06/15/2026, 09:23

Added information about the Norfolk Island Pines on the site.


New petition description:

The Ark Group, a Sydney-based developer, wants to build a 3-Level Child Care Centre on a suburban house block at 60 Brooke Ave, on the corner of Yangoora St, Killarney Vale.

We believe this development is inappropriate at that location due to traffic, parking and pedestrian safety concerns.

This development would also see the removal of 2 historically significant Norfolk Island Pines.

It is also debatable whether another childcare centre is required in this area with a number of local centres having space available.

This development is inappropriate at that location. It will:
* Add to the already heavy traffic (including buses) on Brooke Ave. especially during school drop off / pickup times and being located only a couple of hundred metres from Brooke Ave Public School. Brooke Ave is a major connection between Wyong Rd and Eastern Rd.
* Increase the number of vehicles parked in Brooke Ave, Yangoora St, and other surrounding streets. The proposal shows it does not meet the minimum required 13 spaces, with only 11 in the plan. On-street parking is already terrible in the area due to the proximity of the school.
* Increase the already high accident hazard due to low visibility caused by parked cars for vehicles exiting Sturt St, Yangooora St, Hume Bvd, Torres St, Robertson Rd and George Evans Rd into Brooke Ave.
* The intersection of Brooke Ave with Yangoora St & Torres St is particularly hazardous due to it being slightly offset, leading to confusion between turning drivers and those going straight through.
* Increase risk for the many school children and others who regularly walk along Yangoora St after school bus drop offs or in transit to/from the concrete path to Charter Hall Bateau Bay Shopping Centre. As Yangoora St has no kerb & guttering or footpaths, people generally walk on the road.

Not shown on the submitted plans are the large electricity pad-mounted transformer directly adjacent to the proposed driveway that will severely restrict vision down Yangoora St for vehicles exiting the centre's driveway.

Also not mentioned in the proposal is that it would require the destruction of 2 large Norfolk Island Pines located on the Yangoora side of the block. This trees have local historical significance as they mark the boundary of the former Tuggerah Lakes Golf Links site.

It is debatable that there is a requirement for another child care centre in this area. I contacted 12 child care services in and around Killarney Vale and of the 10 who would provide current numbers, 5 have current vacancies, and 2 others that are at capacity stated they have only just reached that. Oversupply in the child care industry is an acknowledged problem threatening the viability of existing centres, and is the subject of research being carried out by the Childcare Alliance.

Their recent survey of members following from the closure of many centres cites: "These factors include rising operational costs - due to global inflation, interest rates and the need to comply with the latest regulatory changes - coupled with ongoing cost-of-living pressures for families, competition from new centres, and declining birth rates. Together, these challenges have led to a sector-wide decline in occupancy." (nsw.childcarealliance.org.au/latest-news/aca-national-update/urgent-survey-help-us-highlight-the-realities-our-members-face-daily)

In the interests of full disclosure, I own the house behind this proposed development.