Cranbrook School hits out at ‘beyond reasonable’ council conditions as it moves to allow female students

An elite Sydney private school has hit out at a council’s ‘unreasonable’ and costly demand that it pay for nearby street upgrades before it is allowed to begin accepting female students.

Cranbrook School, in Bellevue Hill.

An elite Sydney private school has hit out at a council’s “unreasonable” and costly demand that it pay for street upgrades outside the campus before it is allowed to increase its enrolment numbers and begin accepting female students.

Cranbrook School, in Bellevue Hill, has opposed a string of conditions imposed by Woollahra Council as it seeks approval to boost the student population from 1339 to 1600.

The student increase will support the school’s transition to coeducation as it prepares to begin accepting female students from next year.

But before it grants approval, the council wants the school to fund streetscape upgrades that include widening footpaths, drainage works, concreting, re-sheeting, line marking on roads and the cutting of a rock face.

Jacqueline Parker, a director of planning at Urbis, which has been working with Cranbrook on its proposal, said the works were “extensive”, “unreasonable” and could cost upwards of $1m.

The plans are subject to a string of conditions imposed by the council.

“We have received legal advice that the conditions are beyond reasonable for what is required for the scale and nature of what is proposed,” she said.

Another condition that has sparked resistance from the school is a proposed requirement for it limit students from driving to school in order to reduce road congestion outside the college.

The condition stipulates that students cannot “drive to and from school” and must “not use the surrounding road network for parking”.

It also requires the school to deploy security guards to monitor parking in nearby streets and report number plates back to the school for monthly reviews.

The school is due to become fully coeducational.

Ms Parker said the wording of the condition could result in enforcement action being taken over any parking breaches.

“While the school will have a green travel plan to discourage students from driving, it’s not something the school can ultimately control,” Ms Parker said.

In response to the feedback, it is understood the council amended the condition to state that the school must “discourage” students from driving to school. Students would also face penalties for any parking breaches.

The council wants the school to pay for streetscape upgrades as part of the student increase proposal.

Cranbrook School, in its plans for the student increase, said it had undertaken significant consultation with the community to address potential impacts, including parking and traffic congestion.

The school’s plans stated it would also review its operations to mitigate any impacts by considering longer school days, staggered start times and improvements to the operation of its pick-up and drop-off areas.

“This proposal will support Cranbrook’s transition to becoming coeducational starting in 2026 with placement interviews for boys and girls starting in late 2023,” the school’s plans stated.

“The school has not increased its student cap for its senior school campus in more than 34 years, despite the school-aged population in Woollahra council area increasing by 12 per cent since 2001 and the increasing demand for high-quality education in the area.

“Across greater Sydney, there is an ever-increasing demand for high-quality coeducation particularly for secondary students.”

It also stated the school would also have a “green travel plan” to encourage students to use public transport, car-sharing, cycling and walking.

The school is due to become fully coeducational by 2029.