Oatlands residents oppose The King’s School plans, fight to keep right turn into Gollan Ave

An exclusive Sydney school’s plans to add an entrance to the private establishment have caused a headache for residents but they are now welcoming a change of plans.

Joanne Vella

@Parramatta_News

2 min read

May 13, 2021 - 6:34PM

Parramatta Advertiser

Oatlands: Heartbroken parents of killed children speak after Samuel Davidson sentence

Parramatta

Don't miss out on the headlines from Parramatta . Followed categories will be added to My News.

The King’s School’s plans to add a driveway into the private on to its premises has been scrapped, much to the relief of Oatlands community who feared it would mean the closure of a key street in their suburb.

The private school lodged plans with Parramatta Council to add an entrance at Pennant Hills Rd by creating a left hand turn, as well as a new left turn out of the school on to the arterial road.

But the designs would have meant stopped drivers from turning right from Pennant Hills Rd into Gollan Ave.

Resident spokesman Lee Malkoun said blocking access into Gollan Ave would have placed more strain on Bettington Rd and called on the school to propose traffic lights at the Gollan Ave-Pennant Hills Rd intersection.

“People like to use it and I can’t see their (King’s) thinking how it’s fair to block off a major thoroughfare for locals,’’ he said in April.

Jo Hunter, Garry Hunter, Pierre Esber, Elizabeth Karoutzos, Fiona and Elspeth Steele, Kathy Saad, Lee Malkoun, Steven Mowad and Joe El-Sabbagh are fighting to keep Gollan Ave open. Picture: Monique Harmer

Mr Malkoun, a teacher at St Patrick’s Marist College Dundas, started a 134-signature petition which Parramatta councillor Pierre Esber presented to the council at a recent meeting.

Cr Esber called for the right turn into Gollan Ave to remain open.

“The people who use Gollan Ave are the locals in the area and it’s quite an active road,’’ he said.

“You put a no-right-turn in Gollan Ave, you drain the heart of the community.

“That’s the only inlet into the Oatlands precinct. If you shut it off, that causes more traffic on Bettington Rd.

Cr Esber suggested the school could create a slip lane or have the entrance further from Gollan Ave so it did not have to shut access to it.

Traffic leaving Gollan Ave into Pennant Hills Rd.

Turning right from Pennant Hills Rd could be scrapped.

The King’s School application to the council said the new road was needed for its prep school and the sports facilities on the northern part of the sprawling site.

However, this week a King’s School spokeswoman said that it had been advised that the Parramatta Council would not support the application in its current form.

“The school remains committed to improving traffic flow into and out of the school in order to address local community concerns,’’ she said.

“On that basis a new application will be lodged in due course that takes into account the community concerns.’’