An application for a new 5-storey, 31-room hotel on Peter Street has been filed by the current owners of St Hugh’s Hotel. Photo: HTZ Investments Pty Ltd.
A development application (DA) for a 31-room hotel on Peter Street has been filed with Wagga Wagga City Council (WWCC).
With plans for the hotel to be built at 91 Peter Street – where Riverina Occupational Therapy currently operates – applicant Joel Berrigan, proprietor of HTZ Investments Pty Ltd, said the $3.2 million hotel is what the people of Wagga have been calling out for.
“This development is an opportunity for Wagga to have a personal, high-quality development,” Mr Berrigan said.
“This DA is people-driven, and what we’ve heard is that people want convenience. They want the feel of a big city with the convenience of a small country town, and that’s all we’re providing.”
It is proposed that the single-storey commercial premises will be demolished and a five-storey hotel with 12 undercover carparks and 31 rooms will be built in their place.
Mr Berrigan said a lot of planning and work with WWCC had gone into the DA to ensure that everyone would be a winner.
“If you look at the zoning map within the application, we’re actually within an enterprise corridor; we applaud WWCC for recognising that,” he said.
The planned hotel would be built at 91 Peter Street, the location of Konekt and Riverina Occupational Therapy. Photo: Supplied.
“We’re far enough away from the main street where it’s not going to impact the guests and their comfort, but we’re close enough to the main street where they’re going to reap the benefits of convenience.
“We’ve had quite extensive meetings with council about the application, and we believe both parties are quite happy. They see the demand, and unless there are any objections, we think this will go through quite smoothly.
“If we have to get in front of them [WWCC], I’m sure we’ll have their support. If we’ve got to revisit the application and amend things, then we’re quite happy to do that too. We’re here to see Wagga grow.”
Mr Berrigan said he and his team had taken a lot on board since opening St Hugh’s on Forsyth Street.
“We know what it’s got to offer, and that’s that intimate community space that people from big cities really enjoy,” he said.
“We look at things like Makers Coffee, which obviously runs out of St Hugh’s. Jesse Rendell and the guys there have built a really great community that really adds to the quality of the hotel there.
“They know the names of every customer that walks through the doors down there, and that’s the kind of environment we want.
“My wife and I want to invest in Wagga, we want to keep jobs in Wagga, and we want to showcase just how great Wagga is, and that’s something we want to show with the new hotel.”
