as well as issues regarding the noise of trucks, the light spill and fumes and air pollution the centre might cause. 

An acoustic assessment report found that the area is already impacted by highway noise and it won’t be intrusive at any nearby residence, due to the relatively consistent traffic on nearby roads, and nearby non-residential development. 

The development will generate money into the local economy, through employment generation during construction and then the operation of the centre. The branding of the business is still unknown.