Wagga's councillors will debate potentially easing some strict planning guidelines in a move that could see more double-storey extensions in the city's heritage centre.
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Councillors will decide at Monday night's meeting whether to adopt amendments to the Wagga Development Control Plan, which is a document used by council when assessing development applications.
The proposed changes, which have a particular focus on laneways, would make it easier to construct "well-designed" rear extensions and secondary dwellings while maintaining the streetscapes in the tightly-controlled heritage conservation area.
It comes after opposition to council's push for higher density living from some Central residents, who fear two-storey extensions and potential overdevelopment could harm the area's heritage feel.
Cooedong Lane residents have railed against second-storey dwellings being built behind homes on the neighbouring Wollundry Avenue, to the extent that council explored the possibility of having a separate rule for this particular laneway.
But the plan to exclude the lane has been scrapped, after a heritage investigation commissioned by council deemed "that this location was not sufficiently different, nor exhibited sufficient heritage significance or integrity to warrant differing controls".
Councillor Kerry Pascoe, who met with concerned Cooedong Lane residents in 2019, said he would have liked to see it "singled out" because the houses face the rear of Wollundry Avenue.
However, Cr Pascoe said he supported the changes across the rest of the heritage conservation area.
"There will still be a number of controls there, but they've really tightened it up too much. This is an attempt to make it a bit easier for homeowners to put in, with respect, what they want to put in the laneway," he said.
A report prepared for councillors states that 1300 Central residents were notified about the draft DCP amendments - which were on public exhibition for three months in 2020 - resulting in 21 submissions that "demonstrate a range of positions".
Council's director of regional activation Michael Keys said the proposed changes were designed to give homeowners more options.
"We're seeing an increased demand for people to take up larger areas of those properties especially given the price of land in the centre of Wagga," he said.
He said council would continue to speak to Cooedong Lane residents and that a more significant review of heritage was forthcoming in the CBD masterplan.
Independent property valuer Chris Egan said heritage controls were "one area that council needs to maintain strength on".
"Central Wagga has beautiful old homes and there's been some disgraceful extensions over the years," he said.