Malek Fahd Islamic School Expansion

I have concerns on the extra pressure this project will bring to the local traffic and the additional noise it will bring to the local community and hence I object to the project.

Upon checking proposed plan on Malek Fahd Islamic School Expansion, the narratives on traffic is not in line with real life situation.As a local resident I am aware of the already-terrible traffic condition during school pick-up hours on Mungerie Road, as well as nearby intersection on Withers Road, both roads are clearly running over their capacity.

The expansion will likely add extra several hundreds of cars everyday to Mungerie road during peak hours and impact heavily on local residents. Without additional infrustructure to accomendate the expansion, this project is going to be a huge burden to the local community.

The expansion plan will cause big trouble for the suburb traffic , which is already bad. And will make a lot of noise for the residents. Our housing prices will also be affected by the explanation plan. The size is doubled compared to current school size, which is too much for a school that is sitting in a quiet , small community .

negative impact on the area

The project will have big influence on local residents, the noise and the traffic.

The traffic to get out of the estate on Whiters road is already absolutely diabolical and adds up to 20min plus to exit an already fragile road system as the outer roads are also grid locked. Expanding the school will increase traffic into the area during school time impacting residents trying to exit the already backed up around about.

An alternative solution even with an underground drop off situation will have the same negative issues as experienced on fox Valley road in wahroonga with Wahroonga Sydney Adventist that have attempted to use the same solution but does not solve the problem and only infuriates residents further.

I am concerning of the school resource and the traffic pressure as well as social impact under current social and economical background.
1) The report shows the lot size of the school is about 40000sqm, i.e. approx 10 acres and is aiming to increase the student intake to 1300. I've conducted research on the size and number of students of the other 2 independent school in post code 2155, i.e. William Clarke college (1800+ students, 23.6 acres), Rouse Hill Anglican College (1600+ students, 23 acres). Compared to these 2 schools, the school in Beaumont hills is over crowded. I am concerned about the resource the student can get and the noise level, which impacts the residential houses around.
2) A read into Appendix 9 - Traffic and Parking assessment. This report is dated as Apr 2024, the actual assessment, surveys mentioned the report naturally should be conducted much earlier. I didn't find a reference date unfortunately, however, I would reasonably argue they were completed in 2023. So what has happened in 2024? There were more companies including the NSW government asked the employees to return to office, and not only just 1 or 2 days a week, but 50% to 100% office days. Secondly, the metro extension to Sydney CBD finally released. Both changes would have brought much more people now to the road. So the road condition is different. What has been assessed in 2023 would not hold true for 2025! I am again concerned about the traffic flow, the noise level. Additionally, talking about traffic, if we are talking about 1300 students, the school only has one gate, which would not cope with the pick up and drop off car populations compared to the other big independent schools in this area.

3) Appendix 24 - social impact assessment. Again the statistics used in this report was from 2021 census, or 2023 police incident report etc. This doesn't reflect what has happened to this area throughout COVID and the hardest economic cycle in 2023-2024. There are way more incidents around theft, property damage, traffic accident under 2155 postcode. The peaceful environment will no longer exists with the years long construction and much more population coming to this community.
4) Lastly, how about the future increase of enrolment in the nearby schools? There are at least 3 schools nearby, i.e. Ironbark Ridge, Rouse Hill High, Our Lady of the Angels Primary School. They are public schools and systematic catholic school. Shouldn't we be more concerned about the growth planning of public school? Shouldn't the fund go more towards the public system?

With above being said, I object to the project.

The proposed redevelopment of the school from primary only to primary and secondary schooling without upgrading the infrastructure around the school will push its limits beyond breaking point. Already, the congestion around the school is beyond what the roads (especially Mungarie Road)can take.

Given the proximity of my home to the school, the years of earthworks and construction noise would have a negative impact on my family’s and my standard of living. We moved into this neighbourhood as it was already developed. We did not want construction noise.

I also believe 3 storey school buildings will not fit in with the aesthetic of the neighbourhood. It is surrounded by family homes and the size of the building would impact the social aspect of the neighbourhood.

Having grown up in the Hills district, I have seen it change. Seen it progress into the multicultural hub it is now. These changes have been welcome. But only where they fit in with the neighbourhood.

Beaumont Hills cannot facilitate increasing the size of the school to the proposed development.

Personally that school is big enough

The traffic in the area is already diabolical, adding a bigger school increases the numbers therefore the traffic will increase and be much worse.
There is no need for a bigger school or adjusting the school size.
The infrastructure does not support the change in the school - other schools are around that hold larger numbers of students.
Within a few kms there are 4 schools close by the traffic is horrendous AM or PM you can not drive freely without sitting in traffic and not moving.
I strongly object to the change in the school allowing the increase of students to the area is not necessary.

The main entrance to Malek Fahd school is on Mungerie Rd. This road is single lane each way with no space on either side of the road for cars to pass around. At present, cars travelling west along Mungerie cannot turn right into the school as there is a median strip preventing the right hand turn. Cars coming from the east therefore have to continue to the roundabout on Withers Rd and do a U turn in order to enter the school. During school drop off and pick up times, this causes a backlog of cars wanting to turn left into the school blocking any other cars travelling east on Mungerie Rd. You cannot overtake these cars as it is single lane and on a bend. The school did put in a side lane to try and prevent cars blocking Mungerie, however this side lane is not long enough. In addition, parents park on the dirt council strip opposite the school and I've witnessed many near misses where children dash across the road to where their parent is (illegally) parked. My fear is, with the expansion of the school, the existing infrastructure (Mungerie Rd) is not suitable to support the increased number of cars should the school expand. Should the infrastructure be upgraded to handle the additional traffic, I would have no objection to the expansion of the school.

The proposed expansion of the school will be extremely disruptive in an already highly congested area of our suburb. There are already several schools within very close proximity of each other which is currently causing a concerning degree of traffic. Your current single lane streets and minimal traffic controls are seeing motorists disobey road rules, conduct dangerous manoeuvres, obstructing path of traffic, illegal parking or stopping, and disrespectful interactions. Also, adding more public transport will further exacerbate congestion, add to traffic delays, noise pollution and general safety of the area. As you know bus drivers do not drive safely, they never give way to motorists and more often than not obstruct the road when they stop to pick up passengers. This will only get worse!
Some parents are not dropping kids off safely due to limited spaces, rushing and poor design of the roads and general area.
Heaven forbid should anyone require emergency services to make their way through this traffic in a timely manner during school hours - this will compromise the safety of residents.
Also, there are too many school kids walking on the road rather than footpaths due to paths being overcrowded. This is not only dangerous for the kids but causes motorists to veer closer to oncoming traffic to avoid hitting children. It is extremely important to consider the population of people that will be moving through the area at the same time. The immediate streets and general area are so small that the most minor incidents will create chaos and potential safety risks for residents.
The amount of noise, rubbish and graffiti in the area is another issue that needs to be addressed immediately. Residents have paid top dollar for their homes to live in a clean, quiet and safe suburb. You are not building the necessary infrastructure or support to afford these simple entitlements to residents should this school expansion proceed. This suburb currently has a great appeal and homes are purchased really quickly but this project will negatively impact the feel, security and peacefulness of the suburb. It will bring house prices down and invite a different demographic to the suburb.
Why does the school of such capacity need to be built in the centre of a residential area? Do most of the students live in Beaumont Hills? Sounds like the project is big enough that there is opportunity to source land in a more suitable and sustainable location. This specific area of our suburb is already highly populated and congested. So roads in the area are always in a bad condition despite being reconditioned every couple of years.
Beaumont Hills is a difficult suburb because we only have a few entry (& exit) routes to our homes. This will make it impossible for most residents not to be impacted by this project and addition of several new schools. Have you effectively considered traffic flow under normal, high traffic and emergency situations?
Also, with the excessive construction of multi-residential buildings recently and lack of accompanying road upgrades you will further compromise Beaumont Hills and surrounding suburbs. Public transport has gone backwards since the operation of train. We are now more dependent on our vehicles to get to train stations where previously buses could take us to most places from near our homes. We all want to see suburbs expanded and modernised and bring new opportunities but not at the expense of quality of living. Another high population initiative is extremely unfair to residents. We want to maintain the quality of life, environment and appearance of the suburb. I don’t feel that this project would contribute positively to the enhancement of the suburb.

We live directly behind the school and they back on to my back yard i have seen the plans as i am a builder my self and can for see the implications it will affect on my dewelling . Firstly we have a pool and we will have no privacy as they will be able to see into my back yard from the soccer field . We currently have a low rear fence and a again our privacy will be impacted . Also during construction the works will affect my property as well as reducing the value of our property . There will be a massive increase in traffic as it is bad now with the influx on new student the roads and surrounding roads will be effected in the morning and afternoon during school pick times . Inconclusion approving this monstrosity of a building in a suburban area will affect everyone near by .

I don't see any good reason why this school needs expanding.

There is no way this upgrade can be approved. The area cant already support the amount of cars on the road due to the poor state gov planning and lack of care for the area. They are more than happy to dump huge amounts of apartments in Norwest Sydney but not upgrade the roads to 4 and 6 lanes wide. It's absolutely pathetic.

To expand this school to allow triple the amount of students and increase the traffic in the area without expanding the roads is absurd. Bet you believe it. All those types of parents drive their kids to school as well and don't catch public transport.

The expansion will significantly impact on the community especially residents’ daily life around the schools as the expansion and new buildings will be too close to the residents.

The traffic congestion on Mungerie Rd as a result of this school is already an issue. Mornings and afternoons sees drop off and pick up cause bottle neck across roundabout on corner of Mungerie and Withers Rd. Additional parling will not alleviate this as parents do drop and go. They do not stay.
Getting out of Guardian Ave in the morning is a nightmare already. At least consider putting lights in at Guardian Ave exit as well as get rid of round about on Withers and Mungerie and put lights there too.
Additionally, the school already has homes backing on to it. a 3 storey prayer roo will breach the privacy of those homes backyards

It will cause major impact on roads and traffic. It is already congested especially during morning and afternoon peak hours.The school needs to relocate and buy bigger land if they want to expand . The propery is within the residential area where road access is limited causing traffic, noise, and the impact on wild animal around the reserve. Im not against the school, but expanding is a BIG NO. I was told before their previous application was denied because of the impact in the area.

Major impacts to the surburb including noise, traffic, parking congestion, Beaumount Hills is a small surburb that can not accomodate school at this size.

The traffic in this area has already been so hard, if extension school will cost more traffic and accidents. The residents will suffer travel out .e.g : later for work. More time waste on road.

The traffic is very bad. Once the school expand this will be even worse