Rangeville childcare centre proposal return to Toowoomba council for minor change

A proposal for a new Toowoomba childcare centre that earned opposition from residents is back before the council, with developer wanting to change some “problematic” conditions.

PROPOSED: A new Oak childcare centre has been planned for South Street in Rangeville, opposite the primary school.

A controversial proposal for a new Toowoomba childcare centre has returned to council for changes, six months after it was approved.

Applicant The Trust Company (Australia) Ltd was given the green light by councillors at a special meeting in August last year for the new 98-child centre on South Street in Rangeville.

The two-storey facility, which would be operated by Only About Kids (OAK), includes 25 car parks for parents and staff, an outdoor play deck on the first floor and indoor activity rooms.

The proposal sits directly opposite Rangeville State School and is surrounded by residential housing, leading to more than a dozen objections from neighbours.

PROPOSED: A new Oak childcare centre has been planned for South Street in Rangeville, opposite the primary school.

The developer has since lodged a change application with the council, requesting alterations to some of the conditions imposed on the approval.

In a letter to planning officers, Property Projects Australia’s James Juhasz said OAK found some of the conditions around staffing ratios and carparking “problematic” to achieve.

“At present, (the) condition of the development approval establishes a maximum staffing requirement of 11 FTE staff (which) does not equal 11 people,” the letter said.

“The current drafting of the condition … does not provide the staff ratio that OAK needs to provide a high standard of care for Rangeville families.

“Operationally, it would require OAK to maintain a particular balance of casual, permanent part-time and full-time staff members.

“This is problematic, as there is no guarantee that this balance can be achieved and maintained, week in, week out (and) to be enforced, it would require onerous supervision by council.”

PROPOSED: A new Oak childcare centre has been planned for South Street in Rangeville, opposite the primary school.

Mr Juhasz requested the condition be reframed to focus on people rather than FTE staffing levels, as well as allow “temporal sharing” of the 25 car parks between both parents and staff.

“Amendments (would) remove the uncertainty and the operational challenges that are present within the current condition,” he wrote.

The council has yet to respond to the application.