Work starts on $15m Sacred Heart and Marymount College merger

MAJOR building work has begun at Sacred Heart’s middle school campus, as part of a $15 million upgrade to make way for Marymount College students.

• College merger plans revealed

MAJOR building work has begun at Sacred Heart’s middle school campus, as part of a $15 million upgrade to make way for Marymount College students.

Marion Council’s assessment panel last week approved the upgrade at Mitchell Park.

It includes a new two-storey ‘Marymount’ building with 18 co-ed classrooms and ‘good Samaritan’ centre with a chapel and communal space to seat more than 300 people.

Principal Steve Byrne said by the time students returned to school, builders would have demolished an old brothers’ house and Year 6 area, and set up about nine transportable classrooms.

Artist's impressions of the planned upgrade at Sacred Heart College's middle school campus. Pictures: Supplied

The upgrade is at the heart of Sacred Heart’s plan to merge with Marymount College, Hove in January 2019.

“Going by enrolments for 2019 and 2020, there’s been a strong growth in demand for places and that’s indicative of the support from the community,” Mr Byrne said.

“We’ll start with a 10 per cent growth in female enrolments. Currently there are 450 girls at Marymount and we expect that to go up to 500 in the short term.”

Planning panel members last week raised concerns about traffic and parking issues around the Percy Ave site, which would be occupied by about 1000 students and staff after the upgrade.

Speaking on behalf of the school, Marcus Rolfe, director of planning firm URPS, said it was in the college’s best interest to ensure traffic flowed as smoothly as possible.

“You can imagine the chaos and ramifications if a student did get run over,” Mr Rolfe said.

“The school is not trying to scam something here. If the traffic doesn’t work there, you can expect the principal will be harangued by the community.”

But speaking after the meeting, Mr Byrne said no haranguing was expected.

“We’ve brought a significant increase in carparks onto the property — we’ve doubled it,” he said.

The campus would increase the size of student drop-off areas, he said. It had also offered to enlarge a bus bay but decided against that because of concerns it would have spelled the end of three or four eucalypts.

“We also have a growing number of students riding bikes and we’ve had to extend the bike area for the first time,” Mr Byrne said.