We have now completed community consultation on the draft plans.

Through the consultation processes many stakeholders and members of the public identified opportunities and raised issues covered in the consultation material. This included feedback on the proposed building design and ideas for upgrading the playground at FG Tricks Reserve.

During consultation Council became aware that some members of the community have concerns in relation to the provision of car parking and traffic movement.

Council has investigated opportunities to improve traffic conditions and considered a proposal to introduce a left turn slip lane from Fern Street into Bluff Road. The report has found this proposal is unfeasible due to the location of a fire hydrant and power pole.

We also investigated entry and exit to the site from Bluff Road, however advice received from the Department of Transport states that entry and exit points would not be approved from a main arterial road (Bluff Road) for a corner site when a side street (Fern Street) is available.

We are also looking at alternative options to reduce the impact on residents, including staggering the start and finish times for the 66 place kindergarten, which will alleviate all parents arriving and leaving at the same time. Maternal and Child Health appointments will be scheduled outside the start and finish kindergarten times.

It is noted that there is an issue with non-residents parking larger vehicles, such as trailers, caravans and boats, on the grass strip near the Black Rock Bowling and Tennis Club. Council’s local laws officers will begin actively monitoring this site and consider enforcement action for any vehicles that are in excess of 7.5m in length parking in this area for more than 1 hour.

Next steps

Whilst the consultation has now closed, we are reviewing all options and seeking advice from an independent planning consultant to identify the most appropriate solution for parking, considering the feedback we received.

The next stage will include development of a more detailed plan outlining what the building and open space areas could look like, as well as considering in more detail how we best manage traffic and car parking. As a result, the project timeline will be extended.

We will update you once we have finalised the design and prior to lodging a planning application for this site.