‘Much needed’: Green light for new 115-space childcare centre at Yeppoon

After some concerns were initially raised about the proposed development, it has now been given the green light to proceed. Here’s what councillors have determined.

Children playing at a childcare centre. Generic image.

Yeppoon is set to get a new 115-space childcare centre after Livingstone Shire gave the proposed development the official green light on Tuesday.

Councillors heard a deputation from the applicant, the Thomasson family, before wasting little time in voting unanimously to approve the Tanby Road project.

It has been proposed that the new childcare centre will employ 22 staff. 

Tuesday’s monthly council meeting heard that some concerns had initially been raised about the proposed development, but those had been worked through by the council and the applicant.

“Over the last, probably 12/18 months, Yeppoon’s growing rapidly which I guess is - that’s the catalyst for businesses like this coming here, which is fantastic,” Cr Adam Belot said.

“Traffic has increased dramatically.

“Some of the concerns that were fed through to myself was around that proximity so close to the roundabout - traffic in that area is fairly challenging at times.”

Cr Belot asked the applicant at the meeting about those traffic concerns and he was ultimately satisfied with their response.

“As someone who previously voted against this, I appreciate the effort that the applicant’s gone to, and along with consultants, to provide some further clarity on concerns that I had, which were basically from the community,” Cr Belot said.

“As they say, it’s not so much about where you start with these things, it’s where you finish.

“It would appear there may well be (council) support for this, and if that is the case, I wish you (applicant) all the very best.

“Thank you for investing in our community as we build capacity with these types of facilities, which are much needed.”

Cr Nigel Hutton echoed those sentiments.

“I think we’re all conscious as a community that we are growing,” Cr Hutton said before adding that the processes that council had gone through with this development application had achieved “a great outcome for the community.”

Cr Glenda Mather supported those comments.

“I’d like to thank the applicant for working with council to understanding where we’re coming from,” Cr Mather said.

“It’s about getting it right.

“We don’t mind how many times we have to come back to talk about this - some of them take forever.

“But we need to get it right, because it’s a very sensitive corner.”

Cr Rhodes Watson said he thought the site was “a great place” for the child care centre to be.

“Being close to the high school, and centrally in Yeppoon, it’s a position I’ve often thought that, that area needed something developed there,” he said.

“And I think that it’s a good place to have it.”

A 68-space child care centre at 28 Park Street in Yeppoon was also approved by the council in October and an extra 50 places were recently approved to an existing child care centre at Arthur Street, Emu Park.