Baylis Street, Wagga Wagga

“The service station hadn’t been operational for a few years, and over time the building and the site had become run down, so when initial discussions were held with the local council, they were very supportive of the developer’s idea to build a motel with retail and commercial spaces,” says architect Rob Gizzi, of Design Workshop Australia.

“But, because the site has three road frontages, one of them being a state highway, and because it was once a petrol station and we expected it would require some toxicity reports and potential remediation, we called in the services of E Planning to manage that entire side of the project so all council requirements were ticked off.”

The council has since approved plans for the development, which includes ground floor retail and commercial spaces, and a five-storey motel above, with a function centre. A construction certificate has also been issued and work is due to begin shortly.

“This will be an eye-catching building that’s visible from the highway, and so we’re excited to see it finished,” says architect Rob Gizzi. “It’s also going to create a few jobs in the rural town, so it’s something we’re proud of. And having the E Planning team on board to assist with the town planning and Development Application process made things easier – it meant we could focus on creating a good functional design, knowing that all the planning considerations were taken care of.”