No one can decide which council this Sydney private school belongs to

No one can agree which council this school belongs to – and the principal is sick of it.

Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Croydon sits on the boundary of two councils; the majority of its main school buildings are in Burwood, while an area set for expansion falls under the Inner West Council.

Presbyterian Ladies’ College wants to be included in just one council area. Credit: Steven Siewert

It’s a headache the school has been fighting to resolve for the past decade, principal Dr Paul Burgis said.

“When we have applied for developments we have often had to apply to two councils. These councils can hold different views. This is an unreasonable impost upon any organisation,” he said.

Burwood Mayor John Faker, through meetings with his Inner West Council counterpart Darcy Byrne and in a letter to the council, has asked them to give over the rest of the school grounds and the homes that are on the school’s side of Edwin Street.

That part of the street includes sites the school wants to demolish to make way for an estimated $25 million expansion.

Burwood isn’t waiting for Inner West to come to the table – they’re taking their proposal straight to the Office of Local Government. Faker said the current boundaries are “150 years outdated”.

“You’ve got a major educational institution which delivers A-grade education to the very talented young ladies they produce there,” he said.

“We think it makes good planning sense, it’s silly to have a school where 25 per cent of it is in a different council area.”

Dr Burgis said he was grateful for Burwood Council’s “proactive approach”.

Presbyterian Ladies’ College Croydon’s campus map overlaid with council boundary in red. Burwood is to the left and Inner West to the rightCredit: PLC Croydon (edited)

The Inner West doesn’t see things the same way. Byrne, the council’s Labor mayor, is concerned about the other homes not owned by the Presbyterian Church that would be transferred to Burwood under the proposal.

“It’s not right for the boundaries of a municipality to be determined by a private school. We haven’t amended our borders anywhere else and doing so here would set a very poor precedent,” Byrne said.

“Councils are here to act in the public interest, not at the behest of private institutions, no matter how wealthy they are.”

In 2020 the council voted to block a proposal from the school to permanently close and sell part of Elizabeth Street to the school for private use, to facilitate plans for a new science building.

Those plans have since been withdrawn.

In 2023 the school lodged preliminary plans with the Inner West Council for the demolition of two residential unit blocks near the school for the creation of a new science and technology building.

Part of the plans involve the demolition of tennis courts and part of the school’s aquatic centre facilities for a new sports facility – part of which falls into Burwood’s boundary, meaning the one redevelopment would need to be approved by both councils.

The plans are in the predevelopment application stage, and a final proposal is yet to be submitted to Inner West Council.

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