New Korowa Anglican Girls’ School junior campus given go ahead by VCAT

A wealthy Glen Iris private school will be allowed to build a new campus despite fierce opposition from Stonnnington Council and locals who say it will “cripple” the area.

Korowa Anglican Girls school has taken its proposed plans for a $12m early learning centre straight to VCAT.

VCAT has been slammed as a “unrepresentative tribunal not listening to the people” after allowing a 250-student campus to go ahead in Glen Iris.

The new Korowa Anglican Girls’ School junior campus will now be built at at 1755-1767 Malvern Road, despite strong objections from locals and Stonnington Council.

City of Stonnington Deputy Mayor, Cr Melina Sehr, who fought against the $12 million development, said she was “disappointed that VCAT has not listened to the concerns of local residents and Councillors about the impact of increased traffic and parking from this proposal”.

“This is another example of an unrepresentative tribunal not listening to the people who know their area best – the local community,” she said.

VCAT has come under fire recently for granting permission to developments, overturning the rulings of councils and ignoring local resident concerns.

Such rulings include permission for an 18-dwelling subdivision on Kilmore’s Tootle St, which was blocked by the council as overdevelopment.

Renders of the proposed Korowa girls’ school early learning centre.

A similar proposal to build a childcare centre on Overport Rd, Frankston was rejected by Frankston Council but permitted by VCAT.

Among the resident objectors to the Korowa junior campus were Australian Formula One boss Andrew Westacott and his wife Tina, who have long objected to extra traffic from development of the elite school’s current site.

“No decision coming out of VCAT is a surprise as they always decide in favour of developments and developers. We remain bemused,” the Westacotts said.

Another objector, Mike Napolitano, said he was disgusted in this result.

“You are not part of our community Korowa, you are a community of one,” he said.

Korowa School Council Chair Stuart Major said the granting of the permit “provides Korowa with the opportunity to further develop our outstanding educational offering and provide benefits to even more local families”.

The proposal was designed to contain its impact on-site, with a purpose-designed basement and parking area, the school said.

The school had been forced to amend its plans for the seven-block site on Malvern Rod due to the strong objections of 24 residents about traffic congestion, street setback, noise from children playing and parking.

However, residents and the council objected to the traffic congestion, street setback, noise from children playing and parking.

Neighbours say the school has not been able to address the main issue - an extra 450 cars a day in a very congested part of Melbourne, which they say will “cripple” the area.

The school has already come under attack from neighbours over the behaviour of parents who park across local driveways during pick up and drop off.

RESIDENTS FURY OVER PLANS

Colleen and Max Berriman, who live behind the site, described Korowa’s proposal as “another attempt by a wealthy private school to overdevelop a residential zone”.

They object to “loud screaming from students and children” and say the school “advertises about being ethical but has shown its hypocrisy by being unethical and planning to demolish heritage buildings”.

Objectors also include Tina and Andrew Westacott, CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, who said the development was excessive in size, volume and scale.

“No children in childcare, Prep or year 1 are just ‘dropped off’,” their submission said.

“All parents drive, park then walk their children into school. Where are the 450 cars going to park?” The carpark in the basement of the proposed centre has 74 spaces.

Others expressed concerns about the safety of parents who “mingle” at school drop-off and the traffic congestion they will cause.

The school has already been forced to amend its site plans.

The school has already been forced to amend plans for the site, which stretches from 1755 to 1767 Malvern Rd, to take into account noise, parking and setback issues.

But the school’s amended submission notes that the sound of children playing is “not particularly irritating or annoying” and that parents will follow the rules and park in the basement.

The submission said Korowa was “committed to being a good neighbour and is keen to understand whether there are any issues arising from its operations”.

However, the school, located in an up-market part of Glen Iris, has already come under attack from neighbours over the behaviour of parents who park across local driveways during pick-up and drop-off.

One submission from a neighbour noted that such behaviour made it “impossible for residents to enter or leave properties”.

The school is located in the up-market neighbourhood of Glen Iris.

Neighbours fear the school has not been able to address the main issue — an extra 450 cars a day in a very congested part of Melbourne, which they say will “cripple” the area.

Urbis, a company that helped prepare the school’s landscape concept plan for the project, said in a 2019 submission to the state government that “many objections are made about noise from schoolchildren playing and traffic during drop-off and pick-up times”.

“In many cases, the school has been established for over a hundred years. The planning system does not reflect the importance of education over minor inconveniences such as additional traffic for half an hour or so in the morning and afternoon. Removing third party rights for use and carparking could address this,” the Urbis submission states.