Chief innovation officer Brendan Kellaway said it appeared a $72 million new heavy vehicle training centre earmarked for the Logic industrial estate at Barnawartha North was not being fully embraced by the council.

His comments follow Albury and Wodonga councils not listing the hub among their top 10 priorities for the Regional Deal involving federal and state governments.

"We don't want to put this down somewhere else, but if we can't get council support and the Albury-Wodonga Regional Deal says we can't get a deal with council going, how sad would will all be if we don't see Logic Park, our existing facility, expand to this," Dr Kellaway said.

There is also concern that 60 hectares of council land, abutting TAFE's driving training site which is slated for the heavy vehicle training, is being offered for sale at an inflated price.

That area would be added to an existing 40 hectares for the entire project.

Dr Kellaway said Wodonga Council wanted to sell the land for double a price TAFE had from the valuer-general.

"The problem for us is the Albury-Wodonga Regional Deal is concerned that effectively if council make the delta between the valuer-general's valuation and what they want to sell it for....their contribution...then the Albury-Wodonga Regional Deal feels, as do we, that well you know you're contribution is your own inflated price for the land," he said.

Dr Kellaway said TAFE had formally written to the council with its offer but it had been rejected, with four months of discussions having occurred.

He declined to say what the prices were exactly but noted the city had added another $10 million to a valuation from last year.

Dr Kellaway though as an education institution the council would not receive rates on the purchased land, there would be wider economic spin-offs such as spending on accommodation for students and hotel and airport visitation.

Wodonga mayor Kev Poulton declined to say if the city was seeking a price double the sum of the valuer.

"Discussions are under way with TAFE but are still in their early days," Cr Poulton said.

"We are working with them, in good faith, around a proposal to purchase the land.

"Once it is finalised, it will come before councillors for a decision at a future council meeting."

Cr Poulton said council welcomed investment but observed a briefing from TAFE had not sought a specific commitment.

"Wodonga TAFE recently presented to the councillors to inform us what their future plans are, particularly out at Logic," he said.

"There was no ask of council at that time."

Cr Poulton did not respond to a query on the status of council's contribution to the Regional Deal, noting it was still being finalised.

Dr Kellaway said the heavy vehicle training centre's first stages were ready to rollout if approved and it was hoped students may be able to use them from the start of 2023.

He said the complex would ensure truckies had the skills to handle difficult situations, by providing obstacle courses, varying gradients, simulations and robotics knowledge.

"This project will also save lives," Dr Kellaway said.

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"As new technologies come out, particularly in automation, we all have a little bit of automation in our car right, put that in a big heavy vehicle that weighs 40 tonne, 50 tonne, that needs to be rigorously tested somewhere, so does the new technology.

"If we can get the heavy vehicle operator to experience what it's like just before their vehicle rolls over on a roundabout or on the highway and then when they incur that incident in real life they will be a little more relaxed and we'll have saved lives."

Wodonga TAFE already has deals with the Defence Department and CFA to train heavy vehicle operators, with army personnel across Australia provided courses.

The heavy vehicle centre would allow 400 new students to be trained with five new courses, ranging from certificate II to diploma qualifications, to be established.

Dr Kellaway said it was also anticipated it would integrate with STEM courses through high schools and there would be provision for scholarships and camps for those students.

The hub has been planned to unfold over four stages with the first two on TAFE's existing driver training land and the latter on property now owned by Wodonga Council.

"In one year's time we're looking at 20 new permanent jobs and in four years time at least 100 new permanent jobs, not including construction, and that's not including all the teachers we need to recruit to deliver our courses," Dr Kellaway said.

He said the training for the national benefit and assistance to secondary students made the project a "game changer for the region" which was ready to be developed.

"The state likes the business case and we're good to go," Dr Kellaway said.

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