By Matthew Sims
A group of Narre Warren North residents have made a final plea to Casey Council to reconsider its “communistic” approval of a childcare centre to be developed on 154 Drysdale Avenue in Narre Warren North.
Casey Council approved a planning permit for the use and development of a childcare centre on the land on Tuesday 3 October, with the demolition of the $1.9 million house at the property expected soon.
The plans outlined a $2.9 million early childhood education facility at the site, which would accommodate 110 places.
Highgrange Estate resident Sienna Dimarco said the last 12 months of advocating against the development was an “exhausting” battle with Casey Council’s planning department to convince them that the site’s Development Plan Overlay (DPO) should be scrapped.
“This DPO has given residents no rights to notice or appeal and has given us all extreme stress, anger, frustration and depression as town planners advised us that our objections were merely seen as submissions for consideration, and that we cannot appeal to VCAT should an application be approved,” she said.
“This is communistic behaviour and surely can not be legal in Australia.”
Casey Council planning and building manager Tania Asper said there was no requirements for a planning permit or public consultation before the existing house is demolished.
“In August, council was notified of a demolition permit approved by a private building surveyor,” she said.
“On 3 October, council approved a planning permit for the use and development of a childcare centre on the land.
“The decision was subject to a full assessment of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the Casey Planning Scheme.”
Ms Asper said Casey Council notified all submitters of the decision via mail on Wednesday 4 October.
“The application was exempt from public notice requirements and certain decision requirements and review rights under relevant sections of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 as the site is covered by a Development Plan Overlay,” she said.
“Council cannot comment on when and if the project will commence.
“The planning permit allows two years for the development to commence and four years for the development to be completed.”
According to the 2021 Census, there were 356 children aged zero to four years in Narre Warren North.
A newly constructed and operational centre has been operating less than two kilometres away from the proposed planning permit at 1 Capra Court, accommodating more than 130 children aged six weeks to six years, while another centre accommodates more than 100 children at 280-283 Belgrave-Hallam Road, about 3.5 kilometres away from the proposed development.
Other centres were currently operating in Narre Warren, Narre Warren North, Endeavour Hills, and Hallam, with all centres confirming they were not operating to full capacity and had vacancies available in 2023/2024.
Ms Dimarco said the development would breach several conditions of Casey Council’s Non-Residential Use policy guidelines within the council’s Planning Scheme, including adverse impacts to the residential amenity and the overall character of Highgrange Estate.
“The plan to put a double storey 110-place childcare centre in this location is absolutely absurd and also considering one has also been built less than 300 metres away on the next corner is a lack in duty of care when assessing ‘over-saturation’ of a particular service,” she said.
“The entry to this childcare centre is going to be in Drysdale Avenue as soon as residents turn in to the estate.
“This will detrimentally impact traffic trying to get in or out of the estate.”
During Parliament on Thursday 5 October, South-Eastern MP Ann-Marie Hermans raised a question to Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny about why residents were not allowed to seek a review of the application under the DPO.
“This raises concerns about the coordination and communication between the council and property owners or developers,” she said.
“With Casey council under this government’s administration, residents want to know why council chose to use the development plan overlay, denying residents a chance to seek review.”
