Backlash against plan for new Gympie child care centre
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A PROPOSED Child Care centre near the new Gympie Aquatic Centre has met with backlash.
A petition objecting to the proposed 80-spot development will be tabled at today’s Gympie Regional Council meeting.
It bears 66 signatures, but does not give specific details about the objection, pointing only to a letter submitted by Reverend Dave Thomas on July 23.
The petition is not the only objection.
More than two dozen have been made to the council about the proposed centre, many claiming it would put existing centres at even greater risk.
Names have been redacted from the submissions.
One said there was “no need” given the “saturation” and “over supply” already in the region.
“The DA states there is a slight over supply already and there are currently 220 spaces available in Gympie,” the objector said.
“With the addition of this centre there will be 310.”
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Potential traffic chaos was another concern.
Another letter said this was “not addressed” in the DA.
“The intersections at Sorrel St, Tozer Park Rd and Cogan St is dangerous and already suffers from major congestion especially during … school drop-off and pick-up time.”
Another letter said it was not against the centre as it “would be much better than units”, but the extra traffic was a different story.
“Tozer Park Rd and Cogan St are already busy and dangerous roads,” the letter writer said.
Another objection, submitted by a member of the Parkside Early Learning Centre, included a report they “have had completed by Urban Economics, one of Australia’s leading childcare
research and analysis companies”.
UE’s report said there was “insufficient need and demand” for the proposed centre, which will have “unacceptable levels of impact on the existing network of centres”.
