Developer call out Salisbury Council move to block Shepherdson Road childcare plan

The developers of a sorely-needed $8m childcare centre have been left stunned by a council’s bizarre move to contradict their own qualified planning staff.

The developers of a prospective childcare centre at Salisbury have questioned the “alarming” involvement of a council in the process of telling their own staff the centre should not be approved.

The bizarre interaction has been playing out between the Salisbury Council and NSW-based Hewlett Property Group for about two years over a proposed centre on Shepherdson Road at Parafield Gardens.

The application has now come to a head with the development passing planning approval for the SA Planning Commission and receiving a recommendation from the council’s own qualified planning staff that it should be approved for development.

Hewlett Property Group managing director Ben Hewlett said the $8m 114-child centre was the first of a large foray into the state, but they had been left stunned by how the application was playing out.

“It would be highly alarming if this proposal is rejected considering it has met all of council’s technical and planning requirements,” he said.

Councillor Sarah Ouk and Deputy Mayor Chad Buchanan at a site in Kings Road, Salisbury Downs last year. They are making representations against the childcare centre. Picture: File

Hewlett Property Group managing director Ben Hewlett. Picture: LinkedIn

“We are excited to commit to future social infrastructure projects such as this for Adelaide if this is successful and we can continue our staged rollout.

“There is an unprecedented demand for childcare places in the Parafield Gardens area and we are hopeful our development application will be approved next week to help meet that need and ease some of the pressure on families.”

Collective Development managing director James Reynolds, who is working alongside Mr Hewlett to build the centre, said they had worked closely with the council to make amendments to the plans, including providing an expensive underground carpark.

Now, council chief executive John Harry has put his name to a representation on behalf of the council against the development, basing it on concerns about traffic impacts and claiming it would reduce the amenity of the area.

Mr Harry’s representation stemmed from a council motion moved in December last year by deputy mayor Chad Buchanan and seconded by councillor Sarah Ouk in opposition to the childcare centre going ahead.

The motion allowed Mr Buchanan and Ms Ouk to appear personally to be heard by the Council Assessment Panel – the group who will have final say of the centre’s future – opposing the development.

An artist visualisation of the proposed Shepherdson Road childcare centre. Picture: Supplied/Hewlett Property Group

That opposition, the council agenda said, was in response to “concerns expressed by members of the public … in context of the existing traffic congestion and impact on the amenity of the locality”.

Mr Buchanan told The Messenger the road traffic was a “major issue” on Shepherdson Road, something he has described as a “nightmare”.

“Too many schools and overdevelopment over the years has added too much traffic, especially around school pick up and drop off times,” he said.

“We need childcare centres, but this is the wrong location and will further traffic congestion to a present busy road.”

The proposal came amid a time of serious need for childcare places in the area with the latest needs analysis indicating demand had grown about 40 per cent from 2017 to 2022.

According to that analysis, for every 7.4 children in Parafield Gardens, there was only one childcare space available – a major difference from the national average of about one for every two children.

Representations were also set to be made by Parafield Gardens high and primary school principals Kirstin Amos and Rachel McLennan.

The Education Department was contacted for comment.