New Eileen O'Connor School

This project is a very worthwhile project, but I would like to suggest that the multistorey part of the building be moved to another part of the structure, so it is not overlooking, and overshadowing, homes that are on the adjacent fence line in Brickendon Ave. There appears to be several other parts of this building that the multistorey section could be accommodated more suitably, which would not impact the already established homes in this area.

I support the proposed school but I do NOT support the entry/exit on Keefers Glen. Keefers Glen is already full of cars at school morning/afternoon drop offs and pick ups. The streets in this area are way too small to accommodate more traffic from the new school. The entry/exit for the school should be on Gavenlock.

While I support the building of the school I do NOT support the proposed entry/exit on Keefers Glen.
Keefers Glen is already full of cars at school morning/afternoon drop offs and pick ups that flow into Deloraine Glen and surrounding streets.
The streets in this area are way to small to accommodate more traffic from the school.
The entry/exit for the school should be at the Gavenlock entrance

It is much needed but the main entrance should NOT be situated on Keefers Glen and rafter relocated to another spot on Gavenlock Road. The current plans will cause heavy congestion, which could potentially bottle neck onto the smaller streets in Woodbury park, leading to major traffic disruption. It will also lead to the devaluation of houses on the street, as people do not want to buy a house on a busy street.

Gavenlock driveway Safer entry for those in the support unit, rather than being on what will become a busy, gridlocked residential road. Perfect opportunity to fix traffic issues on Gavenlock school drop off, by creating an additional driveway for parents

We are from a neighbouring property and for the following reasons we do not support the development of the new school as currently proposed.
-Heavy congestion which will bottle neck throughout the smaller streets and onto two ends of Woodbury park drive
- devaluing house property as people will not want to buy on a busy street or neighbourhood
- Removal of resident & visitor parking on Keefers Glen (there is zero benefit to residents on this street)
- Promoting a dangerous through-street on what is supposed to be a safe area for children
- Sending all storm water to keefers Glen, which is already overrun during heavy rain
- No need to impact residents at all, safe alternate road can be built from Gavenlock Rd entrance
- Proposal talks about how the school will ‘look good’ to the support class kids. They don’t care about curb - appeal, they just want to be included & walk through the same front door as every other child (on Gavenlock)
- Perfect opportunity to fix traffic issues on Gavenlock school drop off, by creating an additional driveway for parents
- Gavenlock driveway Safer entry for those in the support unit, rather than being on what will become a busy, gridlocked residential road
- Safety & privacy being taken away from Mardi community by a huge developer driven project. There is no ‘community’ project here.
- Mardi residents shouldering multiple losses while big developer offers no compensation or empathy
- It is not hard for them to change design for entrance via Gavenlock, Infact it is something that has already been considered, but developer is pushing for what they think ‘looks good’, instead of thinking about the impacts of an entire community

- 100% of students will require assisted travel or private vehicle from kindergarten through to year 12.
It makes more sense to facilitate this from the Gavenlock Rd end, causing zero trouble to the neighbouring community

-While the developer is concerned about the roadside appeal, those home owners surrounding the area are more concerned about our loss of property value, loss of privacy, safety concern, traffic concern, access concerns & the further increase of people speeding through the area as a short cut.

We can still support the school being built itself, it is just clearly nonsensical to Interrupt a community for an extended period of time, and devalue properties or a suburb, because the developer thinks it will look prettier to have a main entrance in the back streets instead of via the actual main gate.

This doesn’t just affect those on Keefers Glen. It affects the suburb as a whole.

I am a local resident and I support the construction and operation of a new special education school catering for 200 students in Years K-12. I believe there needs to be amendments before the project is approved. These include:
* Removing access to and from the site from the small local back streets - Keefers Glen, Brickendon Avenue, Wagners Place and Deloraine Glen. These roads are too small and congested by residential traffic and would not cope safely with the additional traffic generated by the school. Woodbury Park Drive is already very busy and there are often near misses where Brickendon Avenue and Wagners Place meet it.
* The new school should be accessed from a new or extended driveway from Gavenlock Road through the St Peters site.
* Gavenlock Road should be upgraded with additional turning lanes and possibly a roundabout outside the St Peters entry to handle the additional traffic generated by the school.
* The new school is proposing to have 71 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff, but the site will only have parking for 60 cars plus 5 kiss and ride/visitor parking. Additional parking spaces are needed for staff/visitors so they do not park on the already clogged streets surrounding the school.
* St Peters should also include additional parking for senior students so they also don't park on surrounding streets.
Thank you for your consideration.

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing in response to the proposed development of the New Eileen O'Connor School (heavily affecting Mardi residents). As a parent of a child who has attended multiple support classes (and still does), I wholeheartedly support the need for this kind of educational facility. I know firsthand how valuable these schools are to the families they serve. However, I am strongly opposed to the proposal to use Keefer’s Glen—a small, quiet residential street—as the school’s main entrance and exit.

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🔹 Keefer’s Glen Is Entirely Unsuitable as a School Entry

Keefer’s Glen is a short, tightly-curved street not designed for heavy through traffic, let alone the daily flow of vehicles a large K–12 support school will generate. The proposal would:
    •    Strip all on-street parking currently used by residents and their visitors (as shown in Figures 36–38 of the development plan).
    •    Introduce heavy, daily traffic to a suburban street where young children currently play and ride bikes.
    •    Turn a peaceful, family-oriented street into a noisy, high-risk drop-off zone.
    •    Increase safety concerns for residents, particularly those with small children or family members with disabilities. My self and my neighbour have houses filled with children with disabilities, RIGHT opposite THE entrance site, and proposed truck delivery site on Keefers Glen. This will heavily impact our children's mental welfare and quiet safe-place. No considerate consultation has been done with neighbours to understand the impact on individuals. The irony is, the two families who will be most impacted by this entrance site are the ones with disabled children directly across from the main access point.

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🔹 There Is Zero Benefit to Keefer’s Glen Residents

It must be made very clear: the residents of Keefer’s Glen gain nothing from this proposal. There is no parking offered for residents or our visitors in return, no upgrades to infrastructure, and no consideration for the disruption we will experience.

Instead:
    •    Our homes lose value.
    •    Our daily lives are impacted by congestion and noise.
    •    Our safety is compromised.
    •    Our privacy is removed.
    •    Our infrastructure (stormwater, footpaths, traffic flow) is stressed beyond its limits.


This is not a collaborative community project. It is a developer-driven plan that disregards the residents of Keefer’s Glen entirely.

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🔹 Major Traffic Congestion Will Affect All of Mardi

This is not an isolated issue. The impact of this entrance will ripple across Mardi:
    •    Significant congestion during peak times on Keefers Glen, Brickedon Avenue, Deloraine Drive, Woodbury Park Drive, Wagner Place, and Hawthorne Place.
    •    Parents avoiding the official entrance will instead drop off in surrounding streets, worsening traffic and reducing road safety.
    •    Bottlenecks and delays will become routine, impacting hundreds of homes and commuters daily.

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🔹 Gavenlock Road Is the Safer, Smarter Alternative

A dedicated entrance from Gavenlock Road solves nearly every issue:
    •    No residential street is disturbed.
    •    Access is safer for the many students who rely on assisted or private transport.
    •    Resident parking and property access remain untouched.
    •    Traffic flows more efficiently along a road that is designed to handle it.

Additionally, the belief that students in support classes need a main road entrance for inclusion is misguided. My own child has attended multiple support units, none of which required this to foster belonging. These students value consistency, calm, and support—not curb appeal. They don't want to be seen as different, they want to be included.

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🔹 Infrastructure & Environmental Oversights

It is unacceptable that:
    •    All stormwater from the new school is to be directed to Keefer’s Glen without any infrastructure upgrade.
    •    Construction is planned six days per week, with no mitigation offered for noise, parking, or disruption.
    •    The plan offers no improvements, considerations, or benefits to current residents—only imposition and disadvantage.

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🔹 Property Value Loss Across the Area

Turning Keefer’s Glen into a main school entrance will devalue dozens of homes. Buyers will walk away from properties on congested streets, where noise is constant and parking is non-existent.

It’s unreasonable for Mardi homeowners to shoulder this loss while a large developer proceeds without offering compensation, compromise, or direct (actually empathetic) consultation.

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🔹 Emergency Access—Not Everyday Access

I understand the need for emergency planning and would support Keefer’s Glen being used as an emergency evacuation gate only. That is a reasonable and measured use of the space.

But making it the main access for daily use is not justified in any way—not practically, not safely, and not ethically.

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🔹 Conclusion

I support the school building a support unit. I do not support sacrificing an entire residential community for its convenience—especially when a more suitable alternative exists. Placing the main entrance on Gavenlock Road would:
    •    Eliminate congestion and safety issues for Mardi.
    •    Preserve the value and function of Keefer’s Glen homes.
    •    Ensure student access remains safe, supported, and practical.

This is a significant development with lasting impacts. Mardi residents—particularly those directly affected—deserve to be considered with respect, not disregarded in the name of expedience.

Sincerely,
L Smith
[Lot 2005 882874]
Mardi Resident

I support the idea of the school, however, the access to the school can not be primarily through the Woodbury Park Estate (Keefers Glen, Brickendon Ave). Access via Gavenlock Road would be much more suitable.

Having lived on Richmond Mews for nearly two years, I strongly oppose the proposal to make Keefers Glen the main access point for a school of this scale. Keefers Glen is already a problematic and dangerous street — it has an unusual shape with two tight bends, and it is not wide enough for two cars to safely pass each other. The street currently endures significant congestion from traffic associated with the existing school nearby, resulting in daily difficulties for residents. This includes navigating around stopped cars, pedestrians, and increased noise levels during school arrival and departure times. Introducing a second school access here would intensify these issues to an unsafe level. The street’s limited width and visibility, especially at the intersection with Brickendon Avenue, makes it extremely hazardous. Visibility of oncoming traffic from the left when turning is already poor, and increased traffic would only worsen this risk.
Furthermore, the current plans appear to under-allocate car parking spaces. This will likely lead to overflow parking on already narrow streets, creating further safety hazards and significant inconvenience for residents.
I respectfully urge the planning team to consider routing access through the existing school infrastructure or identifying an alternative access route that does not place an undue burden on Keefers Glen and surrounding residential streets.

I want to oppose the construction of the new disability school in the middle of our residential suburb because it will significantly disrupt the quiet and safety of our local community. The increased traffic from staff, students, and parents, especially during peak hours, will lead to congestion, noise, and a greater risk for accidents on roads that were not designed for such heavy use. While I fully support inclusive education and the need for disability services, I believe this development would be better suited to a location with infrastructure that can safely handle the volume of vehicles without negatively impacting residents' daily lives.

I STRONGLY OBJECT to this project. The school itself is fine, but the proposed access point is not.
Keefers Glen is a tiny residential street. This would be a nightmare for the residents in this and surrounding streets, plus the main thoroughfare Woodbury Park Drive. The school's address is 84 Gavenlock Road. Surely that would have to also be the entry/exit point? Where else is there a school that you have to enter via small residential streets? Yes, schools are built in residential areas, but you don't need to travel into a nearby area, go in and out of various small streets to access to the back gate. Schools have their entry/exit on the main frontage of the school and usually provide at least a small amount of parking. These streets are too narrow and can't accommodate anything but residents of the homes in the area.
This project will de-value properties in that area particularly, but the whole of Woodbury Park Estate as well. Parents of the children at the school will be entering from both ends of Woodbury Park Drive, making even more traffic. A school bus getting into Keefers Glen? I don't think so.
Trucks and tradies? No. They either won't fit or will be parking all over residents properties for months until the building is complete.
The only sensible option is for a private access road on Gavenlock Road, such at St Peters College, to be built on the surrounding land (of which there is ample).
I have really never seen a more ridiculous proposal for entry and exit to a school. Just because it is handy and close to the school, does not make it right or logical. It would likely take parents dropping their children off actually longer having to travel so far from the easiest access point to enter via the back way.
Please use discernment, and quite frankly common sense, when making decisions on the matter.

I fully support the development of a school dedicated to serving students with special disabilities. It is crucial that we provide better educational opportunities for these students, and I am wholeheartedly in favor of such an initiative. However, my concern lies with the proposed entry and exit point for the school along Keefers Glen Mardi.
The primary issue I want to emphasize is that the current plan to redirect school traffic through Keefers Glen Mardi is not only impractical but could significantly disrupt the quality of life for the residents in this area, including myself. I believe that the school should retain its entry through Gavenlock Road, as it currently serves all other students, and I propose that a separate driveway or alternative route be created specifically for the new school. This solution would address the school's unique needs without causing unnecessary inconvenience to the surrounding neighborhood.
There are several key reasons why the proposed entry via Keefers Glen Mardi would be detrimental:
1. Increased Traffic Congestion:
We have already observed how the traffic during pick-up and drop-off times has a severe impact on the local area. The roads, particularly in the vicinity of Keefers Glen Mardi, are not equipped to handle the volume of traffic associated with a school of this scale. Many residents, including myself, have had to wait in long lines just to enter our own driveways. The increased congestion would make it more difficult for residents to navigate their own streets and access their homes, which is an untenable situation for those who live here.
2. Safety Concerns:
With the added traffic, there are real concerns about safety—especially for pedestrians, cyclists, and young children who live in the area. The street was never designed with school traffic in mind, and attempting to adapt it to serve as a main entry point for the school could create hazards for residents and visitors alike.
3. Practicality and Road Design:
While the proposal includes road widening, this does not address the fundamental issue that Keefers Glen Mardi was not designed to serve as an entry point for a large-scale school. Even with widening, it would still remain an unsuitable route, and simply adding more lanes will not solve the broader issue of accessibility for residents. The back roads surrounding the school were not built for this kind of traffic, and any attempt to accommodate it will likely lead to more disruptions, not fewer.
4. Impact on Surrounding Streets:
The ripple effect of increased traffic along Keefers Glen Mardi will undoubtedly extend to the surrounding streets, including those that lead directly to the school. Residents on those streets will also face greater difficulty in accessing their homes, and the added traffic flow could reduce the overall quality of life for everyone in the neighborhood. The street system is simply not designed to handle the proposed traffic volume.
5. The Need for a Separate, Dedicated School Entrance:
The solution seems simple: create a dedicated entry and exit point for the school through Gavenlock Road, which would keep the flow of traffic separate from the surrounding residential areas. This would alleviate concerns about congestion, safety, and access while ensuring that the school has a proper infrastructure to handle the needs of its students and their families.
In conclusion, while I fully support the mission of the new school and its benefits for students with special disabilities, the proposed entry through Keefers Glen Mardi is a major flaw in the plan. The current infrastructure cannot accommodate such a large volume of school traffic without causing significant disruption to the local community. I urge the decision-makers to reconsider the proposed entry point and explore the possibility of an alternative route via Gavenlock Road, which would serve both the school’s needs and the well-being of the surrounding neighborhood.
Thank you for considering this critical concern.

It is unjustifiable for the school to overload small suburban streets with substantial traffic when these roads are intended exclusively for residential purposes. The entry and exit roads through Woodbury Park Estate frequently experience congestion, and this development would exacerbate the issue. I plan to argue that the school should utilize its own land to construct an internal road, ensuring suitable access via Gavenlock Road Mardi.

The current plan to use residential streets for access to the project will create significant problems for the local community around Keefers Glen. The streets are too narrow to safely manage the high volume of traffic the project will generate, which will heavily impact residents near the construction site. The residential streets behind the school are particularly unsuitable for this purpose.
A far better solution is to designate Gavenlock Road as the sole entry and exit point. This road is already an industrial and business access route, as demonstrated by its use for the Catholic college. Using Gavenlock Road would be a safer and more appropriate choice that avoids disrupting residential neighbourhoods.

My objection is based on the access via Keiffers Glen and surrounding streets including Brickendon Avenue and neighbouring streets. The roads are not designed for high traffic volume. The impact on local residents are to this point (prior to the school deciding to close access off Keiffers Glen a few weeks ago) was significant.
There have been many near misses with local residents with residents forced to erect their own signs to request drivers to slow down, not double park and be aware of.children in the area. Even on weekends now, it can take one truck parked to entirely shut down access through Keiffers Glen.
This included traffic flow, double and triple parking during drop off and pick up times, residents needing to install temporary fencing on their properties to stop cars parking and turning on their lawns and the speeds of cars on surrounding streets including Brickendon Avenue.
The impact has also seen residents unable to carry on their daily business due to roads and driveways being blocked. The disruption this development will cause is significant especially with the additional students in an area that cannot handle the current numbers.
If access via Keiffers Glen is required this should be for pedestrian traffic only.
The other concern is the development of the multi purpose hall and the use it would receive outside of school hours for local clubs and groups. This means constant high traffic volumes and noise during evenings with many residents needing to leave for their daily commutes prior to 5am. This will impact their ability to sleep and quality of life.
While I support the growing needs of the school, there has to be balance and collaboration with neighbours. The plan to increase flows via Keiffers Glen then there needs to be a balance with local residents. This proposal is way out of whack and needs to be redesigned.

Hello,
I live within Mardi NSW and close to where this school will be placed. I can understand and appreciate the need of an education facility like this, and I am in support of it. However, I do not believe that access to this school let alone the current school should be allowed through Mardi / Woodbury Park Drive. Mardi is a relatively densely populated suburb, with existing traffic issues. Many people have brought in this area due to the relatively quite nature (minus the traffic). The streets are narrow and to be honest, 50/KH limits in the streets in Mardi is borderline too fast. Constant speeding cars from people using it as a cut through off the freeway and the industrial area have made traffic issues somewhat dangerous at peak AM and PM times (school times).

In appendix R, it appears that traffic impacts have not been fully assessed. The local council has objected to the use of Mardi for access and I support their objections. Access should be via existing Gavenlock road entry. Gavenlock Road is a wide road in an industrial area with the other supporting infrastructure in place to support the traffic of the existing school. Perhaps St. Peters can give up some of their unused land on their northern side to create a separate driveway / entry and exit for the special needs school - that seems like the most practical, compassionate and understanding way forward and I am amazed it was not on the plans.

Mardi cannot handle the construction vehicles, crews or ongoing additional traffic from the new school and it is sub optimal to assume that 'upgrading the surrounding roads and intersection's' is enough for the small area of Mardi. People will be very negatively impacted by this current proposal - please re consider using Gavenlock Road as the council suggested - the overall need for this special needs school is immeasurable, and the areas at St. Peters is perfect, but please, do it right.

In order to do this widening of keefners glen should be considered as this rd is quite hard to navigate when busy and will only get harder with a new school.