Childcare centre planned for 2-4 Palmer St Parramatta
A whopper-sized, multistorey childcare centre for more than 230 children in Sydney’s west could make it one the city’s largest facilities. See what else is planned for the ambitious project.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A childcare centre for 232 children with a rooftop garden is planned for Parramatta, which sits in a neighbourhood expected to be rezoned for hundreds more high-rise apartments to flank the light rail line.
Applicants’ Parramatta P Holdings’ vision for the facility has become even more ambitious since the original development application was lodged with Parramatta Council in 2021.
Under modifications, the number of children proposed will increase from 184 children. The centre would also have a two-storey basement carpark and a community garden for children and parents.
The Arquero Architects-designed building, slated for 2-4 Palmer St, would leap to 3m under the fresh proposal.
It proposes to work under the Reggio Emilia philosophy and would open Monday to Friday 7am to 7pm and 42 staff.
Subject to approval, the centre would stand alongside the heritage-listed mid 19th century St Peter’s Uniting Church and studio theatre, which was sold in 2006 and converted to a bridal shop.
Under a report on the heritage impact, the 168-year-old Victorian Georgian double-storey building occupied by Anthony Malouf and Company is also listed as historically significant and an example of a mid-19th century shop.
It also has archaeological potential with it believed to contain remnant fabric from the earliest phase of Parramatta’s development through the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The heritage buildings would remain if the childcare centre gets the green light.
The Sydney Central City Planning Panel will determine the project, which sits in a booming neighbourhood on the peripheral of Parramatta’s CBD.
In October, Premier Chris Minns announced the government would upzone 17ha of North Parramatta where a strip of tired shopfronts will make way for high-rise apartment towers and hundreds of new homes.
The land on either side of the Fennell St and Prince Alfred Square light rail stations will have height limits, which are yet to be determined, but the rezoning could reach 30 storeys.
The Minns government will seize control of Parramatta Council’s planning rules to increase density limits in the suburb.
Former council CEO stayed silent on job cut rumours: Inquiry
A former southwest Sydney council boss conceded he failed to de-escalate a rumour about mass job losses which led to a volatile protest where anti-Islamic chants against the mayor were made.
Parking pain: Business leader warns paid city meters ‘inevitable’
Paid parking is a “bad idea” that will hit workers and those struggling financially the hardest, warns a Port Macquarie business leader after council listed it as an option in a public survey.