New Eileen O'Connor School

Submission Regarding DA – Eileen O’Connor Catholic School – Access via Keefers Glen

I support the provision of specialist education for children with disabilities and recognise the value such a facility brings to the community. However, I strongly oppose the proposed access arrangements via Keefers Glen due to safety, traffic, and amenity impacts.

Safety Concerns
Keefers Glen, Deloraine Glen, Brickendon Avenue, and Wagners are narrow residential streets, not designed for heavy traffic volumes.
Predicted volumes of up to 1,100 vehicle movements per day in this area are excessive and will create significant risk for local children and pedestrians.
Many children already play and walk in these streets; additional vehicle movements, especially during peak school drop-off and pick-up, will heighten the risk of accidents.

Traffic Congestion & Access Issues
The proposed drop-off/pick-up facilities and construction of new vehicle entry and exit points on Keefers Glen will funnel large volumes of traffic into small residential streets.
Traffic will inevitably bank up onto Woodbury Park Drive during peak times, causing congestion for residents and through traffic.
The surrounding street network cannot safely or efficiently accommodate the predicted traffic increase.

Amenity and Property Value Impacts
Constant traffic and congestion will severely disrupt the peaceful residential character of the area.
Increased noise, exhaust fumes, and loss of on-street parking will negatively affect residents’ enjoyment of their homes and potentially reduce property values.

Alternative Access Solution
The current St Peters Catholic School site already has a dedicated entrance from Gavenlock Road, a wider and more suitable thoroughfare.
Extending this existing access to service the new school would significantly reduce safety risks and traffic impacts in Keefers Glen and surrounding streets.
If the school cannot be accessed via Gavenlock Road, alternative locations for the new facility should be considered.

While I support the educational objectives of the Eileen O’Connor Catholic School, I urge the Department to reject the proposed Keefers Glen access arrangement. The access should be via Gavenlock Road or another suitable alternative to protect the safety, amenity, and wellbeing of local residents and children.

I support the development of a special need school.
I do not support the proposal for traffic management for the school. This includes entry and exit, parking implications and the adverse impact it will have on the already poorly supported roads in the residential area which is proposed for access to the school.
The local residents and roads around Keefers Glenn, Cobbs Village and surrounding roads will be extensively and adversely impacted by the build if allowed access from these areas and not via Gavelock Road. The Cobbs Villages streets are small and narrow and already cause concern for residents due to the numbers of care parked on the road, the narrow roads and the number of children in the area who9 play and walk alongside these roads.
Entry and exit for the school and building MUST be via Gavelock Road only.

BUILDING: the number of trucks and workers required for the site will be extensive. Should trucks etc be required to access the site via the Cobbs Village streets there is significant risk of damage to cars, increased traffic of big vehicles and damage to surrounds.

Access to Brickendon road from the school will increase traffic from buses, parents, teachers and workers in an area that is already poorly supported. The roads around Brickendon and Keefers are small and narrow - often only 1 car at a time can pass. There are a number of dog legs in the road that will further exacerbate high risk traffic.

This is not acceptable given the access that can be made via Gavelock road which is already equipped and familiar to the volumes of traffic that will be required both for the building of the school and the ongoing school traffic.

I am happy about the school being build but do not believe there has been sufficient consideration of the impact on the small local roads and that Gavelock Road entry and exit is a more viable and sustainable option.

I object to the proposal to the access through Keefers Glen and surrounding streets for the construction and student access of the new school (Eileen O'connor school). The streets are small and cannot accommodate heavy flow of traffic thus having a negative impact on our local area.
While we support the build of new school, we strongly suggest all access points should be through Gavenlock Road.

I live adjacent to Keefers Glen and have concerns regarding the new school.

1It seems the address on the proposal is misleading. It is listed as Gavenlock Rd, but the plans show access ONLY via Keefers Glen.
Keefers Glen is a very small street backing onto the existing school, the local streets (Keefers, Brickendon, Wagners and Deloraine) simply do NOT have the capacity to accommodate both the construction and operation of a school. Assuming busses would be taking students to school, these streets also do not have the capacity to accommodate vehicles of this size regularly.

The school carpark in the plan does not have the capacity to support the expected amount of staff, so where will they all park?

I object to the entrance being via Keefers Glen, access to this new school should be via the existing entrance via Gavenlock rd

I fully support the development of the New Eileen O'Connor School, however I have serious and urgent concerns regarding the proposed main access point via Keefers Glen and its surrounding streets (Brickendon, Wagner, Hawthorne, and Richmond).

These are tiny suburban streets that are already in poor condition, plagued by potholes and, critically, lack footpaths. This raises immediate and profound safety concerns, particularly for children walking to and from school, given the anticipated surge in traffic.

The current infrastructure simply cannot cope. These roads already require significant repair, and the estimated quadrupling of traffic once the school opens will undoubtedly lead to their rapid deterioration. Furthermore, the heavy construction vehicles required for the school's development will inflict substantial damage, weakening and destroying these roads even before the school welcomes its first students.

For the safety of our community, especially our young children, and to protect the existing infrastructure, I urge you to rethink the main access point. I strongly advocate for the utilization of Gavenlock Road as the primary access point, which is far better equipped to handle the increased traffic volume.

Hi

We are owner/occupiers in Mardi. We live in a neighbouring street that would be affected by the proposed entrance to this new school. We do not oppose the actual school itself being built, in fact we think it's a great idea. However we oppose the proposed entrance and exit as it should be via Gavenlock Road as per the listed address on the application.

The proposed laneway of Keefers Glen is inappropriate, we note that council has already rejected it for the following reasons.
* The school will generate too much traffic for the size of the laneway.
* Residents will be severely affected by the extra traffic and parking generated by the overflow of staff. They have noted 61 parking spots for 71 teachers and other any auxiliary staff they require.
* Keefers Glen was not constructed to facilitate the higher levels of traffic. It is a small laneway.
* The western boundary of the site is fully fenced, to prevent parents and students accessing the existing school in Keefers Glen. The school's own governing body, CSBB recently undertook a safety audit and deemed Keefers Glen unsafe for student use and daily student dropoff/pickup. As of term 3 the boundary gate has been locked for the safety of students. An email was sent to parents of the school regarding this change.
* The existing intersections at either end of Keefers Glen will not support the sweeping path of turning buses
* We believe all access to the new school should be provided by the current address on Gavenlock Road. Renovations can be provided to upgrade this entrance, as there is plenty of room on the current grounds.

We note that out of school usage of the Multi Purpose Centre (after school and on weekends) will impact our small community with increased traffic and noise at all times.
Our small community is made up of elderly residents and young families that will be severely disrupted and made unsafe by the addition of extra traffic in laneways that are not designed for this purpose.

We support the special needs school but not the entrance /exit.

Thank you
John & Melissa Weatherall

I am writing to formally object to the proposed design of the New Eileen O’Connor Catholic School, which indicates that the main vehicle access will be via Keefers Glen.

While I strongly support the establishment of a purpose-built, inclusive educational facility, I have serious concerns about the safety, traffic management, and overall suitability of using a narrow residential back street as the primary entry point.

Key concerns include:

Traffic Congestion & Safety Risks:

A school of this size (up to 200 students) will generate significant vehicle movements during peak times.

The narrow width and residential nature of Keefers Glen is incompatible with high-volume traffic, creating hazards for students, parents, and residents.

Emergency Access Issues:

Back streets may restrict access for emergency vehicles, particularly during school drop-off and pick-up periods.

Impact on Local Residents:

Increased traffic noise, pollution, and reduced parking availability will negatively impact the quality of life for those living in the area.

Accessibility for All Road Users:

The school’s mission includes serving students with disabilities. The proposed access route may not adequately support vehicles requiring more space for ramps, lifts, and specialised transport.

I urge the project planners to reconsider the proposed access arrangements and instead provide a safe, direct, and appropriately designed entry from Gavenloack rd with a purpose-built access route that reflects the scale and needs of this important community facility.

I request that my objection be recorded and considered in the assessment process. Please keep me informed of any opportunities for public consultation or updates to the traffic management plan.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Yours sincerely,
Brandon Holton

While I fully support the school being built I do not support the entry and exit of the school in Keefers Glen Road. This laneway is unsuitable for other than residents access and residents parking which is already inadequate for the owners/renters. The plan admits they don't have enough on site parking for staff & visitors. The entry and exit will cause major traffic congestion accessing the little streets of Keefers Glen, Deloraine, Brickendon, Wagners these cannot support this huge traffic and special needs buses. . The traffic will bank up onto Woodbury Park Drive.
Council has said the entrance/exit should be via Gavenlock which already exists and which would not affect any residents. The school has the capacity to build the entrance on their land and should do so.
If the school is built, the entry and exit must be via 84 Gavenlock Rd, Mardi (which is the address listed on the the proposal but when you read it the school is planned to be built facing Keefers Glen).
The developer could easily create a new & needed entrance driveway off Gavenlock Road.
The special needs children should be accessing the same entry as the other children it smacks of discrimination to create a different entry/exit. There are also concerns regarding the use of the multipurpose hall on after hours & on weekends.
On this site there is a fairly large dam, which is just proposed to fill in, our garden always is flooded whenever it rains now, if it is filled in where will all the water go?

I am writing to express my strong support for the proposed development of the new Eileen O’Connor Catholic School in Mardi, a specialised educational facility dedicated to supporting children with additional needs.

As a local Mardi resident, I believe this school would be a truly valuable addition to our community. The Central Coast currently has limited options for families seeking specialised educational environments for their children with special needs. The establishment of this school would provide families with a much-needed alternative, one that is inclusive, tailored, and compassionate in its approach to learning and development.

The benefits of this development extend beyond education. The school would bring increased employment opportunities to our local area—ranging from teaching and support staff to administration and maintenance roles—stimulating the local economy and strengthening our community.

Furthermore, having such a purpose-built school in our suburb sends a strong message about our values: that we are a community that embraces diversity, supports every child’s right to a quality education, and invests in inclusive infrastructure.

It would be an honour to have the Eileen O’Connor Catholic School built in Mardi. I wholeheartedly support this development proposal and encourage Council to approve and facilitate the progression of this much-needed educational facility.

Yours sincerely,
Sarah Benham

I’m writing to express my strong support for the proposed development of the Eileen O’Connor Catholic School in Mardi—a much-needed specialist school for children with additional needs.

At present, families across the Central Coast have very few options when it comes to finding appropriate education for children requiring extra support. This school would provide a dedicated, supportive environment where students with special needs can truly thrive. It would offer families more choice and greater peace of mind, knowing their children can learn and grow in a setting that understands and meets their needs.

This development would also bring meaningful benefits to our local area—most notably, the creation of new jobs across teaching, support, and administration. It would help strengthen Mardi both socially and economically, while also promoting inclusion and community spirit.

Having a school like this in our suburb would be a privilege. I believe it would make a lasting, positive impact on many lives, and I fully support the proposal.

Sincerely,
Karen Benham

The main address listed on the proposal is Gavenlock Drive; however, the actual school diagrams show the entry and exit gates on Keefers Glen. This is a residential school with little extra capacity for the demands of school traffic. The school entry would be better suited to Gavenlock Drive near the current entry for St Peters.

I strongly support the proposal to build the Eileen O’Connor school in Tuggerah. As a special education teacher myself, I recognise the enormous value that a dedicated school for children with special needs in our local area offers. This initiative represents a significant and much-needed step forward in ensuring every child has access to a safe, inclusive, and empowering learning environment close to home.

Currently, many families in our community are required to travel to Sydney or Newcastle to access specialised educational facilities, placing strain on children and parents alike. The Eileen O’Connor school would not only remove this barrier but also allow students to remain connected to their community, friends, and familiar support networks.

The benefits of this project extend beyond the classroom. It will:

Provide tailored programs and resources to meet a wide range of learning and developmental needs.

Offer professional development and employment opportunities for specialist teachers and support staff.

Serve as a hub for community engagement, creating partnerships with local health and therapy providers.

Strengthen the values of inclusion, equity, and diversity in our region.

As a community, we have an opportunity to invest in a facility that will change lives—not just for students, but for families and the wider public. This school will embody our collective commitment to ensuring every child has the chance to thrive and reach their full potential.

I urge the council to approve and actively support the development of this important project.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Heidi Moon

Our community can benefit from a school like this. There is high demand for a special need school

I object to the entry and parking to the school location. The suburban streets of Mardi and in particularly, the very street the project is planned to have access from is not wide and the connecting back streets are small suburban streets. They are not designed to accommodate the heavier traffic conditions that are sure to come from the entry gates being located within the estate. There are perfectly reasonable alternatives to this proposal.

As a dad of a child with significant disabilities, I know the frustration of having so few schooling options available. When our son reached Years 10-12, the lack of suitable local opportunities meant I had to step in and home school him. While I did my best to support his learning, this arrangement came at a cost, particularly to his social skills. Without daily interaction with peers and the structure of a supportive school environment, he missed out on vital opportunities to connect, build friendships, and feel part of a community.

From my perspective, both as a parent and someone who understands the needs of learner diverse students, the proposed Eileen O’Connor School at Tuggerah is exactly what the Central Coast needs. With a growing population, the demand for inclusive, specialised education is only increasing.

This school, catering for learner diverse students, would be more than just a place to learn it would be a place where young people can develop socially, emotionally, and academically. It would provide them with purpose, a sense of belonging, and the chance to discover their strengths in an environment built for their success.

I wish something like this had existed when our family was making decisions for our son’s education. It would have given him the chance not only to learn, but to grow alongside peers who understood and accepted him. This development will finally give families like mine a real choice, close to home.

As a resident of Mardi for the last 21yrs I have seen the traffic build up here. The roads surrounding and including Keefers Lane will not support the traffic that will be generated by a new school entry\exit.
1. These streets are not much more than laneways, access roads for the residents.
2. The entry points from that part of the subdivision at Brickendon Avenue and Wagners Place onto Woodbury Park Drive are already dangerous intersections.
3. Our roads already suffer from the local buses on Woodbury Park Drive (sinking under the constant weight of the buses), not to mention the road humps (7 of) creating holes in the road surface with the constant breaking to negotiate them.
4. Our roundabout at the Wyong Road junction is already a nightmare to negotiate, especially during peak hour traffic, with it's 70kph speed limit exiting the M1 interchange. Traffic movement is slow due to the caution required building up a volume of cars. It was the reason my elderly mother was encouraged to surrender her licence.
5. During any detours of the M1 traffic we have to line up with the passing through traffic just to get to our homes. Many residents just gave up, parked their cars and walked home, returning to collect their cars later. This extra traffic will inhibit our exiting the estate to collect our own primary aged children from Tuggerah Public School.
6. I don't know of any reason why the school should not use and entry point on Gavenlock Road, Tuggerah. This is and industrial area where the roads wider and are able to withstand the parking required by parents collecting their children and traffic with multiple exit points. Those being Anzac Rd, Mildon Rd, Johnson Rd, McPherson Rd in two directions. A far better option.
7. Lastly, but certainly not the least, our own Central Coast Council does not support this school entry\exit through Woodbury Park residential estate.
This is a peaceful regional suburb, not a city suburb and we, the residents would like it to stay that way.

As an educator with over forty years experience and with the additional perspective of being a grandparent of neurodiverse children, I feel I am both suitably qualified and experienced to lodge this submission in support of the proposed Eileen O’Connor school.
From an educational perspective it is overwhelming and unrealistic for educators to meet the needs of students with such diverse learning needs in a typical classroom. Acknowledging the rights of students with atypical learning needs, I have worked with many teachers who are exceptional educators but get frustrated and burnt-out trying to address the diverse needs of students in contemporary society. It is not because they lack compassion or a desire but they simply do not have the resources required. Consequently, the students are the ones to suffer and their learning gap becomes more significant.
I witness first hand the difficulty my son’s family faces with two boys who are independently diagnosed with significant developmental delay and the other a combination of ASD, ADHD and PDA - a relatively new condition, characterised by extreme emotional deregulation to any perceived demand placed upon them. Noting that typical school environments are a hotbed of demand based rules, this presents significant challenges to assure regular attendance. The family is in a constant state of distress and turmoil and experience the exhaustion of not only managing their home lifestyle but advocating for their children who are often misunderstood at best and traumatised at worst in the school setting.
The development of the Eileen O’Connor school will provide much needed support to both the educational sector and those families seeking a place where their child’s diverse needs are understood and provided for by qualified staff, in a purpose designed and built environment.
I advocate strongly for this development to be approved and look toward a future where the children who need society’s understanding, tolerance and support come before the relatively minor inconvenience of traffic congestion or other matters lodged in opposition.
Paul Nield

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