Penrith, St Marys, Erskine Park childcare centres: 11 new centres planned
An already busy Penrith should soon experience a population boom and an influx of kids once Western Sydney Airport is operating – here’s where savvy developers are looking to build new childcare hubs.
Penrith
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Penrith is expected to go through a population boom over the next few years, particularly with the new Western Sydney Airport on the cards.
Developers have taken notice, with an influx of brand-new childcare centres going through council’s planners over the past 12 months.
We take a look at where you can expect a new childcare centre to pop up in the near future.
PENRITH
170 Derby Street
The Montessori Academy has applied to build a two-storey centre on the site of a psychology practice on Derby Street.
The existing building would be demolished to make way for the 86-place centre consisting of three classrooms and other administrative rooms.
The centre would have 23 carparking spaces in a basement level, and two outdoor play areas on both the ground and first levels.
The development application was lodged in December last year and is yet to be determined by Penrith Council.
65-67 Castlereagh Street
Another two-storey centre could soon be built on Castlereagh St, just a couple of blocks east of the Nepean Village.
The centre, applied for by RJ Bentley in June last year, is estimated to cost more than $3.35 million.
Two existing buildings on the site would be pulled down to make way for the 90-place centre with three playrooms and basement carparking, as well as a vast outdoor play area.
The application is yet to be determined by Penrith Council.
ST MARYS
6-8 Edgar St
NF Billyard has plans to build a childcare centre across the road from Our Lady of the Rosary south of St Marys CBD.
The two-storey building would replace two old homes on Edgar St and have spots for 78 children, including 20 in OOSH.
The centre was applied for in September last year, and is expected to cost $2.48 million to build.
22 Morris St
Baini Designs, a western Sydney firm described as “childcare specialists”, applied for a centre on a residential street just south of the Great Western Highway last August.
The $2 million project would see the existing house on the site demolished to make way for a two-storey building.
The building would have space for 90 children, and parking would once again be provided on a basement level.
The proposal is still before council planners.
ERSKINE PARK
Erskine Park Shopping Centre
Penrith Council has received an application to build a small, 35-space childcare centre in the Erskine Park shopping centre.
The proposal would open in two currently empty units in the shopping centre which is across the road from a council-owned childcare centre on Swallow Drive.
There is room for a small outdoor play area on the western side of the shopping centre, and a few carparks specifically for the centre.
The DA is yet to be determined.
5 Peppertree Drive
Just down the other end of Peppertree Drive is another proposal to build a childcare centre with space for 68 children.
The new building, which has been approved by Penrith Council at a cost of $1.1 million, will be built on an empty lot on the corner of Peppertree Dr and Fauna Rd.
The site was once occupied by a house that had been demolished in the last few years.
KINGSWOOD
3-5 O’Connell Street
One of the boldest proposals on the list, this DA would see a two-storey childcare centre built near one of the busiest intersections in Penrith.
The 94-place centre would replace two homes across the road from the TAFE campus on the corner of O’Connell St and the Great Western Highway.
The project comes in at an estimated cost of just less than $2 million, and has been before council for almost six months.
CADDENS
Prepare Caddens Corner
The first childcare centre on our list that has not only been approved, but is already operating.
Prepare Early Education Centres opened in the new Caddens Corner shopping centre in January, 12 months after it was first applied for by Western Sydney University.
The centre has space for 97 children, and is located opposite Woolworths and next door to the Caddens Medical Centre and Singh’s Grocers.
JAMISONTOWN
HomeCo
HomeCo Penrith, located on Mulgoa Rd in Jamisontown, has combined with Aurrum to apply for a 110-place childcare centre which would be located in the carpark of the current building.
HomeCo took over the old Masters Home Improvement store in 2017 and made it one of its 12 homemaker’s centres across the state.
The childcare centre would be built on the northeastern part of the centre’s carpark.
The centre would be open from 6.30am to 6.30pm from Monday to Friday and would employ 22 staff.
MOUNT VERNON
Mt Vernon Road
A childcare centre with a cost of more than $3.3 million, and have spots for 96 children between the ages of zero and five, has been approved for Mount Vernon.
The plans are for a plot of land on Mount Vernon Rd that is more than 10,000 sqm in a currently semirural/residential area.
After originally lodging the plans in May, 2019, the developer lodged an updated development application in December, 2019, which was approved on February 1 this year.
ST CLAIR
Todd Row
Another childcare centre that has been approved for development, this 55-place centre will be housed in a double-storey building on Todd Row.
The second centre on our list to be designed by Baini Design was approved in June last year at a cost of $1.1 million.
As well as two storeys of space for the children, there is also a basement for staff parking.
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