No place for kids

Childcare bid refused

GEELONG council has refused to grant a planning permit for a proposed childcare centre in Grovedale following strong opposition from elderly neighbouring residents.

The decision was made at a planning committee meeting on Tuesday night, with developers telling council they would “see them in VCAT” as the decision was handed down.

Council officers had recommended approving the permit.

Bannockburn man Danny Sheedy, who was asked by the residents to speak on their behalf, said many in the area feared the effect increased traffic would have on their ability to access key aged services.

“A lot of them are very concerned with the traffic currently. They find it hard to get in and out of their driveways and so do some of the services they rely on such as Meals on Wheels and in-home care,” he said.

“Most of the elderly people who live around there plan to stay for the rest of their lives instead of going into homes and this centre would make the road chaos.”

The proposed childcare centre would have accommodated up to 90 children with 18 on-site parking spaces available for visitors, one less than the statutory requirement.

The proposed site would have been one of four childcare centres within a 4km radius.

Councillor Stephanie Asher said the concerns and needs of the ageing community had been taken into consideration in the decision.

“The issues considered included traffic and parking concerns, noise and a shift of general amenity in the area,” she said “There were a lot of older residents attending the meeting who moved to the area for the amenity.”

Mr Sheedy acknowledged that the “fight” was probably not over.