Wagga City Council heritage report aims to help retain the past while embracing the future

Wagga’s Deputy Mayor Amelia Parkins is passionate about architecture and is excited to have initiated a review of the heritage conservation area to inform the forthcoming CBD masterplan.

Wagga City Council voted unanimously to support the notice of motion requesting a report that will include an assessment of the existing heritage conservation area, consideration of its objectives, and establishment of a heritage design guide for new developments.

“What this will do is provide certainty, both to the council officers doing the assessments and also developers looking to build in those areas,” Councillor Parkins said.

“It also makes it clear for the neighbours and the community so that we all know what the expectations are.”

Cr Parkins said it was one of her goals when she decided to run for council in 2021.

“My background is as a heritage architect, so it’s something I’ve always been interested in, but when I was elected, I realised that there was a lot of strategic planning work that needed to occur,” she explained.

“I’m really pleased that now we are moving forward with the CBD masterplan and the housing strategy and the review of the conservation area needs to happen to inform those documents.”

Conscious of the fact that heritage concerns are often viewed as a headache for developers and renovators, Ms Parkins said that clarifying expectations would ultimately make things easier.

“People hear the word ‘heritage’ and think that it’s an obstruction and means that you’ve got to jump through more hoops,” she said.

“But I’d really like council’s policies moving forward to make it easier for people to do development and make it more of an opportunity rather than an obstacle.

“I think heritage is really important and definitely worth looking after but I think the way that we manage it in NSW is pretty ad hoc.”

The last review of Wagga’s heritage conservation area took place over a decade ago and at the time it was recommended that a separate study should be done.

Councillors agreed that a reevaluation was long overdue.

“We have had a very checkered history as a city in relation to preserving important buildings,” Cr Richard Foley said.

“The Tichborne butchery from the famous Tichborne trial is gone. You look at the famous verandas that were once up this main street. They were removed because of the alleged Fenian threat to Queen Elizabeth when she came in the 50s.

“This document, when it is finally completed and reported, I hope identifies clearly what is of significance and what is not, so that we have surety for investment and surety for further development of the CBD.”

Cr Parkins agreed that clearly defining Wagga’s approach to heritage would allow for the city to evolve and include fresh approaches to design.

“For me, heritage is about telling the story, not preserving things as a photograph of one era,” she said.

“We need to allow new, diverse development and the heritage layer over a whole lot of the CBD shouldn’t be hindering that new development, but we also need to make sure that we’re not further eroding elements that are important.

“Every generation has something to add, and I hope this document helps us to figure out what it is about these buildings that continue that story, and then how can we sensitively keep adding to it.”