Residents rally at development site after concerns ‘ignored’

Homeowners have staged a rally outside the site of a proposed childcare centre saying their concerns about children’s safety are being ignored by Brisbane City Council.

Holland Park homeowner Jodie McGrory and her sons Charlie (left) and Paddy join neighbours protesting against a childcare centre proposed for the corner site behind them on Abbotsleigh St. Picture: Brian Bennion

Holland Park homeowners rallied outside the site of a proposed childcare centre on Abbotsleigh St last week criticising their local councillor for not listening to their concerns.

As reported in October, Pod Early School has lodged plans for an 84-place, two-storey childcare centre in a low density zoned site on the corner of Melba Cres and Abbotsleigh St.

The site is in a 40km/h school zone, opposite Holland Park State School’s drop-off zone, the school’s planned out-of-hours care building, Meals On Wheels and directly opposite the driveway of the Holland Park Bowls Club.

Residents said the proposal for another 84 places was not only a danger to school children crossing the already busy street, but was not appropriate for the low density, residential side of Abbotsleigh St and would destroy the Hillside Character Precinct, which they believed was protected under the council’s Holland Park-Tarragindi District Neighbourhood Plan.

Designs for a childcare centre at the corner of Abbotsleigh St and Melba Cres, Holland Park.

The neighbourhood, including every home on Melba Cres, displayed a sign protesting the proposal on their fence.

However the residents said Councillor Krista Adams (Holland Park) wasn’t listening to their concerns and was in favour of the development.

Abbotsleigh St residents Robyn and Graham West met with Cr Adams about the proposal a month ago.

“We felt that she was definitely on the developer’s side,” Mrs West said.

“She told us that we needed more childcare centres in Holland Park area. We said we didn’t feel we needed them in Abbotsleigh St.”

Cr Adams said she did not support the current plans.

“The childcare proposal in Abbotsleigh St is still under assessment, however I don’t support it in its current form,” Cr Adams said.

“An independent traffic report has been lodged as part of the development application, which will be assessed by council’s traffic engineers.

“Council has previously raised concerns about the proposed height, operating hours and landscaping.”

The proposed childcare centre development is the next block down from the Holland Park State School drop-off zone.

Nearby resident Jodie McGrory, whose two boys attend Holland Park State School, said the proposal made “no sense”.

“To have a huge childcare centre in such a confined space in a very residential area close to a school of 1000 children, which is already heavily congested makes no sense,” she said.

“We’ve had to have police involved to deal with speed, traffic congestion and enforcement of traffic signs.”

Pod Early School has said locating the centre near a school was desirable from a traffic safety perspective as it was a complementary use and there was a slow-speed environment in place.

Cars overflow the Holland Park State School drop-off zone, which ends metres from the proposed childcare centre.