Terrigal: Our Lady Star of the Sea’s $7m plans for more classrooms, students

A landlocked Central Coast school has unveiled multimillion dollar plans to build new classrooms, remove demountables and increase student numbers. See the details here.

Our Lady Star of the Sea, at Terrigal, has lodged its first major capital works plans since the school opened on the site in 2001 worth $7 million. Picture: supplied

The second coast school in as many months has lodged plans for a multimillion dollar development.

Our Lady Star of the Sea, Terrigal, is looking towards its first major capital works upgrade in more than 20 years.

The Catholic primary school had lodged a development application (DA) with Central Coast Council for its first major building project since it opened at its current location in 2001 with the view of increasing enrolments by almost 80 students in two years.

The $7 million staged upgrade would see seven new classrooms built in a new “Block F” to replace the existing blocks F, G and H, along with the removal of it row of demountable classrooms at Block I.

The new single level “Block F” classroom building would contain seven general learning areas (GLAs) and associated outdoor learning areas that will be accessed via sliding doors.

Each GLA or classroom will be fitted with storage spaces and direct access via a new paved area to the south of the building.

Our Lady Star of the Sea, at Terrigal, has lodged its first major capital works plans since the school opened on the site in 2001 worth $7 million. Picture: Supplied

New toilets are proposed for the block along with an upgrade to existing toilets at Block E and the relocation of a maintenance shed to the west of the new Block F.

Walkway awnings will also be built to shelter kids moving between Blocks A, B, C, D and E, along with a new lift at Block B and the removal of the demountable classrooms making up Block I.

Architectural plans of the new Block F that would see seven new classrooms built adjacent to the existing Block E building (pink) Picture: Supplied

“Following completion of the proposed works there is the potential for the student capacity to

increase by 79 students by 2025,” the DA states.

“The current student population of the school is 551 students and 32 full time equivalent (FTE) staff. The student capacity may increase to 630 by 2025, including a proposed increase in three FTE staff to cater for the potential increase in student capacity.”

The school flagged the “exciting” development in a newsletter to parents in July last year in which it stated the new building would be built on the sloping land adjacent to the current Kindergarten classrooms, meaning the children would not lose any grass or play areas.

“We are in the fortunate position of being able to fence off most of the construction site, leaving the rest of the school unencumbered by the construction work,” the newsletter dated July 1, 2022, states.

Central Coast Adventist School at Erina has lodged plans for a $10.5 million "Resource Hub". The three-storey building will house a new reception, information technology centre and literacy space.

“At this stage we are looking at a start date around May next year (2023) with a completion time of approximately 12-15 months, weather permitting and all going well with procurement of materials.”

The DA states that despite the potential to cater for nearly 80 new students the school anticipated a negligible impact to local traffic or parking.

The DA will have to go before the Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel for approval.

It comes after Central Coast Adventist School lodged plans for a $10.5 million new three-storey “resources hub” for the front of its Erina site in November.

Subject to approval, the modern “resources hub” will serve as a new “front door” to the school’s campus off Penrose Crescent and provide a new reception area, staff offices, study spaces, tutorial rooms and a “literacy hub space” on the top floor.