The Riverina Recovery House was defeated for the second time in 12 months at Monday night’s council meeting, but staff told The Daily Advertiser that developers could potentially get an approval without councillor support if they tweaked their plans.

Cr Paul Funnell was blunt in his response: “They’re wrong.”

“If these people want a fight they’ve got one,” Cr Funnell said.

“For council to respond and say they could potentially do that is completely incorrect, if council officers understood the legislation, there’s criteria around affordable housing that’s quite clearly spelled out and this facility doesn’t meet it.”

The former Millie’s Guesthouse has development approval as a 10-bedroom boarding house, but owners Debbie and Garry Cox wanted to turn it into a 12-bedroom drug and alcohol recovery house.

However, with councillors narrowly rejecting the development application a second time, Mrs Cox said she would look at taking the matter to the Land and Environment Court.

Cr Funnell said the developers were “arrogant” and “if they want to continue to pursue a financial benefit while ignoring everyone else’s rights, let the games begin”.

“The role of council, first and foremost, is to protect the interests of the residents and their amenity,” Cr Funnell said.

“If they want to say this falls under affordable housing, well it just doesn’t: It cannot dispense drugs and it can’t be a commercial enterprise. This proposal doesn’t meet the objectives of the Wagga Local Environment Plan.”

Mrs Cox had tried to convince the residents of Gurwood Street that the facility would pose no risk to the community at Monday night’s council meeting, but those pleas fell on deaf ears.

The previous council rejected a similar proposal from Mrx Cox for the same site last August.