O’Hara Group director Sean O’Hara said he was happy with the council’s decision on the proposed Estella Hotel. Photo: Wagga Wagga City Council.
The chances of a new three-storey pub in Wagga’s fastest-growing suburb becoming a reality have increased after Wagga Wagga City Council (WWCC) approved its development application this week.
The planned $10 million pub, to be built at 77 Avocet Drive Estella, featuring a games room, function room, bistro and more than three bars, was brought to Monday night’s (11 February) ordinary council meeting due to a request to reduce the size of the planned carpark, however, it was the operating hours of the pub that sparked the longest debate.
Originally the development application of the ‘Estella Hotel’ had the operating hours listed as between 10 am and 3 am each day, but due to some councillors’ concerns about noise and potential disruptions at late hours of the night, WWCC agreed to implement a reviewable condition to the pub’s DA.
The condition lists that the pub will have permission to operate until 3 am each night conditionally for the first 24 months of operation. Should the venue receive extensive complaints due to noise from the community during that time, WWCC will review the operating hours after the initial 24 months.
“We are really happy with the decision made by council; it is a big win for the people of Estella,” applicant and O’Hara Group director Sean O’Hara said.
“Estella is a huge growth area and by the time the pub is built, there could easily be 10,000 people out in that area. If we get the approval from ILGA (Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority) it’s going to be the biggest pub in Wagga.”
The next step for the developers is to seek approval on a licence for gaming machines at the venue and approval to serve liquor through to the planned 3 am closing time through ILGA, the state government body that regulates gambling and the sale of alcohol.
“We will apply to ILGA straight away; I reckon it will take six to nine months to hear back from them,” Mr O’Hara said.
“Realistically, the best-case scenario is that we will be open by Christmas 2027.”
In the lead-up to the conditional approval, Cr Jenny McKinnon spoke with concern regarding the potential noise complaints the pub could generate from residents should it operate until 3 am, which led to the conditional approval.
“I really support the idea of this hotel in this location, but I do have concerns about the closing time and the potential disruptions it can cause residents out in the area.
“My preference would be to have an earlier closing time at midnight or 1 am, (per the local police’s recommendation), with the potential of a trial period to the proposed 3 am closing time.”
Councillor Lindsay Tanner spoke highly in favour of the new development, stating that a pub in the northern area would provide a safe and cost-effective alternative for the people of Estella, Gobbagombahlin and Charles Sturt University.
“When I first read the development application and noticed the proposed hours were midnight, initially my reaction was that it sounds good,” Cr Tanner said.
“Then after doing a bit of research, there’s quite a significant number of residentially placed hotels that have similar closing hours for 3 am.
“I think, the potential reality that allowing that extended trading may, in fact, reduce the need and the desire for people to somehow get across the Gobba bridge into town in the early hours of the morning.
“It seems to me, to be actually providing a potential safety dividend.
“I think for North Wagga and Estella, it is quite a significant shift and a steep change in life for that part of Wagga and I’m heavily in support of that change.”
Loading ...
