Woongarrah: MacKillop Catholic College lodges development application to build three classroom blocks, increase student numbers
A Central Coast school has lodged plans to bulldoze more a dozen classrooms and demountables to build three multi-storey blocks, housing 28 new classrooms. See the artist’s impressions here.
Central Coast
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A Central Coast school will increase its student numbers to almost 2000 if plans are approved to allow it to build three new classroom blocks.
MacKillop Catholic College at Woongarrah has lodged $5m plans to knock down existing classrooms, demountables and toilet blocks to make way for three new, higher density classroom blocks, two new amenities buildings and more playground space.
If approved, the development will enable the K-12 school to increase its student population by 275, from 1555 to 1830, and boost staff numbers by 34, from 136 to 170.
The proposal involves the demolition of 16 buildings clustered in the northwest corner of the campus, comprising seven permanent classrooms, six demountables and three amenities, as well as existing paths, shade sails and hardstand areas.
In their place will be three new buildings, including a pair of two-storey structures called “Block V” and “Block W”, which will cater for Year 3 and 4 students and Year 5-6 students, respectively, in 16 new classrooms.
The third building, “Block T” is a three-storey structure catering for Year 2 students across 12 classrooms.
All three buildings will include toilets, storage areas and “shared practical activity” areas.
“The proposed development aims to consolidate, upgrade and expand the existing learning facilities at the existing college,” a development application states.
“The consolidation facilities will be constructed in three stages and intends to resolve some of the topographical challenges for access and use of available play space.”
The site is subject to a building height of 9.5m but the proposed Block T exceeds the maximum ceiling height by 4.2m, or 44 per cent.
The application states “compliance with the development standard is unnecessary” and there were “sufficient environmental planning grounds to justify the contravention”.
College representatives had a pre-application meeting with council staff last year, revealing “roof treatments will be a big consideration” because of the “surrounding topography and vantage points from the roads and the hilltop park”.
Following the meeting, council staff recommended some variations in roof forms to break up blocks V and W because they are joined and risk appearing “lengthy and monotonous”.
A total of 22 trees will be removed as part of the proposal, but these will be offset by the planting of the same number of new ones.
The application states the college already has a surplus of parking, while the increase in staff and students will have a nominal impact on local traffic.
The proposal is expected to go before the Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel for determination.
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