At its May Ordinary Meeting, Council was presented a range of strategic documents relating to the Western Riverina Intermodal Terminal (WR Connect) Project which is currently in its conceptualisation phase.
The document suite, which was funded through the Regional NSW Business Case and Strategy Development Fund, included the WR Connect Business Case, Masterplan, Delivery Plan and Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD) Framework.
- The WR Connect Business Case presents background information for the development of WR Connect, including projected costs and proposed funding options.
- The WR Connect Masterplan provides a framework of plans for land use, transport, heritage, biodiversity, bushfire, noise, and air and water quality management.
- The WR Connect Delivery Plan guides the establishment of new development proposals and infrastructure upgrades at the site.
- Lastly, the WR Connect Environmentally Sustainable Development Framework provides the foundations for sustainable development and ongoing operations, including procedures for monitoring and reporting.
Together, these strategic documents form the basis to progress the development of WR Connect at Wumbulgal and provide future businesses with much of the base information/studies required for development applications at the site.
Director Economic & Community Development Michelle Evans said the groundwork is completed but there is still a lot to be done before development can commence.
"Next steps include updating of the Leeton Development Control Plan, completing a scoping report and planning proposal to rezone the WR Connect site, preparing a subdivision, developing a funding strategy for capital works and sorting governance and funding for ongoing operations (roads, stormwater and water supply)," she said.
Mayor Cr Tony Reneker expressed his gratitude to the NSW Government who is investing $19M plus towards the construction of a rail siding at the WR Connect site.
"The investment by the NSW Government is a win for our local economy. The rail sidings will allow more freight to be transported per trip, reducing delays and allowing goods and produce to get from farms and factories to our ports and supermarkets shelves quicker."
