“Residents are right to be concerned that an exclusive private school is trying to shoehorn a campus into what is already a very tightly packed part of our community with limited parking and narrow streets,” he said.
An artist’s impression of a classroom at St Aloysius’ College’s proposed Rozelle campus.Credit:St Aloysius’ College
Parker said residents had been “pounded” by years of roadworks associated with WestConnex, which had brought noise, disruption and road closures.
“If it goes ahead we could see almost 200 cars brought to bear on a quiet, narrow local road during pick-up and drop-off every day,” he said.
A number of nearby residents objected to the school’s plans, warning surrounding streets were narrow and would become gridlocked during school drop-off and pick-up.
Residents would be inconvenienced by traffic jams and parking congestion, which also posed a risk to schoolchildren.
loading
Inner West Council also lodged an objection to the proposed new campus because of its impact on parking and traffic, but reversed its opposition after council officers met with planning bureaucrats and the school.
“While the issues were not satisfactorily addressed in the additional information, we are continuing to work with DPE on conditions that will minimize the impacts to the community,” a council spokeswoman said. “Council has withdrawn the objection subject to the inclusion of the conditions.”
St Aloysius’ was overfunded by $1,652,961 in 2021 by the NSW government, according to a report by education economist Adam Rorris commissioned by the NSW Teachers Federation – one of more than 200 private schools given extra state government money.
Classified as a state-significant development, the school’s development application is being assessed by the planning department, which has requested additional information.
loading
But St Aloysius’ is already recruiting staff for the Rozelle campus, which is owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.
“Term three is when schools throughout Sydney seek to recruit roles for the following year,” Tannock said. “To attract the best candidates possible, it is important to have our leader of this campus in place soon.”
School pick-up and drop-offs are often a contentious issue, with residents complaining that private schools cause traffic congestion and dangerous driving by parents.
loading
The head of SCEGGS Darlinghurst last month said police would be deployed to monitor parents dropping off and picking up children from the prestigious girls school as well as hiring a traffic warden in response to traffic complaints from its inner-city neighbours.
Tannock said the school had worked hard over recent months to respond to concerns about traffic and parking from nearby residents and the council.
“We want to be a good neighbor and to ensure that our impact on traffic and parking is limited,” he said. “We believe that our plans will ensure this.”
Tannock said the school was planning to “integrate successfully” into the local community and regenerate a facility that has been mostly vacant for a long time: “We will be prioritizing the use of public transport for our students given their age.”
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.