More submission time for Wagga Special Activation Precinct at Bomen industrial zone

The special activation precinct draft master plan would encourage new investment by fast-tracking industrial development applications and integrating the Inland Rail and Riverina Intermodal Freight Hub projects.

Department of Planning, Industry and Environment executive director for regions, industry and key sites, Anthea Sargeant, said the feedback period on the draft had been extended to September 29.

"That's in response to some of the feedback from the community, that they did need more time to prepare their submissions," she said.

Ms Sargeant is leading the master plan process for NSW's five special activation precinct sites, including Wagga.

One of the reasons for an extension was the release of a visual impact assessment report next week.

Ms Sargeant said the report would "help some of the community start to visualise what this might look like once it is developed".

The draft master plan has raised concern amongst residents in nearby Brucedale about the potential for impact on their quality of life.

Brucedale resident Patricia Murray said the consultations for landowners near the Bomen site "focused basically on the issue of noise, air and odour pollution".

"They had an expert down that explained how they came up with the modelling that they did, and how sound and odour travels through air," she said.

"It was quite good that it gave us an understanding of how they came up with their different zones.

"We asked about the smokestacks and their emissions up into the air. If they do shorter stacks then there's noise pollution, so there's a tradeoff."

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The Department of Planning also held a consultation session for the Committee 4 Wagga think tank, along with other stakeholders such as Wagga's Aboriginal groups.

Committee 4 Wagga chief executive Alan Johnston said "from our perspective, we're certainly in favour of the special activation precinct concept".

"We had some clarifying questions in respect to the linkage between the precinct, in particular the buffer zones to the upcoming Wagga City Council Local Strategic Planning Statement, which starts to give the outline for the growth of the city, including the northern suburbs," he said.

"There is no doubt that the precinct is the critical thing in terms of driving growth in the city, and not just in that area.

"We want to make sure the precinct is consistent with the city and road network's long-term planning."