The New South Wales city of Wagga Wagga is pressing ahead with a multi-million dollar plan to upgrade its riverside beach area … despite a strong backlash over the resultant loss of the caravan park there.
Wagga City Council has confirmed it had resolved not to renew the lease of Wagga Beach Caravan Park in 2019, but instead plans to offer the park an alternative location at Wiradjuri Reserve.
Councillor Paul Funnell told the Daily Advertiser that he worried moving the park would take thousands of visitors from the centre of the city each year, and he said the council had not made plans to develop a new site or upgrade the ‘disgraceful’ Billy-goat track, leading from the reserve into the city.
“It’s not sensible,” Cr Funnell said. “We’re trying to attract tourists to the town so they spend more money.”
However, Councillor Vanessa Keenan defended the master plan, saying it was not an overnight decision.
“It’s not a case of booting the caravan park out, but a case of what is best use for that land,” she said. “It’s part of that broader plan to regenerate and revitalise that space down there … on any warm day, you can see how important it is to the community.”
The Daily Advertiser reports that the next stage of the $6.2 million Riverside Master Plan will include the installation of a pop-up-shop avenue, a regional playground with water-play elements, improved parking, amenities, landscaping and an upgraded irrigation system. It follows a $1 million upgrade to the popular destination in 2014.
We stayed there in January this year for a few days when we got some work done on our caravan. The location is great & the town will loose lots of money, if they go ahead with their ” Master Plan “,
Big mistake as nomads walk down town shop,pub teas. Clubs ,wiradjury is too far from city centre
We are grey nomads from Wagga and that’s a ridiculous idea. Been there done that with wster slide and shop. It’s a great place for locals to enjoy for free. Let our visitors contribute to the town’s economy and enjoy it ad well.
Absolutely bloody ridiculous, the wagga shops will miss out of a great deal of business. A few city centric fools cannot see the fact and probably don’t care
Tiny loss, worth loosing to gain a great place for local ratepayers. The caravan park there is tiny. What is crazy is the proposed new location. It’s right out of town so need to drive to where ever. It’s not a place I’d stay at. They should move it to Bolton Park instead.