The council unanimously passed development plans for the Mundaring Christian College Senior School Campus on 44ha of Roland Road land, which will allow the school to accommodate 720 students from kindergarten to Year 12.
The new campus will be built in two stages and will include a design and technology workshop, ICT studio, two art studios including a welding and forge area, science laboratory and commercial food technology room.
‘There has been a strong desire from the community to have a low fee paying independent school in the Hills,’ principal Rod McNeill said.
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READ NOW‘The new campus is going to be a landmark innovative school, which will deliver excellent education.’
But Mundaring resident Tracy Brownell is worried that traffic would cause an issue with about 1800 car movements expected each day once the school opens.
Ms Brownell recently moved from her McDowell Loop home in anticipation of the congestion.
‘The application was approved by the shire using McDowell Loop as the access road after commissioning their own study of Roland Road,’ she said.
‘The independent report they commissioned concluded that the alternative Roland Road access, while acceptable from a capacity and traffic safety point of view, would require significant sight lines to be created which would result in the extensive removal of the existing vegetation (approximately 2 520sqm)’.
‘It is baffling why the council would backflip on the loss of amenity for McDowell Loop in order to preserve 2500sqm of vegetation bordering a road.
‘While no one likes to lose trees, the trees and bush in question are not original and border a road where their removal would improve safety.’