Minarah College

The construction of another branch of an illustrious school such as Minarah College, in Catherine Fields will prove immensely beneficial to the wider community. Firstly, this school will provide opportunities for children to attain the adequate levels of education that is required for them to prosper. To address the increasing populations in these developing areas, another Minarah branch will be perfect for providing education to the future generations. Secondly, the development of this college will open numerous job opportunities which will address the rising demand for jobs in NSW. A school is a second home for many children and it should be accessible to them, in close proximity. Thus the Catherine Fields school must be given the green light so they may work towards creating a better society and enlighten future generations.

I object to project for the following reasons.
1. This is a rural area that has not been released for development. There is no place for such a large school in the area.
2. The area does not have the infrastructure in place to support the school. The roads are horrendous as it is with pot holes and traffic it could not handle the extra traffic that would be created. We dont even have kerb and gutters in the area. The area is also known to flood and is not connected to the sewage system. We all run septic tanks.
3. There is not a huge islamic population in the area that would warrant an islamic school.
4. There is no need for a school to have 2 halls. The local catholic schools with larger student numbers does not have two halls. One large hall can be shared by all students especially being the one school if two larger schools can manage to share the one hall.
5. Parking for 96 cars is obviously not going to be sufficient and will cause big traffic jams and force parents to park on the surrounding streets causing more traffic and making it unsafe not only for the locals but the families at the school.
6. The school should be built in an area that has already been released for development.
7. It would be an eyesore to the natural country feel and lifestyle of the area.

Refer to attach ment.

MINARAH COLLEGE SUBMISSION

I object to the current proposal on the following grounds

1/ I have read the council’s submission and agree with it as I believe they have made a detailed and considered response to the School project and are representing the majority of the residents views.
2/ Considering the councils submission I have found it ridiculous that a project that is considered state significant can bypass Council almost completely. It is wrong that this or any project that is SSD doesn’t have to pay contributions where all other developments must. How can this development not contribute toward all the ammenities that must be provided by council to the school now and into the future. The infrastructure that must be provided by council is considerable and it’s us ratepayers that provide the funds to make this possible. An overwhelming amount of residents judging by the submissions already made object to the project. We the residents are then forced into funding a project that we object to on serious grounds.
3/ The local roads around the college are for rural purposes only. With the massive increase in traffic of cars and buses once the school is operational will make the roads already in bad shape worse. Chisholm road is only one lane with no dividing markings and cars to pass each other need to go onto the shoulders making it dangerous and causing damage to vehicles and so needs upgrading making a proper divided road. Catherine Field road is also in very bad shape and to allow the development when the Catherine Field North part of the SWG Centers area is not released will make the necessary road upgrades haphazard and disjointed. So in the meantime the road will become even more damaged which the council will have to fund to upgrade that the developers won’t have to do when the area is released.
4/ With a pump out system for sewer that will increase the weight and frequency of vehicles on the rural roads again increasing the deterioration of the local roads mentioned above.
5/ The roads are subject to flooding and with no footpaths street lighting or curb and guttering this will make it risky for kiss and drop and pick ups.
6/ With the increase of traffic and cars for dropping and picking up of children the trucking companies that have there bases and truck parking base will frequent the area and can be a hazard for children and cars.
7/ There are no bus shelters near the proposed school. That will make it a requirement to drop off by car or bus.
8/ The school will need spark to use for sports days etc. From what I can ascertain the school will use the park adjacent to the RFS station. How can they be allowed when the development has paid no contributions to council and therefore in its upkeep.

Kind regards Alex

Sir/Madam,
My brother (John) and I are land owners in Catherine Field, (174 Deepfields Road). We have no problem
with Minarah College's application for Catherine Field, as long as it meets all of councils DA requirements. A
project of this size will provide numerous short term and long term employment opportunities for the local and
surrounding areas.
That can't be a bad thing. Also, most of us are aware that youth and education are the way of the future. Education of our youth is what this DA is proposing.
This DA is a huge opportunity for Catherine Field.
As stated above, I support this DA application.

I support this project as it is going to benefit the community.

I am writing to formally oppose the proposed development of Minarah College, as outlined in the recent amendment, which aims to establish a large educational institution for up to 980 students from Kindergarten to Year 12 as well as childcare in our predominantly rural area.

While I appreciate the intention to enhance education in our community, there are several pressing concerns:

1. **Infrastructure Strain**: Our current roads, infrastructure, and public services are severely lacking, and this development will exacerbate these issues. The proposal mentions upgrades to Catherine Field Road; however, it does not address the broader implications on surrounding roads that are already in disrepair and cannot accommodate increased traffic flow. The proposed car parking, pick-up, and drop-off spaces additionally seem insufficient given the anticipated population explosion. With a rural density population in Catherine Field and the school proposed to cater to an Islamic population, the majority of students attending the school will reside outside of the immediate local area placing additional strain on Springfield and Deepfields Roads that already aren't coping with existing traffic changes in recent years.

2. **Noise Disruption**: As a resident, I am particularly concerned about the potential for increased noise levels that go alongside a typical school in addition to calls to prayer associated with islamic practices. Such activities, while meaningful to the school's community, could significantly disrupt the wider residential community and tranquility of our rueal setting. There has been insufficient clarification on how the school plans to mitigate noise and respect the residential nature of our area.

3. **Impact on Community Character**: Our community has a unique rural character that could be irreversibly altered by the development of a large school campus. The construction of multi-functional facilities, including separate halls and a canteen, will inevitably change the landscape and atmosphere of our neighborhood, raising questions about our identity as a rural community.

4. **Environmental Concerns**: Any planned demolition of existing dwellings and tree removals raise environmental concerns that necessitate further scrutiny. The bulk earthworks will not only disrupt the local ecosystem but could also pose long-term impacts on local wildlife, plant life, and water drainage systems.

5. **Zoning**: Much of Catherine Field is currently designated as a rural zone, with no indication that this will change in the immediate future. As a result, most families enrolling their children in the proposed school will likely not be able to reside locally. This circumstance undermines the intent of fostering a strong community connection and supports our primary concern that an influx of non-residents during school terms will significantly exacerbate existing infrastructure issues as well as creating traffic issues.

Many residents, including myself, feel that our concerns have not been fully considered or addressed in initial submissions. Given these points, I urge the council to reconsider this proposal in light of the potential negative impacts on our community. I'm confident a thorough review of the infrastructure capabilities, community feedback, and environmental implications would clearly demonstrate insufficient mitigation and as a result I strongly encourage council not to proceed with approval.

I objected to the previous submission of Minarah College and I object this submission as well for the following reasons.
The Catherine Field Community wants our suburb to remain rural. Residents have made signs objecting to the college. My understanding is that even Camden Council objected to the first submission. Residents of Catherine Field made the choice to live here for the wide open spaces, peace and tranquillity, environment (trees and wildlife), low population and minimal traffic. A school will negatively impact our suburb by clearing trees and displacing wildlife such as kangaroos, birds and lizards. We have already experienced the devastation of these animals with the development of Oran Park, Gregory Hills and other new subdivisions. A school will significantly increase traffic (school buses, mini buses, private vehicles) as students arrive and depart school as well as traffic from teachers, administration staff, maintenance staff, etc. Catherine Field Road is the only way residents can enter and exit our suburb and the extra traffic and school zone will congest the roads and increase the time to move in, out or around our suburb. This congestion will also impact side streets making it difficult to enter or exit Catherine Field Road. Even with car parks and dedicated school bus and drop off zones, people always decide to park on the street which will make it dangerous for residents to get into or out of their own driveway. With the increase in traffic comes noise, pollution and an increase in accidents. When we purchased our homes there was no mention of any schools being built and had I known a school may be built, I would have chosen to live in a different area. Schools should be incorporated into new suburbs where they can be designed to fit in. People looking to purchase in the new suburb can make a decision as to how living near a school will impact their lifestyle. A school in Catherine Field is simply an afterthought to an established area. It will be an eyesore and does not suit our leafy suburb.
The school will destroy our quiet suburb when students are outdoors, during sports time as well as sirens the school will use to notify students of class times. The school may also chose to lease it’s facilities to sporting clubs and other associations on weekends or after school hours which means the traffic and noise never really stop. A school will also reduce the value of nearby properties as most buyers do not like to leave close to a school. A school offers no benefits or advantages to our suburb. Please listen to the community that live here, that have mortgages and have paid our rates for many years. Do not change our area for the worse. Please keep our town rural!

The new school would be a positive addition to Catherine Field and the broader Western Sydney community as The population in the school’s catchment area is forecast to grow rapidly and the proposed new schools are
urgently needed to meet the demand.
The Muslim population in the area is forecast to grow rapidly and there is a shortage of places to cater for the increasing demand. This school will also ease pressure on the NSW Government resources to build more educational establishments.
The management has made extra effort to address all the concerns raised earlier and deserves the full support to move ahead with the project.

The population in Catherine Fields is forecast grow rapidly as development takes place around the surrounding suburbs. The school will be a positive addition the suburb and broader Western Sydney community. Minarah College has been providing quality education over the years and has been one of the best performing schools in the region. The addition of Special Education and Early childhood learning centre will be a convenient place for parents and the community as this is lacking in the area.

I support the project because most of the schools in our area are full and our community and others are moving in cameden and catherine field area.We need a school of muslim faith to cater for our community in this area.

It’s good for the new generation future

More schools are needed. This will create more employment opportunities and diversity in the area.

We need additional schools in a growing area and the new Minarah College campus will support the growing demand for schools.

Please refer to the attachments.