Plans for expansion

Good Samaritan College lodges proposal to council

A SMALL Catholic secondary school in Toowoomba’s northern suburbs is planning a significant expansion of its campus to the council to cater for a 50 per cent increase to its student population.

Harlaxton’s Good Samaritan College lodged plans last week to add a new three-storey building at the centre of the Ruthven Street site.

The school’s canteen will be demolished to make way for the new building.

According to the report by Precinct Urban Planning’s Paul Kelly, the new space will cater for a variety of uses.

“The undercroft level of the new building will used as a minibus garage, maintenance storeroom and plant room,” he wrote.

“The ground floor level will be used as a specialist learning area (food technology), school canteen kitchen and kiosk as well as a book and uniform shop.

“The first floor level will be used for three general learning areas.

“The existing resource centre to the north of the proposed development is a single storey building that will be converted to a gym and PE store.”

The new facilities will allow the school to increase its student intake from 40 to 60 pupils, with nine full-time equivalent staff also on-site.

A stormwater management report was included as part of the application.

The Good Samaritan College, which was started as the Youth and Community Learning Centre in the 1950s, focuses on helping students to transition into mainstream schooling and complete Year 12 or move into a form of higher learning.

It is one of five schools in the local area governed by the Diocese of Toowoomba Catholic Schools.

Toowoomba Regional Council has yet to respond to the application.