Early Learning Child Care Centre Projects

TRANPLAN Sydney Town Planner - Our town planning consultant provided project management service and the town planning (Statement of Environmental Effects) report to support a development application (DA) for the building works and adaptive re-use of a local Heritage-listed building as a Child Care Centre in Strathfield. 

Challenges include reviewing Strathfield Council's Strathfield Local Environment Plan 2012 & Strathfield Consolidated Development Control Plan 2005 (Part E: Childcare Centres), and liaising closely with Strathfield Council to address all the relevant town planning, architectural design, accessibility, acoustic / noise impacts (EPA Industrial Noise Policy), heritage (preservation of an intact quality Federation Queen Anne Style house), traffic & parking (RTA Guide to Traffic Generating Developments 2002, and adequacy of 6 parking spaces), stormwater drainage, National Construction Code (NCC) / Building Code of Australia (BCA), operational, health and safety issues.

Council refused the DA primarily on the contention that the proposed 44-place child care centre exceeds Council’s outdated DCP control, which is inconsistent with the Education and Care Services National Regulations (2011 SI 653) - the provision of unencumbered indoor play space per child of at least 3.25sqm (Regulation 107), and unencumbered outdoor play space per child of at least 7sqm (Regulation 108).

In response to Council’s refusal, a Class 1 Appeal was lodged with the NSW Land and Environment Court with TRANPLAN preparing the Applicant’s Response to Council’s Statement of Facts and Contentions (SOFAC), acting as the Town Planning Expert Witness, and demonstrating that the DA was satisfactory having regard to the National Quality Framework,  the Children (Education and Care Services National Law Application) Act 2010, and the National Regulations. 

Our specialist planning consultant also closely liaise with the case Solicitors and Barristers, and the NSW Department of Education’s Early Childhood Education & Care Directorate throughout the duration of the proceedings. The Court Appeal was successful and the Child Care DA was approved by NSW LEC.  

TRANPLAN Sydney Town Planner - Our town planning consultant provided project management service and the town planning (Statement of Environmental Effects) report to support a development application (DA) for the building fitout works and change of use of the Level 1 office premises within an existing 15-storey commercial building known as ‘The Ace Building’ with primary frontage to O’Connell Street and a secondary frontage to Hunter Street, as a 21-children (0 – 2 age group) Child Care Centre within the Sydney CBD. 

Challenges include reviewing the National Quality Framework, the Children Act 2010, the National Regulations,  City of Sydney Council's Sydney Local Environment Plan 2012 & Sydney Development Control Plan 2012 (SDCP 2012 requires that child care centres are not to exceed 90-children and provide a minimum of 33% of placements for children aged 0 – 2 years) and liaising closely with  City of Sydney Council to address all other relevant town planning, architectural design , accessibility, acoustic / noise impacts (EPA Industrial Noise Policy), traffic & parking, NCC) / BCA, operational, health, safety and emergency issues.

The primary issue given the high-density of the Sydney Central Business District is that it significantly restricts direct sunlight to the simulated outdoor space. The SDCP 2012 specifies that indoor play areas must have access to sunlight and that outdoor areas must achieve at least 3 hours of solar access to 50% of the required outdoor area between 9am and 3pm on 22 June.

However our Town Planning consultant successfully addressed and resolved this issue to Council's satisfaction on the grounds that given the proposed child age group of between 0 – 2 years, direct sun access is not considered necessary as babies and toddlers must be kept in shade (Cancer Council: July 2014). Therefore, as the first floor tenancy maintains glazed frontages to O’Connell and Hunter Streets, it is expected that the childcare centre will receive adequate daylight within the indoor and outdoor simulated play area without compromise to the needs of children within the 0 – 2 age group.

TRANPLAN Sydney - Our expert town planning and heritage consultant successfully prepared the Heritage Impact Statement to support a development application (DA) for the Council APPROVAL of the childcare centre’s security fence (the fence installation was needed for the safety of all children who attend the Child Care Centre and also to protect the heritage-significant site from continuous vandalism). 

Challenges include reviewing the Campbelltown City Council's Campbelltown Local Environment Plan 2015 & Campbelltown (Sustainable City) Development Control Plan 2015, as well as the Heritage Item’s State Heritage Inventory and liaising closely with Council Town Planner and Council Heritage Advisor to address all the relevant town planning & heritage matters. For example – in addition to the detailed Statement of Heritage Impact – Council’s Heritage Advisor also required the Conservation Management Plan and Aboriginal Heritage Impact Assessment for the local Heritage-listed building in Blair Athol. 

After a lengthy and draining DA assessment process in which the previous consultants were not able to satisfy Council’s meticulous requirements, TRANPLAN’s town planning and specialist heritage consultant was able to take-over management of the project and quickly resolve all issues to Council’s Town Planner & Council Heritage Specialist’s satisfaction, and the Child Care Centre security fence was approved to the great delight of our Clients – see the glowing review of our professionalism and level of service directly from the Client’s own words.