Council supports preschool move

Gosford Council has decided to support the first step of a proposal from the Walsingham Community Preschool to build in Killcare Heights.

The council gave "in principle" support to an application to rezone a property on Maitland Bay Dr for the preschool.

Council staff and several State Government agencies had recommended against the application.

Council has granted the preschool committee funds of up to $20,000 to assist with several reports needed for the preschool to move forward.

A further $300,000 has been promised by the Department of Community Services towards the cost of building of the centre.

The land is currently zoned '6(a) Open Space - recreation' but needs to be rezoned '5 Special Use - Community use' and reclassified from 'community' to 'operational' to be used by the preschool.

This would involve a public hearing.

The location is currently owned by council and unused, and lies adjacent to a council stockpile site used for over 30 years for materials awaiting recycling and reuse.

Council staff reported that the loss of this stockpile area would place a significant negative financial impact on the construction and maintenance operational budgets due to the relocation of the facility.

The Rural Fire Service objected to the original proposed rezoning given the high bushfire risk to the intended facility.

Council officers from the Water and Sewer Asset Provision Section stated that the site was outside Council's water and sewer service area and connection to the sewer was not a feasible option.

Conditions would apply for the proposed development to be connected to the existing water supply system.

It was also noted that booster pumps or other measures might be needed to provide satisfactory water pressure for fire fighting.

Council staff recommended against use of the site because of its high bushfire hazard and an increase in traffic turning movements at the Wards Hill Road and Maitland Bay Drive intersection which could have the potential for vehicle accidents.

They also had concerns over the clearing of native vegetation and its potential to impact on its current and future role as a wildlife corridor in Bouddi National Park.

The proposed pre-school was said to be physically isolated from the community it was intended to serve and can only be accessed by private motor vehicle.

Walsingham Preschool currently operates from the old Catholic Church at Pretty Beach where it began in 1989 after obtaining an operational grant from the government.

Those attending the centre decided that community funds could be better spent on the building of a childcare centre than on rent, as is the current situation.

The Department of Community Services said their present location was not wholly suitable for a pre-school and that due to the nature of the building there were some restrictions on the day to day operation of the centre.

Walsingham preschool committee argued that the proposed new location would allow the service to be more accessible to MacMasters Beach while still maintaining its service to Killcare, Hardys Bay, Wagstaffe and Pretty Beach residents.

In the new location, the community preschool would continue its current service of providing education for children aged 3 to 5 years and would also enable it to take up to 39 children per day.

The centre would incorporate rainwater tanks and solar energy.

The plan for the centre was first brought about in July 2002 when the Pre-School requested Council lease to it part of Maitland Bay Drive for use as a community preschool.

The applicant lodged the Draft LEP (rezoning) application in December 2002 and an assessment of the proposal by council was completed in May 2003 with a draft recommendation to council not to support the plan.

At meeting last week, Council resolved to consult with the Department of Environment and Conservation about critical habitat in the area, prior to the preparation of a draft plan.

It resolved to require comprehensive vegetation and fauna assessments, including an assessment of the conservation significance of the vegetation proposed to be removed and records of threatened species being within 1.5km of the site.

A comprehensive assessment of Aboriginal cultural heritage and soil contamination would be required to progress past this stage.

The council asked that its engineering operations section report on the relevant upgrading options of the Wards Hill Rd and Maitland Bay Dr intersection and the timeframes involved.

Lyle Stone, Council agenda EP.023 and EP.047, September 7 and 14