The Boulevarde Miranda boarding house proposal refused by council

People power has won out after a Sydney council refused an application for a boarding house two doors down from a primary school on a notoriously busy road. The council received more than 40 submissions opposing the development.

People power has won as a boarding house application in Miranda is refused following dozens of submissions against it. Picture: Supplied

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People power has won out after a Sydney council refused an application for a boarding house two doors down from a primary school on a notoriously busy road.

Sutherland Shire Council received 42 submissions stridently opposing a $682,000 proposal to demolish a single storey home at 158 The Boulevarde and replace it with a two-storey boarding house with nine rooms for 18 lodgers.

This single storey house was to be demolished and replaced with a boarding house under the application which was refused. Picture: Supplied

The applicant had argued the proposed boarding house on the corner of Kareena Rd “provided a higher standard of affordable residential accommodation compatible with the existing and desired future character of the area”.

“There are no additional impacts that can be attributed to the development that will adversely affect the amenity of neighbouring properties,” the applicant wrote.

However, local residents and parents from Miranda North Public School strongly begged to differ before the application was formally refused on January 4.

One submission just said … please. Picture: Supplied

Many parents were concerned the boarding house would not have an onsite manager.

State planning laws only require an onsite manager for boarding houses with 20 or more lodgers.

“Many children walk past 158 The Boulevarde to get to school, and are not always accompanied by an adult,” one parent wrote.

“I do not want my child’s safety, or that of other children at the school, put at risk by being so close to unsupervised adults in a boarding house facility.”

The proposed development next to Diamond One Baseball is in proximity to Miranda North Public School. Picture: Supplied

Another resident said their community was a tight-knit, long-standing group of families and older residents.

“It has never been the location of short term or transient residents which a boarding house

of this type implies,” they wrote.”

The site is also surrounded by five small shops, including the Diamond One Baseball Shop and homewares boutique Hutwoods.

The proposal site is opposite a small block of shops. Picture: Supplied

Residents also objected to plans for only two parking spaces on the entire site, despite the capacity for 18 guests at any time.

The site is 1.6km from the nearest train station in Miranda, and is only directly served by the 986 bus route which runs just twice a day in each direction between Monday and Friday.

“There is also no way of policing the amount of vehicles that would owned by tenants, which could exceed 10 additional vehicles being parked near the school and on surrounding streets which are already struggling to cope,” one opponent wrote.

The proposal was for a corner block near the busy intersection of Kareena Rd and The Boulevarde. Picture: Supplied

Several residents described Kareena Rd as a parking lot for staff and visitors at both Kareena Private and Sutherland Hospitals, with residents suffering the flow-on effects.

A 91-year-old man told the council an ambulance had trouble finding a spot to park when he needed to be taken to hospital after a fall in 2017.

“Parking is always a nightmare in our area due to the hospitals and local primary school – we don’t need to congest nearby roads even more,” another opponent wrote.