Santa Sophia Catholic College (New School)

A school inside a town centre is going to cause quite a number of grievances for the residents of the suburb such as increase volumes of traffic to and from the shopping centre, disruption to residents living around the centre with street parking crowding their streets and the reduction of facilities and space the town centre originally catered for prior to a school being considered there. Getting a car park spot at the town centre during a school special function day, pick up and drop off times will be a nightmare to the residents.
Secondly as a parent it is extremely disheartening to find out a school is considering to be built on multi level storey with open space only on the top floor which means the kids have to climb flights of stairs just to enjoy fresh air. This is understandable in a suburb where land is scarce but the Catholic dioces already has secured few acres to their name in terry road box hill to build this school with open space and sporting fields for the kids, so why is it then this school considered to be built cramped up in a building inside a town centre with very limited outdoor spaces for the kids?
Finally as a parent I will not feel comfortable to enrol my child in a school that is inside a town centre for safety reasons. Kids will have unnecessary access to the shopping centre which they would not if the school is located elsewhere and which also gives easier access to unwarranted individuals access to our kids as well.

I think the school will be huge benefit for the community.

I am a local resident within The Gables estate & I object to the Proposal. Reasons being;

1. Only providing an extra 104 spaces in the shopping centre, these are exclusively for the 130 staff only! No parking for parents and students, they need to make use of surrounding roads. 26 staff will have no parking? This will impact on surrounding roads.

2. No visitor parking being provided, this will impact on surrounding roads that will need to be used.

3. No parking for kindergarten parents, 100 of them, who will have to park on surrounding street for walk up and collect. A high concern for younger children who still require parental supervision & assistance to & from their classroom. The school has a high emphasis on parents involment, so parents walking their young children to/from class should be encouraged & not discouraged with the parking options available.

4. 15 minutes parking restrictions on parking in and around the streets by the town centre. Length of time is not long enough, especially for those parents collecting children from younger and/or multiple classes. In addition, a permit to park for longer periods needs to be considered for local residents who maybe parking in a surrounding street to simply to their grocery shopping.

5. Far too many children crammed into a small space. A school this size should be on a much larger block of land.

6. As existing residents, we purchased our land in 2018 & we were never advised by Celestino that they had lodged a DA to subdivide the land for the school. This will result in a much smaller area for the town centre shopping centre that was going to be provided for the community.

For the reasons above, I do not support the proposal.

I believe this School to be located within The Gables is fantastic, i Think this will benefit the students being a state of the art modern campus. The interaction with the community is encouraging & the students will befit by using facilities provided by the local council.

Santa Sophia should be built in the land at Terry Road instead of in the middle of the shopping centre. My kids should be able to grow their faith and study in the best environment with a much bigger school grounds. Building Santa Sophia Catholic College as outlined in the plans is a huge mistake. There was no consultation with parents at all. I strongly oppose this. I am one among parents of the Our Lady of the Angels Parish Church who strongly object to this.

I object to the proposed school development in the Gables Shopping Centre for the following reasons and am concerned as a member of the local Catholic Community:
1. Suitability of Site
The Gables Shopping centre complex compared with the originally purchased Terry Road land site is not of a sufficient site for the number of students (close to 2,000)..
2. Not in the Public Interest
The school being located in the proposed location will burden the shopping centre, environment and housing in the surrounding area which is already densely populated. It would also rely on the adjoining public space for the purpose of the students ongoing health and wellbeing. As there is already a more appropriate location for the school which does not have the adverse impact I believe that the original Terry Road location should be the desired option.
3. Traffic and Parking
There will be a significant increase in traffic flowing into the surrounding area which will increase the risk to the safety of the students. There is insufficient drop off and pick up spaces for the full capacity of the school and no provision for visitor parking. Furthermore, staff parking is proposed in the shopping centre adjoining the school but with insufficient parking for staff members and the parents of students.
4. Children's Safety
The basic requirement of a safe evacuation point for all the occupants of the school has not been addressed and is a breach of Workplace Health and Safety laws which the staff, parents, Management and Executives linked to both the school and the Gables Shopping Centre precint. Also the interaction between the students and the general public is a concern for the parents.
5. Not conducive to the learning and development of the children
The physical activity which is a key part of the learning and development of the students cannot be adequately addressed via an indoor learning way of life with a lack of recess and lunch time sporting activities. In the limited event of some students being able to participate in physical activities, the location of the outdoor areas only being accessible by crossing heavy traffic presents an unacceptable level of risk for the teachers, students and the public. The design of the school limits the natural light, insufficient open space and room for the students to move which limits the psychological and spacial development of the students.
6. Lack of future expansion
The location does not allow any future growth and expansion nor does it even allow for ongoing maintenance without significant disruption to the learning and education of the students and in turn the impact to the teachers and parents. The originally purchased location is five times larger than the Gables project and allows for future expansion and innovation.

Dear Minister,
Schools are constructed to outlast many generations, and key to their placement is the capacity to expand.
Furthermore, school children need to be safe and have room to be active - the proposed development is constrained to an acre of land when CEDP have another alternative that was previously reserved for this school that is over 5 times larger than the proposed development in Terry Road.
A school with extensive land to grow and for children to play, also provides for safe dropping off and picking up of children. There are many other reasons, such as we do not need for school children to be within the Gables Shopping Centre for safety and skipping class reasons.
I trust that you will see that this development is not optimal, especially when the Catholic Education Office - Parramatta have a much better and sustainable alternative.
Kind Regards
Karl Medak

I believe that the moving of the school location to the Gables Shopping Center presents the following issues:
- Forcing students to be taught in a "high rise" school when there is already a selected and dedicated lot of land 5 times the size of the footprint that the Gables site has. they are being stripped of the opportunity to have external places during breaks and the general feeling of openness that I am sure they would appreciate
- Removing the ability of the students to learn any agricultural or construction subjects that are being so well run in corresponding public schools like Hoxton Park High and John Edmundson high where they prepare and install concrete pads and dig and pour footings among other construction activities. Where they are taught to tend and care for seasonal fruits and vegetables and understand the cycling of the farm land
- Jamming almost 2000 students into the high rise school would be an injustice to them and their learning - there is perfectly good land to use - why are we to taking advantage of it. The highrise school should be the last resort - in this instance you have land ear marked since 2004 - why is this being forced?
- Whose agenda is being satisfied by forcing a school with land that they have already purchased and put aside not being given approval to build on? This is definitely unusual behaviour - the land is already there, submissions have been made - what is going on here?????
- Why are you forcing the proposed school to compete for open spaces to run sports and team activities in the community where they already have space in the land that they already own in Terry rd? What is the purpose for forcing this?
- There is more than ample land at the Terry Rd site that is already purchased that the children can safely and easily access for all sporting and external activities - why would you deny the children this safe space? It is there - its not like we are in inner Sydney and we don't have the land for it.
- The Parish had made a prudent decision 15 years ago to buy up land to allow for a school to be built in the future - why are we not rewarding such a great decision? Why are we punishing all the people that moved out to the Hills area - in large part (as was with myself) the school and future plans of the Catholic Schools in the area made my decision as to where I would purchase. I would have had my eldest child go to Santa Sophia if the Terry Rd site was endorsed. Due to the ambiguity based on the location now - I have her enrolled in Marion. I have 2 more children coming through - if the site is the Gables - they will not be going to Santa Sophia - this is a shame as they attend the feeder school - OLA Kellyville
- It makes absolutely no sense to place a school on top of a shopping centre when there is a site ready to go that is already purchased - no land acquisition is required, the roads are big enough and wide enough, the site can accommodate more buildings as the area gets more densely populated - seems such a small minded decision.
- As a tax payer - I am paying (in part) to have bureaucrats make mindless decisions - it has happened so much in the hills area over the last 10 years that is becoming almost criminal as to the poor planning and money driven decision that all levels of government are making. How can this proposal even be considered? Which bureaucrat thought that a high rise school is preferable to an open site that can offer the students so much? Why cant we make them accountable to us the public, parishioners who struggle day in and day out to provide the education that we desire our children to have? Can we have them answer questions form the floor in an open forum? Bring them to the front instead of hdining in their offices and pressing buttons on a keyboard.

What a silly decsion

The attached letter details my reasons for objections.

Having the school within the Gables Shopping Centre will present multiple issues to the area. Land has been purchased in Terry Road in 2004 - planned and advertised from the beginning of the Parish - that this would be the site for the school. If we have already made provision on good land why move somewhere else.
Density - it is proposed that the school accommodates nearly 2000 students, which is excessive for the size of the site.
Bulk and Scale - The size of the proposed building is excessive for the site.
The proposed school development is not in the public interest on the basis that:
This school will burden the neighbouring areas including the shopping centre, open spaces and housing.
The school would be reliant on the use of the adjoining public space. Sporting arrangements for the use of the open space have not been finalised and will not be exclusive.
The proposed development will result in a significant increase in traffic flow to the surrounding area with the expected 120 vehicles per 10 minutes during peak hours.
There is no provision for visitor parking.
There is no safe evacuation point that can accommodate all occupants in an emergency. The nearest location would be the public open space which would require students to cross a road.
Proximity to a shopping centre is a concern.
There is also no direct access to outside areas and students will be confined to their floor area. Inability to let off steam may result in psychological harm to children.
The design of the proposed school does not provide for a suitable and healthy learning environment.
The design of the school does not provide any potential for further expansion to cater for future growth. The Terry Road site being over 5 times larger allows for future expansion.

Having viewed the above plans AND having been a Primary School Teacher in NSW for over 10 years AND having Primary School aged children of my own AND having lived in a neighbouring newly developed suburb for 8 years as it was being developed (experiencing growth of the area with new houses, schools and retail developments), I object to the suitability and size of the proposed location in The Gables.

1. A school of approximately 2000 children requires a greater land size to allow for ALL of the children to learn and grow to their full potential. Outdoor space for education and play is vital for good health and for children to appreciate the beauty of God's creation which not only allows for a deeper connection with the land (the NSW Government's Major Projects website mentions in multiple places respect for the land) but also a closer appreciation of God's love. Being a Catholic school, this should be one of the most important considerations.

2. A school situated in a growing area such as Box Hill needs to be able to expand in the future. There is not a single school which has not required an extra demountable or two to be placed on their grounds to cope with growth. A number of new schools in The Ponds (built on large sites) needed demountables within their first year of operation to cope with demand. Surely it is common knowledge that all schools require contingency plans and space to cope with growth? On this particular site at The Gables, there is no allowance for further growth. Any required growth will take away from the already minimal outdoor space as is.

3. A large parcel of land has already been purchased for this school on Terry Road, Box Hill which would allow for truth, beauty and goodness to flourish. All schools are for the future of our nation. As such, all schools should be built with only the best in mind. In Box Hill, there is ample space outside of the already busy town centre precinct.

4. The plans show a densely populated section of Box Hill. To add a school for 2000 children, plus their teachers and their families for various school events, the already busy town centre will be further saturated causing an unwelcome strain on the community.

5. Building a school next to the shopping centre will not allow for growth of the retail precinct should this need arise in the future. Thinking about the retail sections in the Hills, a number of centres have required expansion over time. Why limit future growth of both the school and the retail precinct?

6. The sporting fields, important for all schools to have access to, especially for recess and lunch time play and for a balanced education, looks to be across a major road, and open to the public. When my children go to school, I know and expect that they have access to outdoor spaces within a safe and secure environment. Why add unnecessary pressure on staff and parents by situating a school between a shopping centre precinct and busy main roads when there are other more appropriate parcels of land close by in Box Hill?

7. The schools I have taught in and the schools that my children attend have their own carparks for the school community. When weekly assemblies are on, these carparks are full. When special events are on such as Book Week, these carparks and the local side streets are packed. These events are important for children's development as they get to share their learning with their families. How will a busy town centre cope with the regular influx of school event attendees? Personally, I'd like to feel welcome and free to attend my children's events at school. I would not appreciate being locked out of these special events purely because I was unable to find a suitable parking spot. Many families have multiple younger siblings in tow and/or older and less mobile grandparents and would need to be able to park safely to access these events.

From the above 7 points, it is clear that the proposed site at The Gables is not suitable in terms of size and location. I do hope the government will be able to step in and bring some common sense to this project. The school is much needed in this part of the state. It would be most wise to utilise resources already available in Terry Rd, which will allow for current and future growth and will continue to service the needs of a growing area.

I would like to submit an objection to the project on the following basis:
* unsuitable location - close to the shopping centre which will encourage loitering & open to public concern over children's safety, will cause traffic (this is evident on the previous school my daughter attended & traffic is unavoidable and hazard to the children's safety), children require open space with greenery for play and social interaction. Studies show play is important on a child's development and being in nature minimize depression.

Based on the details provided there will be a significant negative affect of traffic around key facilities. Being a Catholic school and having a higher proportion of children attending from outside a close proximity the majority transport will be by car. The estimates provided of biking and walking are not representative of what is seen in other catholic schools due to the larger distance from which children attend. While the school benefits from having access to facilities immediately I see no benefit being passed back to the community.

Please see my comments in the attachment

I support the location of the school at The Gables but just hope the developers give consideration for additional parking at the shopping centre and hope that it does not reduce the size or general feel of the shops. I also hope it contributes positively to the community.

Provision has already been made on good land with provision for sufficient drop off and pick up spaces, provision for visitor parking, sufficient parking for all staff and allowance for increase in traffic flow. None of these are taken care of in the Shopping Centre Site.
The proposed school will burden the neighbouring areas.

I am objecting to this project on the following grounds:
1. This school was supposed to be built at a much larger site on Terry Rd, Box Hill. I am concerned about the lack of genuine reasons given for the sudden change. More practically, I do not understand why anyone would want to build a school with no playgrounds. The children will not be able to access anywhere to run around during the day which will lead to restless children.
2. I am concerned that the school is being built in a shopping centre. There is a great potential for children to wander off and just stroll through the shops instead of going to school. There is also a concern for the children's safety with easy access for strangers to the children.
3. I am concerned about the lack of parking. They have an inadequate kiss and drop area planned. They also intend to include an Early Learning Centre; I do not fancy dropping my 3 year old off on the side of the road to walk into preschool.
4. I am concerned as a Catholic that there is no prayer space/chapel being built in this school. At Terry Rd I believe there would have eventually been a church or chapel built. I don't understand why children enrolled in a Catholic school are not being encouraged to pray.