Alterations and additions to St Philip's Christian College Cessnock campus

Please see comment provided in attachment.

Please see attached document

The issue I have with the development is that the proposed upgrade to accessing Lomas Lane from Wine Country Dr does not take into consideration the safe right of entry to a number of the surrounding properties.
Neither proposed upgrades on page 41 of the submission take into consideration the access requirement to the four lots on the western side of Wine Country Dr.
The entrance into Lots 305, 307, 309 and 311 is on the western side of Wine Country Dr and approximately 40 metres south of Lomas Lane.
Access in and out of this easement is already problematic and dangerous in the mornings and afternoons on school days and this issue has been repeatedly pointed out to the council and the school. We have asked for a deceleration lane on the western side (as we originally had) and an extension to the deceleration slip lane on the eastern side of Wine Country Dr as access is very dangerous with the speed limit being 80km/hr. Neither of the two proposals have considered safe access or egress into the easement and as such are not adequate for the residents and businesses that are and could develop on the lots nominated.
Can any proposed development please provide appropriate and safe access to our properties.
Regards,
Neil and Debra McGuigan

I own the property at 307 Wine Country Drive, Nulkaba and I have an access road which I share with the owners of 305, 309 and 311 Wine Country Drive. The entrance to our access road is opposite where Lomas Lane intersects Wine Country Drive. There are 3 vineyards on these properties as well as a Cellar Door which I operate as part of my wine business. These business operations generate a fair amount of traffic.
Currently to exit from our access road during drop off and pick up times is time consuming and dangerous. To make a right hand turn on to Wine Country Drive during drop off times we have to cross the north bound lane and the right hand turn lane into Lomas Lane which is constantly blocked with traffic and then negotiate the traffic turning south from Lomas Lane. Also, to make a right hand turn into our access road when coming from the north we again have to traverse two lanes of traffic and when we are stationary and waiting to make the turn due to north bound traffic the south bound traffic has to stop or go on to the verge to pass. This is also dangerous as there is a slip lane into Lomas lane when coming from the north but no slip lane on the south side to re-join Wine Country Drive. Motorists are travelling at 80kms and realise that there is no room to pass a stationary vehicle making a turn into our access road and often have to make an emergency stop or run off on to the verge to pass. All in all a highly unsatisfactory situation.
I agree with the transport assessment that something needs to be done and done in the short term to address the problems at the Lomas Lane, Wine Country Drive intersection. However I cannot see any mention of how our road access has been considered in the plans to upgrade the intersection. Please see attached diagram.
Can you please ensure that our issues are given due consideration.
Regards
Ross Wilson
Ernest Hill Wines

Geraldine Woodward and Rebecca Woodward
2 McKensey St
Nulkaba
NSW 2325

Dear Ms Harragon,

Alterations and Additions to St Philip’s Christian College, Cessnock Campus
10 Lomas Lane and 210 Wine country drive, Nulkaba (SSD-10360337)

We refer to your letter dated 16 February 2022 in relation to the above.

We object to the application solely on the basis that no consideration has been given to the traffic flow through the intersection of Fletcher St and Wine Country Drive.

Logically, if the construction of a roundabout at Lomas Lane /Wine Country Dr intersection is required then one should also be constructed at Fletcher St due to the fact that the volume of traffic through this intersection will be significantly more than the traffic at Lomas Lane due to the residences that are accessed via Fletcher Street. There has also been an increase in traffic on Fletcher St due to the recent development on Valley View Place

Fletcher St is the only entrance/exit for all homes serviced off Wine Country Dr in these estates and the safety of traffic/queuing exiting is already a major problem.

As per the Scoping report prepared by Barr Property and Planning the only mention of traffic is point 6.1.2 and this has not taken into consideration traffic flow from Cessnock City direction or other areas.
Also as per point 6.3 with an increase of student numbers traffic flow along Wine Country Dr and through Fletcher St intersection has not been considered.
As per point 6.8 consideration of access has only been given to the Lomas Lane intersection and not to other access points along Wine Country Drive and the queuing aspects on Fletcher St which is directly impacted by the traffic to St Philip’s Christian College.
As per the requirements of SEARs (1)- SSD-10360337_Issued SEARs
– Traffic and Accessibility, neither SEARs (2)- Scoping Report - Cessnock SPCC and Appendix G9- Transport and Accessibility Impact Assessment
have addressed the impact of traffic along Wine Country Dr other than at Lomas Lane intersection.

All residents in Nulkaba will be affected by the proposed development and as residents of 2 McKensey St (corner of Fletcher St) my daughter and I object to the proposal. Further study must be conducted on the impact of traffic and safety as outlined above.

Yours faithfully
Geraldine Woodward
Rebecca Woodward

This school is not far from my house and it is already an asset to the area and I fully support the proposed development. The changes to the traffic intersection are welcome.

See attached

This has been a Development by stealth. The land is low lying and has been "filled" and still, to my knowledge, represents a flooding issue. This development encroaches upon rural zoning, and a well known tourist area. A set of traffic lights on a rural road signed at 80 klms/hr would create a further traffic hazard, the original proposal of a roundabout is a more appropriate solution.
This school is a facility that the community can ill afford. Ratepayers have footed the bill for a footpath from the town centre out to a "private" school costing $3.2 MILLION dollars, now they are looking for further funding from ratepayers for traffic signals. This a "Private" School not a community facility.
There are more pressing matters that require funding in the Cessnock LGA.

I have reviewed the new information on the website including the
response from the applicants via Stantec, particularly C4 - Stantec memo
to TfNSW which covers the proposed intersection layouts and timing of
construction. Their preferred option is the four way signalised
intersection whilst maintaining the current access driveway to the four
properties 305 - 311 Wine Country Drive. It is pleasing to note that
with the preferred option the construction timing can be brought forward
to Stage 1a if no land acquisition is required and would be completed
before the school population is increased. This is essential to avoid
increasing the current traffic congestion and the dangerous conditions
associated with the current intersection.
However the current design of the preferred option does nothing to
improve access to the four above mentioned properties. There is no slip
lane when coming from the south to turn into the current access road and
no turning lane for traffic coming from the north, which is exactly the
same as the current situation. (see attachment) I operate a wine sales
business at 307 Wine Country Drive which generates significant traffic,
not to mention the agricultural vehicles associated with maintaining the
vineyards on the properties. For a 3 or 4 years after the school commenced operations there was no right hand turn lane into Lomas Lane when coming from the south. The four properties 305-311 also had a slip lane for turning into their access road. This slip lane was then appropriated to create the current right hand turn lane into Lomas Lane without any consultation. This created the current situation of vehicles coming from the North blocking the road when making a right hand turn into our access road and having to turn across 2 lanes of traffic. The changes made to the intersection, since
the school was built and the population increased, have had a negative
effect on visitation due to the difficulties associated with access.
(please see my previous submission) Also, the design still shows a new
access road connecting the western leg of the intersection to the
current access road which involves appropriating part of the land of
305 Wine Country Drive. Also please note in the paragraph 'Adjacent
Property Access' the second sentence which reads 'the properties being
309-311 Wine Country Drive' should read 'the properties being 305-311
Wine Country Drive'. In regard to the last paragraph, there have been
initial discussions with the applicant regarding the intersection design
options but no further discussions have taken place since the Stantec
submissions report was published, nominating the preferred option, nor
are there plans in place for further communication.

I am in full support of my neighbours submissions and I do object to the
proposal in its current form.


Regards

Ross Wilson

Ernest Hill Wines

307 Wine Country Drive, Nulkaba NSW

See Attached

I don't feel it necacerry to have traffic signal lights at the intersection of Lomas Lane & wine country drive . based on the traffic flow Twice daily Monday to Friday. A roundabout would more than suffice for the traffic requirements of the intersection.
we don't need a major artery congested for the flow of one vehicle over a weekend as we are a tourist destination. I would like to see the vehicle count during weekdays verse weekends. there are other road projects that require more urgency than this project.
regards
Nathan Dwarte

Thank you for the opportunity to make a submission to this State Significant Development. As a resident of the Cessnock LGA I was notified by NSW DPE of the proposal. I have read the Lindsay Perry Access report and make my submission on the basis of its contents, or lack thereof. Given that only 4.4% of people in Australia use a wheelchair (Australian Network on Disability) I was disappointed to read that the LPA report focused solely on mobility matters and ignored the large range of disabilities present in the Australian community. I assume that no-one with lived experience of intellectual disability for example, will have learning opportunities at this education facility, nor will it be visited by people living with dementia or indeed relatives of students with lived experience in neurological disability, vision or hearing impairments. The access report ignores these community needs and has no reference whatsoever to peak disability advocate groups such as Community Disability Alliance Hunter and the simple recommendations this group provides to ensure that venues are truely inclusive. I understand that the school is faith-based and will not focus on all abilities education programs however, the attendant students will have family members and/or friends that live with disability and the design needs to consider how these community members can access the venue and participate in school life.
Yours sincerely,
Ian Rhodes

I believe traffic lights do not fit the rural landscape of the wine country drive areas.
Traffic lights will be a great disruption to the gate way of our tourist drive.
Traffic lights are not environmentally friendly for the future of this country .
A round about is the best option for this area .

I believe having traffic lights installed at the intersection of lomas lane and wine country drive will only increase the congestion of banked up traffic. going to a from cessnock into the wine country region. between the school traffic, tradies, mine workers and more I believe that a roundabout would be more safer and beneficial for that busy road. Not too mention with the entry and exit driveways just up the road for the service station adding in traffic lights just makes the whole situation at a stand still.

It has come to Councils attention that St Phillip’s Christian College Cessnock located at 10 Lomas Lane and 210 Wine Country Drive, Nulkaba has amended their development application for State significant development (SSD) for the alterations and additions to St Phillip’s Christian College Campus including the following;

• Construction of a signalised intersection instead of a roundabout at the Lomas Lane/ Wine Country drive intersection
• Modifications to the middle school building;
• Updated architectural plans and landscaping to reflect the proposed changes; and
• Revised construction staging.

At the Ordinary Council Meeting of 17 August 2022, Council resolved;

1. That Council support the proposal by St Phillips Christian College to install traffic lights at the intersection of Wine Country Drive and Lomas Lane as part of its current upgrade plans;

Council would therefore like to make a submission of support for the modification of the proposed traffic lights which is considered to provide safer traffic management solution.

I object to traffic lights being installed on Wine Country Drive. My reasons for objecting to the traffic lights include the wait time at signals and the lengthening time of my trips to and from town centre. As Wine Country Drive is the main road and only road to the town centre from Branxton, Huntlee, Pokolbin, The Vintage and community on the northern side of the LGA, I object to the installation of traffic lights in a RUZ Rural landscape. I object to the disruption in my journey to and from the town centre of Cessnock.
My concerns also includes the loss of the current 80km speed zone past the western boundary of the school and can only hope this is impossible as the school fronts Lomas Lane. I'd like to see St Philips use their own grounds to enter/exit their property by installing a roundabout on the 70km zoned, town (Southern) end of their property.
That failing, I would prefer a roundabout to be installed at the RUZ Rural Landscape end (following the NSW guidelines for a Major Road roundabout) thus keeping the flow/movement of traffic along Wine Country Road, keep the rural ambience, catering to wider community, visotors and future developments with a more aesthetically, visionary proposal of the roundabout.

See attached

I strongly oppose the proposal. It is unconscionable that public money should be spent to solely benefit a private institution (in this case St Phillips). The roads in Cessnock are currently minefields of potholes and the traffic congestion on Wollombi Road in the mornings and afternoons is diabolical. Any money available could be used to fix these issues for the benefit of general Cessnock rate and tax payers. If a private organisation (that doesn't pay tax) wants traffic modifications and if they are subsequently approved they should pay for them themselves.

We do not need traffic lights, a around about or additional turning lanes would be enough