Students and staff at St Mary’s Primary School in Lancefield celebrated the closure of a road dividing the school’s campus last month.
The school’s campus, situated at 20-28 Chauncey Street, is split into two by Raglan Street, which divides the campus into an east and west section.
Since 1984, the school has utilised boom gates at either end of the campus boundaries to close Raglan Street off to traffic between 8.30am and 3.30pm on school days.
However, the school’s new Master Plan identified a need to address its growing enrolment and construction on the land west of Raglan Street, which raised concerns about the road.
In order to facilitate the growth and provide a better-connected school environment where students can move freely and safely between school grounds, the school proposed the permanent closure of the street to Macedon Ranges Shire Council last year.
Council collaborated closely with key stakeholders, including the school, the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), the Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action (DEECA), and the community to carefully consider the proposal and ensure concerns were properly addressed.
DEECA confirmed the section of the road is now unreserved crown land, administered by the department.
“DEECA is currently working with the board of St Mary’s Primary School as the adjoining landowner to process a licence to authorise the use and management of a portion of Raglan Street by St Mary’s Primary School,” they said.
St Mary’s former principal Julie McDougall, who played a key part in advocating for the road’s closure, said the closure meant ‘total safety’ during school hours.
“It took many, many years, so to finally get to a point where everything aligned was special, so it’s a great day for the school and its community, and the wider community,” she said.
“It was more around safety … after and before [school] hours it’s open to pedestrians, which is great, so the community can still access the space. But during school hours, there’s total safety.”
St Mary’s School Advisory Board Chairperson Mick McCarthy said the long process was worth the outcome.
“It’s great that the Lancefield community got behind it. Lancefield is a very strong community, and I think most people could [say] that it was a great benefit to the school community and supported it,” he said.
The closure was also pleasant news to Macedon Ranges Shire Council Director of Assets and Operations Shane Walden.
“We are pleased to have facilitated a robust process for the closure of Raglan,” he said.
