Council knocks back Leopold childcare centre

The City of Greater Geelong’s planning committee has sided with residents, rejecting a proposal for a childcare centre in Leopold despite council officers recommending it be approved.

At its meeting on Thursday, the committee refused the application for the two-storey facility at 127 Christies Road, saying it would be inappropriately located within a residential area.

To be built on the site of an existing house, the centre would have places for 72 children and include a 15-space car park.

The application attracted 61 objections, with residents raising concerns about the location of a childcare centre in a residential area, a lack of demonstrated need, traffic, noise, waste management, safety, overlooking and overshadowing.

Kathryn Perus, who lives near the proposed site, said she was not in-principle opposed to childcare centres.

“I rely on them. That’s the way that my family can function. It’s a central infrastructure for families, growing communities like Leopold,” she said.

“What I do not support is the proposed location at this scale.”

She said the 61 objections reflected an “extraordinary level of community engagement”.

“They’re not motivated by opposition of childcare. They’re motivated by people who live, work, walk, drive and raise families in this area every day,” she said.

Council officers concluded the proposal met the city’s planning scheme “on balance” and recommended a permit be issued, but Cr Trent Sullivan successfully moved an alternate motion to refuse the permit on several grounds.

The committee found the proposal was incompatible with the surrounding residential character, did not appropriately serve a local community need in a suitable location, featured an inappropriate design and appearance and would generate unacceptable traffic impacts.

Cr Sullivan said the objectors represented the “passionate community” of Leopold.

“This isn’t NIMBYism, this is a community that engages not only with local residents but with childcare itself,” he said.

“This is a community that’s concerned with the health and safety of residents, commuters and what would possibly be future users of this facility as well.

“The concerns about health and safety is a basic right, and it shouldn’t be a right the community has to come in and ask for.”

Client representative Benny Singh, from Permits Hub, said a childcare centre was permissible within the general residential zone and also met the city’s strategic objectives.

“It’s a local community and education facility that will serve the daily needs of local families, create local employment and contribute to the Leopold’s identified role as a service hub,” he said.

Singh said there was demand for a new childcare centre in Leopold as there were about 700 children aged between 0 and 5 in the suburb but only 450 places available.

“There’s still a shortage of at least 300 to 400 children and this is a very modest scale childcare centre of 72 children,” he said.