Plans land for a pair of Grovedale childcare centres
Developers have come back from the drawing board with changes for a proposed Grovedale childcare centre, more than five years after VCAT approved a plan for the site.
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A new proposal has landed for a childcare centre in Grovedale, 18 months after the state’s planning umpire knocked back plans for the same site.
The amended plans for 37-39 Pioneer Rd and 2 Westminster St, if approved by City Hall, would see capacity increase from 90 children to 99, along with an increase in parking spaces from 19 to 21.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) approved plans for a childcare centre at the site in 2018, after Geelong councillors knocked it back following public outcry.
After the site was sold in 2021, the new proposed operator Woodlands Long Day Care & Kindergarten sought to amend the permit, but VCAT ruled against that proposal in July 2023.
It’s latest application is out for public consultation until January 9.
Woodlands’ application comes as the latest plans for a million-dollar childcare centre at 71 Reserve Rd, just over 1km away, were revealed.
The single-storey centre proposed for the site, which is a vacant lot currently, would have capacity for 84 children.
It is the developer’s third proposal, after previously amended plans for a two-storey centre with 100 places were knocked back by City Hall in late 2023.
Previously, an even larger centre with spots for 106 children was put forward.
In July 2019, VCAT approved a planning permit for construction of seven double-storey dwellings at the site.
However, construction didn’t go ahead and the property was sold in 2021 for just over $1m.
Existing childcare centre, Goodstart Early Learning Centre, Grovedale, is located between the two new proposals.
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Originally published as Plans land for a pair of Grovedale childcare centres
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