STANLEY STREET in Wallan will be getting another childcare centre after the Mitchell Shire Council (MSC) granted a permit last Monday.
Developers will begin the process of transforming the current residential land at 21 Stanley Street into a five-room centre which would allow 96 children to attend, with up to 20 rostered staff on site at any one time.
The proposed centre will operate from 6.30am to 6.30pm from Monday to Friday.
Entry to the 21-space carpark would be from Raglan Street, and a new raised pedestrian crossing would be installed on the street.
Councillors were split as they debated whether to green-light the application, with a key point of discussion centering around whether it was going to be worth the cost of denying it.
Councillors Claudia James and Andrea Pace spoke first, and despite their reluctance to agree with the application, said they would be voting in favour.
“This permit application isn’t perfect and there’s a few criticisms given the number of childcare centres in Wallan,” Cr James said.
“However, given previous decisions at VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal), if the developer took us to VCAT I’m sure the decision would go through.”
Cr Pace added: “For the people who came in and objected to this proposal, please know that you have been heard. Unfortunately, the state government gives a certain legislation that if something is applied for in a specific zone, we can’t really deny it.”
“We can’t deny without basis, and in this situation with this particular case there is no basis to deny it. To do so would just be wasting ratepayers’ money.
“Our hands are basically tied, but we have heard everything that you have said and where there is room for us to move, we will do so. Unfortunately, we can’t in this situation.”
Objections from the public were heard at the Community Questions and Hearings meeting on April 7, where eight submissions were received voicing their disproval of the proposed development.
Residents brought up issues about noise, fence height and the suitability of the road for increased usage when the childcare centre is opened. They also shared their concerns about
The motion was ultimately passed with seven councillors voting in favour, while councillors Riley Evans and Timothy Hanson held firm in their beliefs that this was not in the Shire’s best interests.
“Much like the Duke Street proposal for a childcare centre … it is in the wrong place,” Cr Evans said.
“I have to listen to my community and not support this recommendation.”
Cr Bob Cornish spoke about the benefits that the childcare centre will bring to the area, but recognised the public’s concerns.
“These items are sometimes a bit contentious when it comes to site and location, but the subject site has the benefit of being close to town, with opportunity for multi-purpose trips,” Cr Cornish said.
“Because of the growth, and the rate of newcomers to the town and the birthrate, the proposal is in accordance with the purposes of the zone and the need is there for such a facility.”
Stanley Street has been subject to multiple childcare applications in recent times, including one last year to transform 2 Stanley Street into a 92-child early learning facility.
That application was denied by Council, in part due to the objection received from the Council’s Engineering/Traffic team. The current application at 21 Stanley Street received no objections from any of the Council’s teams, nor the Department of Transport.
In other news from last Monday’s meeting, John Brand & Co., also known as Brand Architects, have been awarded a nearly $2 million contract to design the proposed Beveridge Central Active Open Space.
The master plan for the area shows that a number of sporting facilities will be built as part of the Active Open Space, including rectangular pitches, cricket nets and four small-sided synthetic football pitches. A communal pavilion and kid’s playground will also be constructed in the area.
The space may act in part as a high-performance facility if talks between the MSC and Melbourne Victory Football Club progress, with prior reporting stating that the A-League club are planning to open their first campus in the suburb.
Brand Architects was chosen from a group of 15 submissions to the MSC’s Evaluation Panel, thanks in part to their established working relationships with Melbourne Victory and an extensive track record of completing projects of similar scale.