Community benefits from shared use facilities at new Wagga Wagga school

Release date: 06 July 2020

The Wagga Wagga community will benefit from modern facilities at the new primary school at Estella under joint use agreements which were signed this week.

The Department of Education and Wagga Wagga City Council signed an agreement that will upgrade the school hall, community meeting rooms and a courtyard. These new facilities will enhance student learning and will also be accessible by council and the Wagga Wagga community outside of school hours.

Wagga Wagga City Council will deliver improvements to Peter Hastie Oval including new sports fields, an amenities building, playground, and skate and bicycle park that will be available at no cost to the school for the next 20 years.

In addition, the department has confirmed an arrangement with Charles Sturt University to provide professional learning spaces for teacher development in regional, rural and remote communities in NSW.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said she was proud the NSW Government, Wagga Wagga City Council and Charles Sturt University were working together to deliver such an important project for the local community.

“The plan for joint use spaces at this new primary school is a great example of the government, council and university collaborating to create opportunities for the broader community to share and benefit from wonderful facilities well into the future,” Ms Mitchell said.

Wagga Wagga City Council Mayor Greg Conkey OAM welcomed the news that the shared use agreement had been signed.

“This is an exciting local project which sees the NSW Government and Wagga Wagga City Council working together to deliver the best outcomes for the community,” Mr Conkey said.

“The council and community groups are looking forward to having this much-needed space to come together and hold meetings, workshops and other local events, and I’m pleased we’ve come to a mutually beneficial arrangement with the university and the NSW Government.”

The new school, which is yet to be named, will provide 16 permanent classrooms and is being integrated into the Charles Sturt University Campus in Estella.

Ms Mitchell said planning assessment is being fast tracked for this new school to ensure the best outcome for students and the community.

“I’m pleased that the government is fast tracking the planning process on this project – it demonstrates our commitment to supporting students in regional and rural NSW.”

“I eagerly anticipate the project in Wagga Wagga taking shape.”

Early construction work began on the new school in April, and it is due to open in early 2021.

The NSW Government is investing $6.7 billion over four years to deliver more than 190 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. In addition, a record $1.3 billion is being spent on school maintenance over five years, along with a record $500 million for the sustainable Cooler Classrooms program to provide air conditioning to schools. This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.