Salisbury Shepherdson Road childcare centre approved

Despite a bizarre 11th hour move to have it canned over traffic concerns, a sorely-needed childcare centre will be built on a busy northern suburbs thoroughfare.

A sensational appeal by a deputy mayor to his own council’s staff to block the development of a sorely-needed childcare centre in Parafield Gardens has fallen flat.

The Shepherdson Road proposal faced months of scrutiny and plan change before eventually being passed by the council’s assessment panel.

Ben Hewlett, the managing director of Hewlett Property Group, which is building the centre amid an investment into the state, said the eventual approval of the plans meant the area was “open for business”.

“We were encouraged to see that the panel took on the expert advice of their planning and engineering staff,” he said.

“The assessing team of the (council) are great to work with, and the LGA is certainly open for business.”

Sarah Ouk and Deputy Mayor Chad Buchanan. Picture: File

Hewlett Property Group managing director Ben Hewlett. Picture: LinkedIn

Mr Hewlett had previously foreshadowed a handbrake on the group’s foray into the state if the development was blocked.

But the approval now means the group will push on with about $96m worth of childcare development across 12 sites in the state.

Salisbury Council deputy mayor Chad Buchanan, alongside fellow councillors Sarah Ouk and Kylie Grenfell, were last month given the opportunity to explain why the Shepherdson Road development should be blocked by chief executive John Harry.

Mr Buchanan, Ms Ouk and Ms Grenfell were supported by Parafield Gardens high and primary school principals Kirstin Amos and Rachel McLennan who also opposed the $8m, 114-child centre.

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

An Education Department spokeswoman said they was supportive of Ms Amos and Ms McLennan.

The council trio, and the school principals argued, against traffic engineers’ advice, the road would be unable to cater for the 130 additional traffic movements as a result of the centre.

Mr Buchanan said council had become “powerless” to do anything about development “under the new planning rules”.

The relevant planning legislation was altered in March last year to condense the steps needed to gain approval for development.