Wagga construction industry figures furious at council over synthetic pipe dispute

But the council has defended itself against criticism from industry stakeholders, arguing that it is simply doing its "due diligence" to ensure the community is not exposed to potential liabilities.

The dispute between the two parties has arisen due to difficulties some companies are experiencing in sourcing reinforced concrete pipes commonly used for stormwater drains in subdivisions.

The wait time on the products has blown out to anywhere from 30 to 52 weeks, forcing the delay of projects.

In response, some in the construction industry are calling for the council to allow the use of a more readily available synthetic alternative.

However, Ben Moseley from Turners Civil said the council was not allowing the use of non-concrete pipes despite them being approved by state and federal governments.

"The alternative for this product is there and readily available, so there's an easy solution to this," he said.

"That's what we don't understand, every other jurisdiction in NSW is using it, the NSW state government is using it in Wagga on government funded projects."

In a statement to The Daily Advertiser, Wagga City Council general manager Peter Thompson said allowing the use of the alternative pipes had not been ruled out and "this has been repeatedly stated to stakeholders".

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"There are some stakeholders that appear to be struggling to source [reinforced concrete pipes], while others are securing them and are constructing as normal," Mr Thompson said.

"The alternate options being proposed could be a significant future liability for the community due to the life of the asset.

"For this reason, council is conducting due diligence to mitigate any future impact on the community."

Mr Moseley said they had received written permission to use the synthetic piping on a subdivision at Springvale in February, only for it to be rescinded in the last week.

He said that with the company unable to finish the project until the dispute was settled, it might be forced to lay off staff.

The situation has been building for months and in July a group of 19 people representing local developers, engineers, civil firms and manufacturers of the alternative piping invited the council to attend a roundtable discussion on the issue.

"Council has received a written submission from some stakeholders following a meeting held a few weeks ago," Mr Thompson said.

"Council were invited to the meeting but were unable to attend at the time scheduled. Council requested the meeting time be changed, but that request was denied."

The stakeholders have also written to all Wagga's councillors, as well as Wagga MP Joe McGirr and Riverina MP Michael McCormack to express their grievances.

Councillor Mick Henderson said the information he had received from council suggested they had concerns about the life span of the synthetic piping. He said the council needed to sit down with industry representatives to find a fix.

MJM Consulting engineers director Michael McFeeters said three of his projects were stopped or delayed because of the issue. He said the industry had been calling for the use of alternatives for "three or four years".

"Plastic is a viable alternative ... I wrote an email to council in February ... we've looked at the engineering design of plastic pipe, it is equivalent or better in 99 per cent of cases than concrete," he said.

Alastair Xeros, from Xeros Piccolo Consulting Engineers, was also at the roundtable. He said construction would be severely delayed if a viable alternative wasn't found.

Mr Moseley's business partner John Keough said waiting for the concrete pipes to become available would set the construction industry back years.

"This could create a six-month, 12-month, two-year gap," he said. "There'll be no blocks of land to build on, there's already a shortage of land ... it's absurd."

In a letter signed by the industry representatives, they said "jobs in Wagga will be lost. Employees currently working in Wagga on subdivisions will be made redundant".

"If a longer term practical and sustainable approach is not undertaken, the challenges of the forthcoming growth of the city, driven by the special activation precinct/Bomen, Defence Force, Inland Rail projects, base hospital ... will not see the town accommodate this growth," the letter stated.

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