Klemzig Primary parents fear townhouses give neighbours schoolyard view

Parents of students at a primary school in Adelaide’s north east want the government to halt the building of neighbouring apartments with windows looking down on the playground.

Townhouses under construction next to Klemzig Primary School have raised overlooking concerns. Picture: Carolyn Crowley

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The construction of townhouses next to a primary school in Adelaide’s northeast has raised the ire of a mother who fears residents will be able to watch children from their upstairs windows.

Klemzig Primary School governing council secretary Carolyn Crowley has questioned how the three properties on the southern boundary of the Hay St school were allowed to be built with clear, rather than opaque or frosted, upper level windows.

Port Adelaide Enfield Council has told Ms Crowley, who has a child at the school, that the windows comply with planning rules because the sills are 1.5m above the floor.

But Ms Crowley has requested Planning Minister Stephan Knoll intervene for the “safety of children” to amend approvals so all properties overlooking the school have opaque windows.

“Why has this development been given approval to have clear windows overlooking the school grounds?” she said in an email addressed to Mr Knoll, but also sent to Education Minister John Gardner.

“This is a clear breach of child safety and must be rectified as a matter of urgency.

“I understand that in its current form these cement townhouses meet all aspects of approval from the original plans … how can this be overlooking a primary school?”

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The townhouses are among 39 being built on a 6000sq m block on the corner of Hay Street and Fourth Ave.

The council’s senior planning officer Greg Sproule wrote to Ms Crowley on June 30 advising that the clear windows were legal and that the bathroom windows had “frosted/opaque” glazing.

“Upper storey windows with sill heights above 1.5m above the upper floor level are not required to be frosted/opaque or be fixed, as the higher sill height makes it difficult to view down and directly look into neighbouring properties,” he wrote.

“Our planning inspector measured the height of the window sills to ensure compliance.”

Ms Crowley was disappointed the school was not formally consulted about the townhouse project, which was deemed a Category 1 development not requiring public notification.