A NEW suburb on the riverfront could be built in Wagga to keep up with its booming population.
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Wagga councillors will consider a planning proposal at Monday night's council meeting that looks to rezone 60 hectares of land on Old Narrandera Road adjacent to the existing Estella and Gobbagombalin suburbs.
The planning proposal stated it looks to create up to 750 housing lots to accommodate a future population of about 2000 residents.
It is also proposed to rezone land on the riverfront for commercial purposes that provide daily conveniences such as a pub, shops and other businesses.
"The future neighborhood is intended to create diverse lifestyle opportunities within a walkable, connected community located adjacent to a natural riverine landscape," the proposal stated.
"The land is the only new residential precinct in the northern growth area of the city that will enable a direct active interface with the river environment."
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Wagga property valuer Chris Egan said a new neighbourhood in the northern suburbs is a major opportunity for the city, which is struggling to keep up with the high demand for land.
"We have never seen such strong demand for residential land. There is a ferocious appetite to live north of the city. They can't release enough land," he said.
Mr Egan said he anticipates high value and demand for this land with the combination of easy access to services and nice alleviated blocks with views of the Murrumbidgee Valley.
"It's ticking all the boxes," he said.
Mr Egan said it is simple to build houses, but forethought is required for long-term infrastructure if this suburb goes ahead.
"The residents of Gobba, Estella and Boorooma are screaming out for a supermarket and specialty shops out there," he said.
"Instead of just putting houses there there needs to be infrastructure to support the lifestyle with which we expect in a regional area."
Wagga mayor Greg Conkey said the planning proposal provides an opportunity to address the city's shortage of land in a great location that gives access to the Murrumbidgee River for the residents living in the area.
Cr Conkey said this project goes part-in-parcel with the council's vision of growing Wagga to a population of 100,000 residents by 2038.
"The northern suburbs are one of the fastest growing suburbs in the state," he said.
"It is a great location that goes down to the river and is flood free, but there is a lot of community land part of the project with community access to a stretch of the river."
However, Cr Conkey said it will add to the existing problems at the dangerous Old Narrandera Road intersection and will put more pressure on the state government to duplicate the Gobbagombalin Bridge.
Mr Egan agreed that this suburb will require the state government to consider the duplication of the bridge in the short-term.