Unity Grammar School: Plans for junior campus at Austral

Unity Grammar School has revealed plans to build a second purpose-built campus for their junior students in one of the fastest growing suburbs in Sydney’s southwest.

Unity Grammar School may have a potential expansion on Sixth Ave in Austral.

Unity Grammar School has revealed plans to build a second purpose-built campus for its junior students in one of the fastest growing suburbs in Sydney’s southwest.

The Islamic coeducation school has taught students from Kindergarten to Year 12 at a campus on 70 Fourth Ave, Austral.

If the plans are approved, the school’s kindergarten to Year 6 students would relocate to a campus at 325 Sixth Ave, Austral with a capacity for 850-students.

The plans include a three-storey school building with 28 classrooms, a library, cultural and religious and worship spaces, an internal performance area and outdoor recreational facilities.

Unity Grammar CEO Dr Sayd Farook said the school had seen an increased demand for its education methodology; “which seeks to nurture the holistic development of children, giving our learners the mindset and skills they need to be pioneers of the future”.

The current campus Unity Grammar School that holds kindergarten to year six students.

“To do so, we need a campus that is purpose built for future focused learning and needs to facilitate an expansion to accommodate the pedagogical approach that is best for our learners,” he said.

Dr Farook said Unity Grammar purchased 325 Sixth Ave in June 2021 and while the site was zoned for educational use, no plans have yet been lodged for consideration.

“This application is considered to be state significant and will be lodged directly with the state department of planning with whom we are co-ordinating closely to meet all the needs of the community around us.,” he said.

“Council, statutory authorities and the community will be consulted and given the opportunity to comment.”

A Department of Planning spokeswoman confirmed the proposed site was zoned SP2 for an educational establishment, “meaning a school is permissible with consent in this zone”.

“We are still waiting on the applicant to submit its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to the Department,” the spokeswoman said.

The projected costs are yet to be finalised and the infrastructure is expected to be built across three or four stages.

Dr Farook said the new building would be designed specifically to cater for the needs of younger learners.

Artist impression of the new junior campus for Unity Grammar in Austral.

“It was deemed important to have a purpose-built campus to accommodate the needs of younger learners – kindergarten to Year 4 – as that will facilitate a more nurturing environment for that stage of their learning,” he said.

However, community members have raised concerns over the already congested roads surrounding the existing campus.

But Dr Farook said a traffic assessment was being undertaken and would involve consultation with Liverpool Council and the community.

“The college has engaged a professional qualified traffic engineer, will have a traffic management plan and proposed plans include a basement carpark,” he said.

“One of the reasons for the new proposed campus is to reduce the traffic load on one campus.

Like the community around us, we are awaiting planned council roadworks which will see expansion of Fourth Ave to four lanes.”

A Liverpool Council spokesman said a state significant development application had been lodged for the school on September last year.

The spokesman said plans for the school would be determined by the Department of Planning.

“Council has provided comments to the Department outlining matters for consideration in response to the plans,” the spokesman said.