A single home in City Beach could be replaced by a two-storey childcare centre, under a proposal presented to the local council.
The Town of Cambridge has recommended against approving the project, which will be considered by the Metro Inner North Development Assessment Panel on September 8.
The Oban Road property, which sold for $1.27 million in 2020, is between City Beach Medical Centre and a single home, and opposite Empire Village shopping centre.
A report by town staff said the centre’s proposed capacity of 72 children and 14 staff on the 1070sqm site was not compatible with its R12.5 coding and its position in a residential area, raising traffic, parking, building setback and noise concerns.
The report said the proposal was a “substantial departure” from the town’s local planning policy, which included a maximum capacity of 40 children at daycares in a residential zone.
The $4m development would cater for children from babies to ages three and older, opening from 6.30am to 6.30pm weekdays.
More than 504sqm of outdoor play space is proposed, with 15 parking bays provided in a basement carpark accessed via the one-way service road used by the medical centre.
Camera IconThe centre would accommodate up to 72 children and 14 staff. Credit: Hodge Collard Preston Architects
Cambridge staff’s concerns included the upstairs outdoor play area setback 2.8m from the road and the two-storey building wall 6.5m away, instead of the required 7.5m for both.
Other notable changes to setbacks were a 25m-long wall on the upper level designed 1.5m away from the adjoining residence instead of the required 6.1m, and the 33m wall abutting the medical centre boundary 3m away instead of 6.6m.
Three visitor bays would be provided in the centre basement but the report said the town’s policy required all parking provided on-site.
The town’s report said the service road parking would likely be most used by parents dropping off and picking up children, which was already “under pressure” from a parking bay shortfall for the medical centre.
There were 50 responses during the public consultation period, with all of them objecting to the childcare centre for reasons including lack of parking, increased traffic, the building’s height and scale, noise and loss of amenity, and the hours of operation.
Camera IconA Town of Cambridge report raised concerns about boundary setbacks, noise and parking. Credit: Hodge Collard Preston Architects
The town’s report acknowledged the panel had discretion to approve the centre and said a childcare centre could be approved in a residential area, but deemed the proposed design unsuitable for the site.
It blamed this on the design trying to accommodate 72 children and 14 staff on the single residential lot within policy requirements.
The report said positives of the proposal included it was close to Empire Village and public transport, landscaping provisions exceeded minimum requirements and a “number of positive design attributes”, but these could not overcome its perceived shortfalls.