THE Macedon Ranges Shire Council has written to the Department of Education regarding an update on the status and future planning for a public secondary school within the shire council.
Ongoing concern circulated around population numbers in the council in relation to the planning scheme amendments in Clarkfield and Riddells Creek facilitated through the State Government.
Councillors were worried at the lack of infrastructure in regard to education saying another couple of big housing estates in Riddells Creek and Clarkfield could over populate the current public secondary schools in the area such as Gisborne and Kyneton.
The council will be writing in relation to whether the government approved planning schemes have considered current and future population and enrolment forecasting.
What population thresholds and enrolment criteria are used by the Department when determining the need for a new public secondary education provider, whether the department intends to revisit, refresh or recommence consultation associated with the 2018 Romsey School Project given the proximity to Clarkfield and Riddells Creek, and finally, whether the department has acquired any land or if there is even a timeframe for the delivery of another secondary education.
The potential new project in Riddells Creek could look to bring in 1360 new home alongside Clarkfield’s potential 2300 new homes.
As a combined figure, that could mean there is an additional 10,000 people in the two state government approved developments with a potential to grow to 20,000.
Councillor Daniel Young reflected back on when he was walking into the Romsey Primary School in its first year of service as a little prep.
“My mum has told me a number of times since then, that by the time I got to year 6, the Romsey high would be ready to go,” he said.
“Now we are some 20 something years later, my daughter is at Lancefield Primary School in grade 6 and she’s about to go to Kyneton High School because Romsey doesn’t have one.”
Other relevant agendas talked about in last week’s meeting included a new biodiversity strategy to replace the 2018 version and a property in Darraweit Guim which looked to change from a domestic outbuilding to a warehouse but got denied.
Is it time for the Macedon Ranges to see a new high school in the growing town of Romsey?
By Cooper O’Brien
