A major central Wagga housing development has been approved for development, with plans to pay tribute to the history of the site.
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The Wagga City Council approved the development application on Monday, which will see the old Eric Weissel Oval become home to 160 dwellings between Kincaid and Gurwood streets after five years sitting vacant.
The Leagues precinct will feature a combination of apartments, terraces and detached houses to accommodate about 400 residents, with a 'pocket park', community garden and green walkways providing communal open space.
Once the heart of Riverina rugby league and home to the Wagga Leagues Club, the history of the former Wagga Magpies home ground will be honoured with the naming of a central road and 'green streets'.
A central road linking Kincaid and Gurwood streets will be named Summons Way, in honour of Australian representative rugby union and rugby league player Arthur Summons.
Mr Summons, a Wagga Sporting Hall of Famer, died earlier this year aged 84.
Cootamundra-born rugby league player Eric Weissel will continue to be connected to the site, with a green walkway to bear his name.
A second walkway will be named after former NSW captain and much-loved Riverina player Bob Honeysett.
Gurwood Pty Ltd developer Chris Nash said naming those features after the Wagga Magpies legends would help maintain the link to the site's history.
Mr Nash said the development was a "special sort of product" due to its central location.
"It's the last opportunity for that in any scale," he said.
"We've done a lot of the design around what the future needs are going to be for housing and we've certainly moved towards smaller lot sizes and people looking for that central city living rather than urban sprawl."
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Raine and Horne Wagga are accepting expressions of interest, with the first 23 blocks expected to be registered and ready to build in early 2021.
Selling agent Grant Harris said opportunities to buy vacant land in central Wagga were "almost unheard of."
"Normally to get land you have to buy a house and demolish it ... you're paying a substantial amount of money to do that," he said.
Mr Harris said the precinct would be a "contemporary take on the traditional central lifestyle," with rear lane access and green areas to walk and cycle through.
He said the smaller lot sizes would be a strong trade-off for the proximity to amenities for many buyers.
"Being central is very important, especially for the younger or older generation who want to be close to shops and cafes, the cultural strip along Fitzmaurice Street is very attractive for people but also that health precinct, it's really close to the hospital," he said.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly named Chris Nash as a developer with Nash Bros Constructions. Mr Nash is, in fact, a developer with Gurwood Pty Ltd. The Daily Advertiser apologises for this error.