Wagga Wagga

A major regional city in the heart of NSW’s famous Riverina region, Wagga Wagga is known as the birthplace of the Chiko Roll and some of Australia’s most well-known sports people.

Location

New South Wales, Australia

In recent times, Wagga Wagga has been at the forefront of major infrastructure projects helping to connect local communities and enhance the city’s assets as it looks to become a Future Ready region.

WSP's experts say: “Wagga Wagga has set itself a goal to become a regional leader in manufacturing, agribusiness and freight and logisitics.

As the largest inland city of NSW, a thriving industry and many exciting projects planned for the region, there is no reason why they can’t achieve this.

The community is proud, and determined to establish Wagga as the major regional centre for the Riverina, and with the support of government and industry, the windfall of economic development is sure to see the region thrive for generations to come."

Special Activation Precincts (SAPs)

Special Activation Precincts (SAPs) are defined by the New South Wales (NSW) Government as areas with the potential to activate state or regional significant economic development.

An innovative place-based solution, the NSW government is drawing on the AUD4.2 billion from the Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund towards making future ready regional communities. Specifically, the regions will prosper both socially and economically from the windfalls of major public and private investment to create jobs, attract businesses and investors, and fuel economic development.

For Wagga Wagga, the SAP will capitalise on separate landmark projects such as the Inland Rail, as well as Wagga Wagga Council’s development of the Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics Hub, to heighten its competitive advantage in advanced manufacturing, agribusiness and freight and logistics. Growth efforts will also include investment in renewable energy.

img-wagga-wagga-special-activation-precincts-transport-study

SAP transport and infrastructure study

To help Wagga Wagga become a future ready and resilient region, we worked with our clients to provide them with a baseline assessment of current infrastructure as well as a comprehensive solution that will see the area thrive up to 2060 and beyond.

Our team analysed the region’s current utilities infrastructure as well as sewerage and waste systems and made recommendations as to where infrastructure investment will be required in response to population growth.

This included the expansion of current utility systems, new roads to support connectivity and industry growth, and even a structural plan to create a circular economy where waste can be better utilised.

SAP environmental assessment, community connection and Indigenous design

Environmental assessment

Since 2016, our environment team has been working closely with government, industry and the community to develop a sustainable, resilient and future ready region through the development of the SAP.

Assisting the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) through their master planning phase, we have conducted an ecology assessment of the landscape to identify important biodiversity values and corridors for input into the masterplan. We further conducted multiple field surveys, investigated and remediated contaminated land and groundwater needs.

More broadly, our team has used their in-depth knowledge of the region and our multi-disciplinary services to provide strategic advice across transport, water, and sustainability projects in and around Wagga Wagga.

Through providing technical services during the master planning phase, we helped contribute and inform the client for the final business case phase of the SAP which assisted in fast-tracking planning approvals, government led developments and infrastructure investment.

Community connection

On behalf of DPIE, we conducted a Community and Social Infrastructure Assessment to identify the regions’ current and future infrastructure needs.

To ensure our recommendations were future ready key consideration was given to significant societal trends including provisions for services and facilities to address inclusive employment and training, health and wellbeing, ageing populations, cultural acknowledgement, tourism and community identity.

To assist the DPIE, we also facilitated engagement opportunities including:

Input into Inquiry by Design workshops
Government-led community engagement campaigns
Interviews with key stakeholders, organisations and service providers

Image courtesy of Michael Hromek (Yuin), WSP, design courtesy of Duncan Smith (Wiradjuri).

Indigenous design

Utilising our Indigenous design specialists, which includes an Aboriginal architect, researcher and Aboriginal community engagement specialist, we have identified opportunities for the input of the local Wiradjuri people throughout the master planning phase of the SAP. This included the identification of potential themes, stories, places and totems that are important to Wagga Wagga’s Aboriginal community, strategies on further community, elder and artist engagement, and indication on the potential implementation of this knowledge with the spaces of the SAP.

Together, we created and planned for a community that reflected the traditional custodians of the land and their heritage as well as sacred sites and places of spiritual meaning. To better connect the precinct and to promote inclusiveness we incorporated their designs into public art and landscaping initiatives.

SAP renewable energy feasibility studies

Helping to achieve Wagga Wagga’s SAP sustainability goals, shifting the city towards 100 per cent clean energy generation is a priority for the region.

With several large-scale solar farms, already in development, WSP provided a range of services and recommendations to maximize the regions sustainability outcomes and other flow on benefits from a series of strategic developments.

Providing technical advisory and feasibility studies on the government-led study, we investigated the potential of a circular grid network including the implementation of a virtual power plant network as well as a clean-energy mix between solar, biotechnology, waste to energy, transmission infrastructure and battery storage.

Inland Rail and Riverina intermodal freight and logistics hub

Having played a key role in the development of the 1,700 km Inland Rail project since before the SAPs were announced, WSP in a joint venture with Mott McDonald, has provided detailed design and construction phase services across sections of the AUD8.4 billion development.

For Wagga Wagga, this provides the local community with new jobs, and also attracts further investment and development. Considering its advantageous location between Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, fast and efficient transport routes can help the region thrive for generations.

We have also played a key role on other major transport projects in the region including the Riverina Intermodal Freight & Logistics Hub on behalf of the Wagga Wagga City Council. This project will help connect Wagga Wagga into regional road and rail networks in a further boost to the productivity of the region.

To find out more about how we activate regional places, please click here.