Rydalmere to receive replacement K-12 school on Macquarie Boys site
THE old Macquarie Boys’ School was covered in graffiti and had been set on fire more than once; now demolished, a new K-12 school will rise from the rubble.
Parramatta
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VANDALISM and fires kept the old Macquarie Boys’ High School derelict and damaged, but from the ashes a new school has been announced.
Plans for a 1800-capacity public school that will take pupils from kindergarten to year 12 are now underway for the site, which also see 3000 new units in the area.
The 19.4ha site, which encompasses the former school as well as an expansive Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) facility, is slated for transformation into a high-density residential “urban garden” with up to 40,000sq m of commercial and retail potential.
Parramatta Liberal MP Geoff Lee made the announcement calling the future school “world class”.
“This new school is going to meet the needs of the growing population and future
generations for years to come,” Mr Lee said.
“Good governments create not just new jobs and homes but deliver the infrastructure that people want and need.”
The proposal to redevelop the Macquarie Boys’ site took a step forward when the school was approved for demoltion in May this year.
Macquarie Boys’ High School was closed in 2008 after falling enrolments and the land is estimated to be worth $10 million.
Reports contained in the initial planning proposal cite advice from the Department of Education that no more schools are needed for the area.
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“Neither a new primary school nor high school will be required to service the proposed development, either within the site or in the surrounding area,” it reads.
“The needs of future school students living within the proposed development will be accommodated within the existing school network.
“The precise ways in which additional enrolments will be managed, and the potential augmentation of facilities at the existing schools, will be subject to detailed planning by the Department of Education in line with population projections.”
The school is set to be completed in 2022.