PlanningAlerts

49 Comments

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1. This location is not appropriate for the construction of a busy daycare centre. It’s a quiet side street and residents from both Lawson and Lennox Place, Barden Ridge already struggle to turn onto Old Illawarra Road during peak hour times.

   Allowing a daycare centre in this location will increase traffic flow both along Old Illawarra Road and onto Lawson/Lennox Place.

   There are already numerous daycare centres in this local area with absolutely no need for another centre to be established in a residential setting.

2. This is an inappropriate position for such a large childcare centre. There are already two child care centres located very close to this address (Carter Rd and David Rd). Lawson Place is a very quiet, solely residential street of mostly modest single level homes, where residents already at times have difficulty getting out onto Old Illawarra Rd due to heavy, usually speeding, traffic. The extra traffic created by the child care centre will exacerbate this problem and will impact residents using Marsden Rd as well. Many school children, parents with prams, cyclists and dog walkers cross Lawson Rd on foot and there is no pedestrian crossing to assist them in safely navgating the increased traffic the child care centre will undoubtedly create. The block is fairly small for the area of Barden Ridge and looks to have only a very small outdoor area for the children to use. The building being essentially 3 stories high, albeit with one of those being underground, will tower over surrounding homes, all of which are modest, single storey buildings. The proposed development is unnecessarily large, is not really needed for local residents and will have a large, unwelcome impact on residents of Lawson Place, Lennox Place and anyone trying to access the other streets via Marsden Road. I strongly believe it is entirely unsuitable for the area in design, location and scale.

3. This is not a suitable location for the proposed day care centre. This is a quiet, suburban neighbourhood, bounded by two cul de sacs. Traffic as a result of the centre, would be congested and dangerous on narrow roads with only one exit point from Lawson Place. A child care centre bordered by two cul de sacs is not a logical nor safe traffic plan. Turning right or left on to Old Illawarra Rd is difficult already, and would be dangerous with the additional traffic from the centre. Both Lennox and Lawson are narrow roads and parking on the side of the road would make the area unsafe for passing traffic and pedestrians, and difficult for local residents. Traffic on Old Illawarra Rd is about to increase as it is, with the development on The Ridgeway and possible approval of Woolworths and retail development in Barden Ridge.
   This area has modest, mostly single story residential homes and is quintessential suburbia, to the point Lawson Place was chosen as the location for a commercial which was filmed in the street in 2020. It was explained to me by the location scout, it was chosen for that desired suburbia look. A large building on a small block of land would not be consistent with existing homes.
   Another consideration is the increased noise due to added traffic, cars and people dropping off and picking up over an extended period of the day (5 days a week) air conditioning and ventilation of some description for the underground parking
   As a resident in this street of 30 years, this proposed development is not suitable at all and should be rejected. Increased traffic congestion, insufficient road entry and exit points, increased noise, unsafe street parking and the scale of the building, are reasons to reject the proposed development.

4. I feel this is not a good proposition for the area. It isn’t needed here, there are other child care centres. To put a commercial business in this quiet residential neighbourhood it just wrong. There would be a lot of additional traffic created in this quiet neighbourhood where people walk, children play. It is already difficult enough to get out onto Old Illawarra Road when cars are parked, they impede the view of the road, this would only add to the danger. A building of this size and height is totally inappropriate. I visit Lawson Place numerous times each week and am most unhappy about this proposal. I strongly object it is totally wrong for this quiet residential area.

5. Lennox and Lawson Places are quite, suburban streets with cul-de-sacs. There is no thoroughfare. In addition there are children playing particularly riding and scooting their bikes on Lennox Place due the limited amount of traffic it receives.

   For this tiny block and proposed house to host 47 students and 8 staff would be extremely detrimental to the quite and peaceful enjoyment of my property - increasing both dangerous traffic on Lennox and Lawson, decreasing any available room for children to play, making an excessive amount of noise between 7am and 6pm and stopping surrounding shift workers from getting sleep. I have a feeling people will also park on Old Illawarra Road (Illegally, as they already do) as it is closer and may be more convenient to do so. This again, will increase the risk of accidents as visibility is already limited when leaving the street.

   There is already limited parking on both streets and not much room to move when a family have company. With the additional parking I can forsee the above situation or people parking on residents driveways to facilitate their drop off/pickup. It is an accident waiting to happen and I strongly oppose this development.

   There are already childcare centres in close proximity that are more appropriate. Can I ask when will council send out notifying letters to residents?

   Thank you,
   Luke

6. I would like to state my objections to the outlandish proposal to locate a 3 level preschool in our cul-de-sac, Lawson Place. This is an over development in a quiet local street.
   While adjoining properties would object strenuously not to be over shadowed by this large building another concern is for the local traffic in this narrow street.
   Many school children use this quiet street to travel to and from school by pushbikes and would suffer from increased traffic.
   The street measures 7 metres wide and my car measures 2.1 metres wide. With 2 cars parked on opposite sides of the road this leaves 2.8 metres down the centre for traffic, a car traveling down the centre will have just 350mm clearance either side, quite close. This does not allow for wider 4 wheel drives. Clearance will be zero if a Fire Engine arrives or Council truck tries to empty the red, green or yellow bin.
   With 8 staff and 47 children this means 55 cars coming in and 47 going out each morning, 47 coming in and 55 going out each afternoon, over 200 car movements per day. Do the staff work a 12 hour day or are there 2 shifts per day, this may equate to more car movements per day.
   Lucas Heights school is not far away and many cars drop off and pick up their school children using Old Illawarra Road, which could create more problems on the corner with Lawson Place.
   33 years ago when we built our home in Lawson Place a proposal was submitted to council for a preschool in this street and rejected because of traffic problems What has changed?
   Again this over development should be rejected.

7. This development is not suitable for the location proposed and there are already many other established child care centres available in the local area. The principal concern is the safety of children and residents as Lawson Place is quite narrow and having such a large centre on the corner of the street will definitely become a traffic hazard especially in the morning and afternoon drop-off and pick-up peaks. These will also coincide with the existing traffic peak loads associated with children getting to their schools, for example the Lucas Heights Community School.
   Please do not allow this development to go ahead.

8. To whom it may concern, There are more appropriate places in this area to develop a child care centre. On the corner of Lawson Place and Old Illawarra Road/Lennox Place is definately not one of the places. Due to lack of road safety (crossings-traffic lights), parking, social elements etc. It is hard enough driving onto Old Illawarra Road from Lawson/Lennox Place in a safe manner. It is bad enough as it is without adding more cars and chaos in the area. Small and large vehicals "speed" up and down this road at all times of the day. As this would be a danger and tragedy if something were to happen-road wise. Small children do not understand road rules and need to be supervised at all times, so once again this is not a suitable place to put a "child care" centre. Lets NOT put a "child care" centre on a busy and dangerous main road. There has been numerous accidents on this corner i.e. main road. Thank you for your time in reading this.

9. To whom it may concern, This is an undesirable area to build a child care centre. As other residents have pointed out - this is a nice neighbourhood that does not need any disruptions. Please look elsewhere for a better location. Thank you for your time.

10. The area has enough congestion and limited parking areas around Marsden Rd, Old Illawarra Rd and Lawson Place. This is a residential area, not an area for local business opportunity! This proposal is no different to suggesting you would accept a proposal for a Mechanical Workshop in the same location.

11. This is not an appropriate location for a childcare centre. There will be too much increased traffic in the residential area.
    This will be dangerous for children travelling to Lucas Heights Community School along the pedestrian path

12. This is not an appropriate place for a day care centre as it is in a residential area where people do not need the added burden of cars, parking issue and noise. When will the development stop? People want to live in peaceful communities.

13. There are already numerous daycare centres in this local area with absolutely no need for another centre to be established in a residential setting. This is a quite neighborhood street which should not be subjected to such a busy business.

14. This is not an appropriate development. The surrounding area is all residential. The surrounding infrastructure is also inadequate to support a commercial development of this nature. With increased traffic there will also be significantly increased risk to the safety of local children who live and play in the street.

15. This is not an appropriate development for the area for multiple reasons. The surrounding area is all residential. The surrounding infrastructure is also inadequate to support a commercial development of this nature. With increased traffic there will also be significantly increased risk to the safety of local children who live and play in the street.

16. we wish strongly object to this plan to build a child care centre at this address along with many other neighbours, and we will do whatever it takes to prevent this from going ahead. this is a ridiculous proposal, it will cause major problems regarding traffic,parking and safety particularly to the fact that there are small children coming and going on corner intersection. there will major problems with parking at drop off and pick up times and could result in death of a child. We sincerely hope that the people at the council will see this and vote against it.

17. Just another example of an entirely unsuitable development in a residential area that was not intended to have a commercial business operating and, if approved, would create additional unneeded traffic congestion and noise from the operation of the business.
    If approved this will generate a lot of unnecessary traffic in a residential area not to mention the additional noise that neighbours in the immediate vicinity will have to tolerate who purchased their properties on the basis that they were purchasing in a residential area, not a commercially zoned area.
    Thee are plenty of commercially zoned areas in Sutherland Shire which would suit this type of business operation.
    Let the applicants use them rather than operate in a residential area .

18. Lawson and Lennox places are quite cul-de-sac streets, with mainly single level dwelling homes and lots of foot traffic. There are two neighbouring walkways, that are heavily used all times of the day. School kids use Lawson place as a safe thoroughfare from the busy Marsden and Australia Road. There are lots of dog walkers and kids riding their bikes and there are quite a few kids that play and ride in the street as it is safe and quiet.

    I oppose this proposal of the building of and running a child care centre at this location and fear for the safety of pedestrians using Lawson Place, residents trying to get in and out of their own street and the children of the child care centre potentially running out to get into their cars on Old Illawarra Road and Lawson/Lennox Place.

    There is already an issue with getting into and out of Lawson Place cause by the number of cars at 1 Lawson Place. The property has 5 cars parked out the front, 2 on the driveway and 3 on the side of the street. Those cars parked on the street, due to the placement of the property are parked on the side of the road close to the entrance of Lawson place. This makes turning out difficult as you can’t stay on your side of the road due to those cars parked there. It also is an issue if you are exiting and a car is trying to enter, there is no room for both of you to do that with these cars parked there. This will only be a bigger issue with the number of cars coming to pick up children making the top of the street a bottleneck for residents to get in and out. I understand there is parking underneath, however most parents are in a hurry either dropping off or picking up their kids and parking on the side of the road and getting in and out quickly is what they will be doing, not parking underneath where it will take longer to get in and out.

    Marsden road is already a bottleneck for turning into off Old Illawarra road and sometimes traffic is banked up to Lawson Place, by adding more cars needing to turn into Lawson Place, this will add a second bottleneck and a lot of traffic and driver frustration.

    The increase in parents parking in Old Illawarra Road due to the narrow and lack of road to park safely on in Lawson Place, will add to the already blind spot there is when turning out of Lawson Place onto Old Illawarra Road by cars parking on Old Illawarra road, this is a safety issue and potential hazard.

    Lawson Place itself is not a wide enough street and residents currently have to park up on the footpath as the road is not wide enough to park on the street and have cars travelling down it and pass. There is not enough spare footpath to cater for the additional loads of cars parking in the street, especially at the top of the street where the childcare centre is.

    It is a single entry/single exist street there is no other way in or out so it will always be busy during the week at the top of the street, right during peak hour in the morning and evening when there is already an increase in cars and pedestrian traffic in the area.
    The entry to Lawson place is also heavily utilised by school kids and people walking and the increase in load of traffic is going to make it dangerous to cross for pedestrians. Residents in Lawson and Lennox place know this and go slow, however lots of people coming in from out of this street, do not and this means the increase in traffic into such a small street, will increase the risk of pedestrian accidents.

    Let’s not forget that the actual building of the childcare centre will impact the residents in the street as well and pedestrians. Whilst this is being built, there will be an increase in cars in the street, which we don’t have space for as it is and the neighbouring Old Illawarra road which will cause blind spots. There will times during building that residents won’t be able to get in and out of the street due to equipment/resources being delivered or used, so residents will be impacted as soon as building commences not when it is completed. This will also cause traffic bottlenecks again on Old Illawarra road with residents trying to turn into their street and can’t.

    This is not a good idea in this location, please consider the residents views – thanks.

19. Many residents are opposing this development and we are adding ourselves to this list. My wife and I have been residents here for more than 30 years and feel that the introduction of a childcare centre on this property is not only unnecessary but will impact the lives of the local residents in a detrimental way.
    Currently trying to exit Lawson Place is a major safety issue as the parked cars on the eastern side of Old Illawarra Road block the view of traffic coming in either direction.
    Allowing this commercial venture to go ahead will increase traffic at this intersection and within the immediate area creating an even greater safety risk. The State Government prides itself on reducing the road toll/accidents by reducing risks in areas of concern. This quantification should not be forgotten here.
    There are a number of young families in the aarea. The increased traffic flow into lawson Place and Lennox Place will pose an increased risk to the young children of these families who often play in the street on both of these cull-de-sacs.A traffic flow report would not take these safety risks into consideration.
    There are many other reasons for denying this DA. Increased noise, enroachment on surrounding residential homes, increased pollution for the area.
    Please consider these facts when making a determination on this DA.
    King Regards.

20. I object to the the planning application of a preschool on Lawson Place.
    The area is residential with a narrow street not suited to a commercial property.
    The increase in traffic would be dangerous to enter and exit safely.
    Another preschool is not needed as there are a number of childcare options already available in the area.

21. To whom it may concern,

    I strenuously object to this development proposal being approved for development. The last thing a small residential street needs is a large child care centre being built. The first and most obvious hazard is the large amount of traffic going in and out the street. This will be aggravated at pick up and drop off times. Imagine the amount of vehicles around the street at peak times, combine this with children (from LHCS) and other pedestrians walking along Old Illawarra Road.
    The need for child care has increased over the last 5 years and they do play apart in todays world. But surely there is a better location around the area then a small suburban street.

    If this DA is approved and a child or anyone is killed as a result of the increased traffic. This council will have blood on their hands.

22. I object to the building and running of a childcare centre or business in Lawson place Barden Ridge, which is a quiet residential area. I have had a read of all the other comments from the residents and I agree with all of them. This child care centre will cause traffic chaos in a quiet street, which is totally ill equipped to deal with it. We moved into this street because it was a quiet cul-de-sac, with nice quiet roads for the young children to play on the street. It will not only be the start of Lawson place which will be affected. Parents picking up there children will almost certainly drive into Lawson place, drive up to the end of the street to do a U turn in the first cul-de-sac section, before driving back down the road to park out the front of the care centre. This will turn Lawson place from a quiet, child friendly road, into an extremely busy street, when peak hour hits in both the morning and evening. As a result, all the children who enjoy riding there bikes, or kicking there footballs, will no longer be able to play out on the street due to it being too dangerous or the fact that they will constantly have to be getting off the road to allow traffic to pass. This will definitely increase the chances for pedestrian accidents and will most likely force children indoors to play on electronic devices, instead of being outside using there energy and being healthy.

    Hopefully you see reason, in relation to this matter, and say "No" to the development of this child care centre in Lawson Place.

23. FULL SUPPORT!
    CHILD CARE IS AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE AND EXTREMELY IMPORTATNT TO THE COMMUNITY!! ESPECIALLY IF COVID OUT BREAK HAPPENS AGAIN!!
    It is great to see further development come to our suburb. Especially with the planned retail complex soon to be built up the road, this will really compliment the need for more childcare centres to allow everyday locals to place their kids in care while they work and contribute the the economy and especially the stability and growth of our area.
    I have searched availabilities for childcare vacancies in the area and there are NO vacancies!!! Great addition to the area, the parents who desperately need this essential service will be so happy to have a local centre they can place their children in.

    They have provided their own parking on site and the centre will only be open during the day Monday to Friday, this means late afternoon, evenings and weekends it will be empty!

    I am so surprised to the MISINFORMATION being provided IN THE OTHER COMMENTS relating to this project.

24. A child care centre would be greatly beneficial for the local community as it would provide a local day care for the many young families in the community. Other surrounding childcare centres are full. This is greatly needed and an essential service.

25. Much needed and need more of ,
    Especially with such great architectural deign which helps the fabric of the area .

    With a growing population especially in this area
    Couldn’t agree more for such a great centre

26. Childcare is a great idea for this area especially for those on their way to shire schools, it is very convenient for the community, i noticed 4 submissions against are from the same last names which is definitely a campaign from just 1 household, the more childcare the better for our economy and parents who need that support. Thank you!

27. I think this is a positive thing given so many centres have shut down after covid.
    It's great to see Australians building up the economy by employing staff and giving us families in the area somewhere to put our children so we can then go to work and build the economy as well. We should support local business during and after covid, not try to shut more down and block them from building the economy. This is UN-Australian! I support this centre its in a convention location and I believe will provide great facilities for our kids. After reading some comments on here, I believe the people in the street prefer to have their way, but how about everyone else in the community. They are a minority disadvantaging everyone else in the community.

28. With the new development at the Ridgeway this would be a much needed addition to the rapidly growing population in this area of the Shire.

    My family has been living at Barden Ridge for 15 years now and having raised my children in this area I can see how beneficial this childcare centre would be to the community. My son who also lives in the region has recently had a baby and together with his wife would greatly benefit from this development!

    I would greatly appreciate your consideration of my feedback.

    Regards,
    Nawal

29. We need more childcare centres around and this location for me and my family is perfect. We travel 20mins a day to take 2 of our children to child care because the ones close to our house are completely full.
    I have total support for such businesses opening to assist parents and make their life easier! The location should not matter at all.
    Saving travel time saves money and helps with the stress levels in life aswell.

    Please consider this carefully. Thank you

30. A childcare centre is always a handy necessity and it brings such a warm, family vibe to a suburb.
    The owners have a reputation of integrity & class, so this childcare centre can only add value.

31. This is great. A childcare is really needed in this area. There is a real shortage and a new centre will definitely be welcomed by my growing family.

32. I personally feel that a childcare centre will greatly benefit the community. To think of all the struggling families that need two incomes and can’t find a childcare centre with any availabilities would cripple local households. Not only that but to increase work employment opportunities for our local area would help raise job for the next generation coming through. I’m sure that the developers of this centre care about the local neighbourhood and the welfare of the children in the street and to use kids as a bargaining chip is a horrible position to take but if we are to worry about children think of the positive outcome of children that will be able to attend and grow in knowledge to grow up in society equipped with the very skills that will allow them to navigate life due to this childcare. I say go ahead with the centre and build and make our community more productive and prosperous.

33. I thoroughly support this application as supporting this application supports small business and free enterprise.  Comments saying a new childcare centre is redundant given that there are two existing centres have no regard for the benefit competition has on quality. Our kids deserve quality education! Parents should not be held ransom by a duopoly or forced to compromise on quality for convenience.

    Supporting this application is also supporting increased accessibility to childcare. Regard needs to be had to the capacity of existing childcares, population growth in the area and future development (e.g. proximate planned retail development). These factors could preclude some families from being able to take their children to childcare.

    I believe supporting this application is also supporting the recovery of the Australian economy and other local businesses in the Barden Ridge area. New business often means more jobs and the increased traffic often means more business for other local businesses! Access to childcare frees up parents to return to work sooner and contribute to the recovery of the Australian economy.

    A prosperous community is a peaceful community.

34. This DA should not be assessed with any weight given to COVID, the validity or need for childcare to grow the 'economy', the benefits of early childhood education, the necessity for dual household incomes to support house prices, or your personal views on the 'prosperity' or 'stability' or 'strength' of the areas 'economy', or your personal views on the Australian free market democracy. This DA should be assessed only on its impact/benefit to the actual genuinely local residents it affects, with the most weight given to those who will have to live as the centres actual neighbours.

    Visiting traffic to a residential cul de sac with no other associated businesses DOES NOT provide a boost for other businesses because there aren't any. Its a majority single level residential cul de sac area and a development of this size and scope does not fit the area, regardless of whether its designed to appear to be a large double storey house. Large double storey residential houses do not house 40 plus children plus staff, and the surrounding roads and interesections do not cope with 40 plus visitation twice a day. Nor do the neighbours have to put up with the noise of a 40 plus person household daily, regardless of its outward appearance. The sort of excavation required for a development of this nature will be a huge disturbance to the peace and good living of neighbours and its continued operation post development will remain as the same disturbance.

    Traffic at Marsden Road will be severely affected at Old Illawarra Road, and would require (in the event of a poor decision and approval of this DA) any development contributions to be spent on a roundabout and associated traffic calming for traffic access to work at both Lawson and Marsden - more inconvenience to not just Lawson Place residents but also those using Marsden Road while those works are conducted.

    The DA should be assessed with proper weighting to neighbour negative impact and location suitability. The developers shouldve selected a more appropriate site to begin with, and all the 'economic' and 'community' value can still be realised with a properly selected site ELSEWHERE.

35. A great and much needed service in this area. I struggled to secure my child a spot in this local area so understand the need for it. Without services like this i would be unable to return to work and be a contributing member of society. I strongly support the construction of this building and service and urge others to do the same.

36. I am a father of 4 children all under the age of 5. It has been so difficult to find a childcare centre to take in all our children due to capacity limits and class room sizes. It has been a major disadvantage to our family run and operated primary healthcare clinic - without our children being able to be looked after we have been forced to spend more money on nannies and/or taking unpaid time off from work to attend to the needs of our children. It is also disappointing to hear objections regarding traffic and noise. We live in Sydney the largest city in this great county. If you feel that an increase in traffic will disadvantage your commute to work, perhaps you should come to our medical clinic and see the traffic we have caused. Essential services will always be required and as Sydney’s population continues to grow at an alarming rate there will be more need for childcare centres.

37. Having read some of the imbecilic comments from the supporters of this application, it baffles me that the proposed child care centre is not built along with the new Woolworths store or in the new development at the Ridgeway. Lawson and Lennox Place are streets that people bought into as it was zoned residential and single level. You talk about how much it will help the economy. How much will it cost the health system when a child is permanently maimed from being hit by a car.
    I can only agree with all of the traffic issues mentioned previously. It will be interesting to watch the traffic queue in peak school times in Old Illawarra rd waiting for cars to exit Lawson Place.
    The traffic plan mentions parking on a rolled kerb straddling the nature strip. I don't need the nature strip destroyed by somebody in a large four wheel drive.

38. Having read the comments that are in support of this proposal, I would like to add to my previous comment. I sincerely hope that council considers the home address of the people commenting and that the most weight is given to the views of residents who will be directly affected by this completely out of place development. People who will not be directly affected, or who are simply commenting because they are friends or family of the developers should not be given the same weight as those who will be adversely impacted by thos development.

    Also, I have three children. Two have been through local child care centres. One is yet to start. I say from experience, there is absolutely no lack of available child care in the area. It os simply not an issue. There is plenty of care available. People saying they struggle to get child care locallly perhaps left it too late to book their child a place and therefore could not secure their ideal days. That is a direct result of their own poor organisation and not an acceptable reason for council to start approving enormous child care centres on quiet cul-de-sacs where children are walking and cycling to school each day and where residents chose to live specifically because the street was a quiet cul-de-sac. Approve this one and what is to stop every cul-de-sac in the area being inundated with buisnesses and traffic? This type of development belongs on a main road NOT a small, single entry street.

39. I would also like to add to my previous comment. It seems friends/relatives of the developer are commenting in strong support of this development. They will not be living in this local area and being impacted daily by this development.

    There are a number of shift workers living in close proximity to this proposed development. They specifically chose this quiet area to purchase property in to allow them to rest during the day time with minimal interruption. The noise of cars travelling to and from the daycare centre and the noise created by a large number of babies, toddlers and preschool age children will greatly impact their ability to sleep and rest during the day.

    In addition, there are many retirees living in close proximity to this proposed development. They are elderly, have resided in these quiet streets for decades and should be able to continue to enjoy their quiet retirement that they worked hard to earn.

    I’m regards to there being a shortage of local childcare sports available, I cannot imagine how this is possible. I have 3 young children and have never had difficulty placing them in care. I have been contacted numerous times this year by childcare services offering my children places and additional days.

    Perhaps one might experience difficulty accessing childcare if they failed to place their child’s name on a wait list/gave the centre little notice that care was needed and were also particular about which days they would accept. With the number of wonderful local childcare options we have already available we are spoilt for choice.

    I have many friends in this local area who also have young children and not one of them have failed to secure the childcare they need. Some have moved their children to new centres (with very little notice) due to various reasons….again this has not been an issue and they have been able to find new centres to cater to their needs within close proximity to their home. Not a single person I know has had to resort to hiring a nanny due to a lack of childcare availability.

    Please consider the rights of local residents and how this will impact their daily life when considering this proposal.

40. As the residents directly opposite this proposed child care facility we STRONGLY OPPOSE this development. It is absolutely absurd to think that such a development would even be considered. Lawson Place and Lennox Place are small, narrow cul-de-sacs.

    The impact of cars coming and going to drop off and pick up children will significantly impact not only on our family but all families in Lawson & Lennox. To try and leave of a morning to get to work or for my father to take our son to school only to find parents parking across our driveway & blocking our exit and entry to our home is a significant concern. For anyone who thinks that won’t happen then you’re seriously delusional. You only need a few harried, late parents doing the wrong thing at drop off & pick up for this nightmare to become a reality. This increase in traffic is only going to negatively impact on residents in Lawson & Lennox Place especially our family.

    Another point to consider is Tuesday morning bin collection. The chaos this will cause as residents bins are all out on the street awaiting collection not to mention when council trucks arrive to empty bins. Sometimes bins can be out there all day awaiting collection. This is unsafe and can only lead to potential accidents occurring.

    Lawson Place is a thoroughfare for walkers, pet owners walking their dogs, bike riders, school children, runners or families in general going for walks. The potential for pedestrian accidents increases as a result of more cars entering and exiting Lawson Place.

    We shudder to think of the chaos caused when building begins and the impact this will have on us as we live directly opposite this proposed development. The noise from construction and trucks as well as other machinery such as excavators will seriously and negatively impact on the wellbeing of our family as bedrooms are all facing Lawson Place. Not to mention the potential structural damage to homes due to the underground car park.

    We stand to lose privacy during and after the construction of this 2 storey child care facility. This has the potential to devalue our property because who wants to buy directly opposite a child care centre in a primarily residential area.

    There is an increase in potential car accidents and damage to our property as a result when drivers take undue risks caused by an increase in cars in the street and surrounding area.

    We also have serious concerns of delivery trucks to 1 Lawson Pl and the negative impact this will have on residents and to our family directly opposite.

    We are sure there are more suitable options for a child care facility in the area. We don’t want or need one directly opposite our home.

41. We want to register our strong objection to this development. We bought into the area 20 years ago because it was a quiet cul-de-sac street with little traffic, safe for families and had a strong community environment. Its low density housing and residential zoning we thought secured this lifestyle which is now being threatened.

    This proposal will greatly increase the traffic at the exit intersection with Old Illawarra Road and along the street generally from the many pick-up/ drop-offs by parents, deliveries of goods and services to the centre, and staff coming and goings during each day. Because of this fact the proposed development represents a significantly increased risk to the safety of the residents and the many people (mainly children), who use the street as a thorough fare, because of its connections to the surrounding streets via end of cul-de-sac walk ways. This risk would be exacerbated in times of emergencies like bush fires (which have threatened this area multiple times during our time here), where the influx of parents coming to the area to rescue their kids would lead to peak congestion at an intersection that is the only way in or out of our street for residents, and the only way in for emergency vehicles.

    The location of the proposed centre on the corner of a main street will ensure that parking around this sole exit for Lawson Place is congested creating concerning visual hindrances for people exiting the street and a heightened pedestrian collision risk for cars entering the street as there is currently no controlled method of crossing from one side of Lawson Place to the other. The traffic issues would also impact the access for garbage removal leading to bins on the street and increased risk to residents, pedestrians and garbage collectors alike.

    Lawson Place has for a long time been one of those streets in the community that “lights up” at Christmas and during this time there is a huge increase in foot traffic along the road which again will be at increased risk if this development proceeds.

    The majority of the surrounding area is single story dwellings. The presence of a double story building at this prominent location at the corner entrance to the street will be jolting visual anomaly which will significantly detract from the currently harmonious suburban landscape which contributes to the local community atmosphere of this area.

    There are a number of shift workers and elderly couples in this street who are in the immediate vicinity of this proposed development and will have their quality of life adversely impacted by the increase in day time noise coming from a day care centre, especially at time when the children are in the building’s outdoor play areas.

    It is evident from the comments so far on this page that our strong community spirit is alive and well. Please help ensure that our community continues to thrive and reject this proposal.

42. Sylvia A

    As a resident of Lawson Place for 30 years my objection to this development is as follows.
    Both Lawson & Lennox are not streets that can accommodate such an increase in traffic congestion. The area is zoned residential not commercial with single storey only from the start of Lawson Place to before it goes round to the end of the street on both sides.

    People who have purchased homes in this street recently have done so as they have children who can use the cul-de-sac to ride bikes, kick a ball, play like my kids did and many of the older resident's kid's did who are still here.

    With this development cars picking up and dropping off will be finding themselves (47+) of them driving all the way around to the end of Lawson or into Lennox to come back round to supposedly drive into the driveway of the centre get out, sign and pick up their child and back into the car, meanwhile a cue of cars from the centre right round into Lennox will occur. Then we have those that will have to park out on Old Illawarra road and walk back. This will then block the view of those trying to get out of Lawson Place regardless of what time between the operational hrs of the centre.
    It was mentioned that 9 basement car spots would be made available (5 for parents & 4 for staff). But the centre will employ 8 staff where are the other 4 staff going to park all or part of their shift?
    Garbage trucks trying to get through with cars on both sides parked also an issue be it once a week.
    Delivery trucks also an issue.
    Construction time. Noise, drilling, trucks in and out carting off rubbish, debris.
    What happens if neighbours find cracks in their properties?

    There was mention that no spots available at centres in the area. Well I checked in the 2234 post code and there are plenty. To say that centres have closed due to COVID is totally incorrect. Other factors have lead to this.

    The street is not in a business area hence the comment local business opportunities does not make any sense. This is residential.
    There are many locals who either walk or ride down our street.
    There are senior members of our street that also need to be considered along with shift workers how their lives will be impacted.

    Also kindly take preference to listening to concerns of those of us that actually reside in the streets concerned not those who live no where near the development and will not be impacted in any shape or form.

    Please consider the rights of all the residents of this street (including Lennox) and not approve this development.

43. I most strongly oppose the construction of a child care centre at 1Lawson pl Barden Ridge.I have read all the submissions and i can’t for the life of me believe that council would even consider the application for a child care centre.Has council thought about the fire that swept along Old Illawarra Rd April 2018 which was only about 20 metres from the propose application site for the child care centre and it may well happen again.Council please consider all ramifications this is serious.

44. The proposed Childcare Centre is planned for the wrong “PLACE”.
    Research (amateur 😃) of 12 Sutherland Shire postcodes shows only 4 Childcare Centres constructed in PLACES.
    Two of these PLACES are in Commercial Zones, one PLACE is on a through road (Hobart Place, Illawong), the other is actually a CLOSE at Alfords Point which has access from another thoroughfare (Eucalyptus).

    FYI
    Address listings other than Schools:-
    Avenues - 27
    Boulevards - 2
    Circuits -1
    Crescents - 3
    Close - 1
    Drives - 6
    Highways - 7
    Parades - 6
    Places - 3
    Roads - 95
    Streets - 36

    Why offend residents by allowing a Commercial development at the ONLY access to their/our PLACE???

    Why has Council avoided PLACES as an environment for Childcare centres in past years?
    Why do PLACES only represent 2.1% of Developers “successful” target zones?

    The answer is simple.......
    “Consideration to the lives of people who have chosen the quiet enjoyment of a residential PLACE!”

45. The proposed Childcare Centre is planned for the wrong “PLACE”.
    Research (amateur 😃) of 12 Sutherland Shire postcodes shows only 4 Childcare Centres constructed in PLACES.
    Two of these PLACES are in Commercial Zones, one PLACE is on a through road (Hobart Place, Illawong), the other is actually a CLOSE at Alfords Point which has access from another thoroughfare (Eucalyptus).

    FYI
    Address listings other than Schools:-
    Avenues - 27
    Boulevards - 2
    Circuits -1
    Crescents - 3
    Close - 1
    Drives - 6
    Highways - 7
    Parades - 6
    Places - 3
    Roads - 95
    Streets - 36

    Why offend residents by allowing a Commercial development at the ONLY access to their/our PLACE???

    Why has Council avoided PLACES as an environment for Childcare centres in past years?
    Why do PLACES only represent 2.1% of Developers “successful” target zones?

    The answer is simple.......
    “Consideration to the lives of people who have chosen the quiet enjoyment of a residential PLACE!”

46. It's plain and simply wrong to build a child care centre or for that matter any commercial development in a quiet cul de sac with vehicle access only one way in and out . I don't care how many centres get built but it is completely and utterly appalling to do so on the corner of Lawson Place and Old Illawarra Road.
    It's also a load of rot that the additional traffic created by the centre wont have an impact on us residents. It definitely will. The developers can create all the traffic impact reports that want, BUT it will not be realistic on the truth...reports are just all statistics which can be easily skewed to suit the DA. The traffic IS going to cause problems and us residents are the ones that will suffer.
    Lawson Place and Lennox have only enough parking for residents...WHO pay council rates and are entitled to their rights. Parents and staff of the centre wont care about the parking they take from us. We, as residents have legal rights under NSW law and Sutherland Council doesn't seem to care at all.
    The centre or any other form of commercial business IS NOT welcome in Lawson Place.
    I'm also very concerned about the massive impact the actual construction will have on both the access for Lawson and Lennox AND the elderly residents living next to number 1 Lawson Place. People are legally entitled to a private and peaceful existence and the construction will be detrimental to the health and well being of the residents in the area.

    THIS IS AN EXERT FROM SUTHERLAND COUNCILS own fact sheet: '
    R2 is a zone for land comprised mainly of low density housing where the planning objective is to protect the locality’s single dwelling character and landscape setting. The zone also allows for a variety of housing types, facilities and services to meet the needs of the community and residents.
    However, other housing types are required to be at a scale and density that is compatible with the
    single dwelling character of the locality'

    Thus I say...the DA is NOT in keeping with the above definition .

    Sutherland Council, please re think this DA as no one in Lawson or Lennox wants the commercial development.

47. I am considering purchasing in 1 of these streets at present and solely for the reason its quiet and safe. I have an autistic child whom sometimes can run on to the street and i purposely am willing to pay more for this cul de sac residents only location.Also the streets are smaller then average i cant see how this development will have a positive impact to the residents. Childcare centres are needed but they also need to be placed in the right area were development is safe and suitable. I know that space in the local area is forever reducing and at a rapid rate..however there are still plenty of areas that remain unused or are not used well in barden ridge/menai areas.

48. I have lived in the next street as the proposed Woolies for 32 years and I was told shops would be there 32 years ago. since then a Fire station and multiple child cares have popped up. Barden Ridge is the only suburb in the shire not to have any shops, we are alaus last. A few people make all of the noise, everyone I know want it. GIVE US THE SHOPS.

49. The latest information and diagrams of the proposed childcare centre at no 1 Lawson Place Barden Ridge have 47 children attending. The previous development application had the numbers reduced to 43. What has changed to make it back up to 47 and they will need to provide 12 car spaces not 11 for 47 children. This needs to be addressed.

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