Campbelltown Mayor Darcy Lound has called an extraordinary meeting of council to back the residents opposed to a controversial plan for a 120 place child care centre in McDonnell Street at Raby.
The meeting will be held tonight from 6.30pm, and will be preceded by a public forum on the child care centre.
It follows a comprehensive South West Voice coverage last week of the campaign by residents to stop the centre from going ahead.
“We decided that as a council we needed to act and that’s why I have called this meeting,’’ Mayor Lound told the Voice.
Holding a council meeting to debate a single Campbelltown issue is a rare occurrence.
Tonight, councillors will be asked to vote on a recommendation contained in a mayoral minute tabled by the mayor.
It is titled Submission of objection to development application (DA) for a new childcare facility at 19 McDonnell Street, Raby.
- Council lodges a submission of objection with the Campbelltown Local Planning Panel.
2. Council’s submission includes the following reasons as to why the development application should be refused:
Scale of the Development – a 120- place childcare facility is excessive in a low density established street which will further impact on parking.
Traffic congestion and the safety of pedestrians and children attending schools will put further pressure and strain in a location that already has traffic and safety issues.
The residents’ campaign led by Mark Baird and others has door knocked almost 400 homes in and around the vicinity of the proposed facility.
It has also held a public forum attended by many of the residents.
Mr Baird told the Voice just one resident said they were “sitting on the fence’’, with everyone else opposed to the child care centre.