A PROPOSED $2.1 million childcare centre near a busy Floreat intersection has been rejected by the Metro West Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP), with one member labelling the application a “dog’s breakfast”.
The JDAP considered the application for 130 and 132 Brookdale Street on Tuesday morning at the Town of Cambridge council chambers, with over 20 people present in the public gallery.
Acting deputy presiding member Brian Curtis said the application looked “like a dog’s breakfast”.
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READ NOW“The service area looks like it will be a chaotic place, with cars going in all directions and kids flying out the doors,” he said.
Jeremy Hofland, representing Rowe Group, requested the matter be deferred to allow the traffic engineer and planning consultant to attend.
The architect for the project was also not in attendance; Chad Cossom, representing Lancelot Carine Pty Ltd, said he had told them not to come.
John Devine said he had lived at the adjoining property since 1974 and asked how a two-storey development could cater to the proposed 107 children and 25 staff.
“To consider building a childcare centre, let alone a supersize one, on a major intersection is unthinkable,” he said.
Penelope Melis raised concerns about congestion and safety.
“These planning anomalies will have a significant impact on our daily lives and our homes,” she said.
She said there had been a number of crashes at the intersection, which previously received black spot funding.
A staff member from the Town said WA Planning Commission guidelines indicated site-specific issues should be addressed by the applicant but were not, and the applicant had not done modelling of the signalised intersection but the risk of collision was relatively unlikely.
Presiding member Rachel Chapman moved to defer the matter; the motion was lost 2-3.
Cr Andres Timmermanis moved the officer recommendation to refuse the application.
“It’s a pig in a poke and an unsupportable application,” Cr Timmermanis said.
Cr Bradley said he had often picked up his granddaughter from childcare and “the biggest hassle is finding somewhere to park safely”.
“This isn’t going to be feasible here; it’ll be a nightmare,” he said.
Ms Chapman said she had been willing to give the applicants the benefit of the doubt, but there were deficiencies in the traffic impact study and unique circumstances around the intersection.
The application was refused 4-1.