Time has come to take back our residential streets

Once upon a time it was boarding houses that were the bane of local residents.

Every second developer was lodging a development application for a boarding house in some residential street 10-15 years ago.

There were some rules including close proximity to public transport.

Well, now it’s all about child care centres.

Late last year council approved one in one of Campbelltown’s smallest residential streets.

Council virtually had no option than to give it the green light because the zoning allowed a chid care centre to be built in Ruzak Street, but it meant the residents discovered they were powerless to stop something they did not want.

As readers would have seen this week, Raby residents in and around McDonnell Street are facing the same issue.

Council has received an application for a child care centre on 19 McDonnell Street, which was on the market and sold late last year.

Residents have organised and gone around to doorknock almost 400 properties, and there were children aged five and under in just 10 of those.

So when this centre opens the children will be ferried there from goodness knows where, but let’s say Emerald Hills and other nearby residential developments which are in the Camden local government area.

That’s not right and something has to be done, because we have to draw the line somewhere.

Nobody’s opposed to child care centres, but some more thought needs to go into where they are permitted and where they are not.

And where they would be more appropriate.

Residents are entitled to be angry if the one in Raby is approved, and who could blame them.

You buy a house in a residential street, and once upon a time you knew it would always remain just that.

Now, you could end up with a group home next to yours, or a double townhouse or villa homes – or a child care centre – and that is not right.

This is an area where our councillors need to show leadership, and to stand up for the residents who elected them to council.