Concerned about proposal for new child care centre next door...

My parents just received a development proposal letter from the council. The owners of the currently tenanted 3 bedroom house next door plan to build a child care centre for up to 50 children.

Naturally we are concerned on the effect of the value of our property, and for what it is worth we are considering writing to the council to object to the proposal. Another property on the other side of the proposal site would be similarly affected. The entire street is pretty much 99% detached houses, no units, a couple of townhouses, and no commercial properties of any kind. We have a small complex of 8 retirement units on our other side, but we've never found that to be a negative. In fact, in an ideal world, our family would probably consider an offer from a developer to buy our property for a similar retirement development in the future, and they way I see it, retires who are at home most of the time, include school hours would not be interested in living next to a child car centre for obvioius reasons.

Aside from the noise of screeching of young children, I genuinely do not think the site is very appropriate for such a centre. The site is close to a junction with a major thoroughfare, the road is not that narrow from the junction to the site, and so not very ideal for a lot of drop offs and pick ups. There is also a school a few houses further from the proposal it and that can get fairly pack in the mornings and afternoons with parent's vehicles and buses. The land of the site is a bit larger than usual not not enough to allow significant off street parking.

2 main questions at this point:
1) Will a child care centre in all likelihood have a significant negative impact on our property value?
2) If we do draft an objection, in general what should we be saying, and should we perhaps arrange a joint objection with the other property owner similar affected?

 

Childcare for 50 kids would mean staff parking for maybe 5-8 people. You would then have a minimum 100 vehicle movements per day, generally early mornings and late afternoons. Tackle the issue on the basis of the applicant needing to provide adequate parking, vehicle movements etc. I do not believe a screeching kid argument would get up a successful objection but preserving the general amenity of the area by minimising impact of additional vehicles, ensuring safety and the like for the existing residents could result in the local authority imposing significantly stringent conditions on the proposed development which could make it uncommercial for the applicant to comply with.

 

Why dont you consider putting in your own DA for converting to a halfway house for transitioning high risk prisoners from Long Bay Jail?

And see how many objections you get to "increased traffic"?

 

Issues that you should raise - parking, visitor parking, accessibility (disabled access), noise, odours (garbage/nappies), vehicle movements, traffic study, lack of onstreet parking at certain times of day, oldies want their peace and quiet (this sort of development will stop your site being developed as it is a single block between retirement units and childcare usage, will there be food prepared on site?
Staffing levels are dependent upon the ages of kids, under 3 yrs have higher number of carers.

 

Down the road there is likely a few schools which generally operate between 8:30 to 3:30.
Many working parents are likely to have a kid attending the school requiring before and after school care, plus likely have a younger one not ready for school requiring daycare.

Why govs don't allocate a separate area within the school grounds to accommodate this does my head in rather than approving residential homes being converted, disrupting the neighborhood etc.
Would also = less commute for parents.

 

This may work when land is acquired for new schools, but would not be practical in most existing schools where space is already at a premium and they can't afford to lose playground space.
Marg

 

Before/after can utilize a classroom, library or hall, get homework outta the way, play games etc.
Unless things have changed 4yr olds are in pre-primary/kindy.
0 to 3 don't need a lot of room for blocks, naps etc, utilize outdoors when the older kids are in class.

 

Open a lolly, wet wipes and diaper shop?

 

From your post i think the site would be a great Childcare site location, subject to competition and demand. 50 place centre in Sydney is a medium sized centre and noise wont be that bad plus after 6pm there will be no traffic and no weekend parties.

Close to main road for ease to get to work after drop off

Not narrow road to allow for traffic flow and parking (Usually outside the main 8am and 3pm school age pick up as parent usually pick up from 4.30 on

School a few houses away, great drop older kids to school and bubs to daycare all in the one street and head to work. Makes life easier.

 

Thanks for your supportive comments , no matter that the value of my patents property will be affected...

 

Love this idea, brilliant

 

We had similar scenario, and locals went down this route and basically did not become a viable proposition so it got shelved.
This is where sometimes power of people can work with the right arguments/strategy.

 

The house next door to the center my kids used to go to has been on the market numerous time in the past few years. Always sold much cheaper than the average and on the market for much longer. It was all about the noise of the kids.

 

Thanks for this post and the others with your suggestions. I recently submitted my formal objection to the council, and have seen the draft of the submission from our neighbours on the other side of the proposal site.

Theirs (which I thought was even better and more persuasive than mine ) incorporated many of the same points suggested here, B's one or two that I hadn't considered....

The school is also strongly opposed, although I would imagine the basis of most of their objections would be due to the increased traffic congestion.

If I had bought my own PPOR (still looking) and my parents had found another property and we had extra money, then yes, I would have submitted a proposal for a methadone clinic with Ivan Milat type clients, just to **** them off

Well see how it goes....

 

Interesting comments @Brickbybrick, I'm assuming on the basis that if it is only 50 places it is not a large site - say 800sqm give or take?
Have you seen the plans and whether it is a single or double story proposed child care center - if double then you could also include overlooking issues into your parents pos, however, if single level then that wouldn't be an issue.
If it is requested for a child care you may find the developer resubmitting for townhouses, which would be a worse scenario in my opinion. Child care requires a larger amount of landscaping (zoning dependent) and would position the structure centrally on the block. Townhouses, on the other hand, would maximise the available area and push to the boundaries - again zoning permitted.

 

Living next to a child care centre would be much worse than town houses. Those places usually operate between 50 - 52 weeks per year, from 6:30-7am to 6-6:30pm, so there is no reprieve from the noise. Ever. When they are outside playing, it's even worse. It would be like constantly living next door to a kids birthday party, and with 50 kids. Argggghhhhhhhhh........

 

Some good points by NWHT & KY.

The land size is around 800 to 900 sqm. Our adjoining block is just under 1000sqm.

Yes the proposal is double story, as there is a car park on the ground level. So we have pointed out the overlooking aspect in our objection.

Not sure whether townhouses are better, but having said that it it were a small scale retirement unit complex like we have had on our other side for years, we wouldn't have a problem with it as long as it oy 2 levels etc like the existing one.

I realise these things take time to resolve but apart from an acknowledgement letter we've heard nothing from the council.

 

Maybe time to talk to your representative on the council to get some additional feedback or apply a little more pressure?

 

An update on this. It's not going ahead

I do not know the full details but apparently the adjoining high school's opposition carried a lot more clout with the council than the objections from us ordinary property owners.