Neighbours object to Delacombe, Brown Hill childcare centre plans

Residents of Benson Close and Greenhalghs Road in Delacombe, where plans have been lodged for a 96-place childcare centre on the corner, fear they will struggle to get into and out of their homes with scores of extra traffic movements each day.

"(Benson Close) is a dead-end street with only nine houses, it's an old residential area, and we have one access and exit point. It's already a problem at times because we exit on to Greenhalghs Road and with the massive increase in building to the west of Wiltshire Lane we already have a lot more traffic," said resident Joan Tallent.

During morning and afternoon peak times, particularly school times, vehicles are often banked on Greenhalghs Road past Benson Close as they approach the Wiltshire Lane roundabout making it difficult to get into or out of the court.

Parking is already at a premium in the small cul-de-sac. Ballarat Council recently sent a letter to residents after visitors cars in the court prevented a garbage truck entering to pick up bins.

"The massive increase in traffic with something like a childcare centre is really disturbing. What if an emergency vehicle can't get through?" Mrs Tallent said.

While the proposed centre has 21 car parks, accessed from Benson Close, the planning application states there is room for extra cars to park on the road in front of the building.

The residents, most aged in their 60s, 70s and 80s, are also concerned about noise levels.

"We are a quiet residential area, most of us are older people, and we bought here because it was a quiet street," Mrs Tallent said.

"If you buy a house or land near a childcare centre you know what you are getting. We came to this area because it's a quiet street, mostly older people, and not an area of young families."

Mrs Tallent said there were 10 childcare centres within 3km of the address, seven of which were on main roads or highways, three on side roads with through traffic, and none on the corner of a cul-de-sac.

"I've got nothing against childcare centres, it's just this location ... I don't believe is workable."

She and husband Ron have lodged objections to the planning application, co-signed by several neighbours, and other nearby residents have also lodged objections with council.

It comes after residents near a proposed Brown Hill childcare centre also raised concerns with council about increased traffic becoming a road hazard.

Original plans submitted for a site on the corner of Stawell Street North and Morres Street included a medical centre and childcare centre, but plans resubmitted to council in April dropped the medical centre in part to appease resident concerns about traffic.

But neighbour Ian Brain said the medical centre was never the issue.

"Our only concern was about the childcare centre. General traffic flow wouldn't be a problem with the medical centre because it's spread through the day, whereas peak time in the morning and afternoon is a concern with the childcare centre," he said.

"The site is located around a blind turn at the bottom of one of the steepest hills in Ballarat. This road carries heavy traffic, especially at peak times, Due to this, entry and exit from this site are extremely problematic. It will present extreme danger to parents and their children trying to access the facility on foot or by car as well as to through traffic."

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Mr Brain said plans only showed vehicles entering and leaving turning left, which would only be half of the total traffic flow. Right turning traffic would cause serious problems.

The former driving instructor carried out his own traffic survey, calculating how often during peak times there would be enough of a gap in traffic to allow parents and carers to exit the proposed childcare centre carpark on to Stawell Street.

"You need a five second gap of cars coming to turn left, and if turning right you have to have a gap both ways. There's not enough gaps for half the vehicles that want to do that in the morning," he said.

He also raised issues around siting a childcare centre on a floodplain, access to the unpaved Morres St, bushfire risk, road zone and former use of the site as a sawmill and processing of mining ores in his objection to council.

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