New Wee Waa High School

As a future student of this new high school, I am so excited to be able to be a part of this process. The support of everyone has been so amazing and the facilities included surely will accomodate everyone, plus an additional 100-150 students to hopefully reach the 300 capacity expectancy. The redevelopment of Wee Waa High School won't just be significant to the school's core, but also beneficial to the community. Community members will be allowed to also experience the facilities that the new Wee Waa High School will have to offer, something that a lot haven't experienced before. Mostly, it will however be a benefit to the student and staff cohort of Wee Waa High School, as it gives the students the opportunity to learn in a new and modern way, within an educational facility that would be more common in city areas. Overall, as a student and community member, I am confident that this project will surely be a big step in the development of a modern school, not just in Wee Waa, but also the introduction of schools like this to other country regions and towns across New South Wales.

We have rear access to our property (Lot 1315 DP 845469 & Lot 2 DP1047545) which we have owned for 20+ years, this rear entrance is used when/as required eg our main entrance is blocked due to Council water pipe problems and for truck entrance when needed. Losing our rear entrance results in a decrease in value of our property as most properties in Wee Waa have rear lane access. If you choose not to have rear lane access available to us, then we suggest you purchase this property (7873sqm) for the sum of $350,000.00, and use it for part of the school project, otherwise our objection to the project stands. Alternatively, enquiries will be made into placing an easement on the school property to retain our rear access.

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am the owner-occupier of 41 George St, Wee Waa. A residential property adjoining the proposed development. I object to the proposed development on account of the significant loss of amenity and reduction in land value that it will cause me. Specifically, the proposed development will have the following impacts on my use and enjoyment of my property.

Irrevocable Loss of Amenity

1. Permanent loss of privacy
Given the bulk and scale of the proposed construction (12.3-metre-high two-storey buildings), and the north-facing aspects, the development will directly overlook a bulk of my property. This will have a significant impact on our privacy.
(Appendix C – Architectural drawings – Drawing CD2103 floorplan and drawing CD 3101 elevations, EIS Section 3.2 – Numerical Overview, Table 3).

2. Visual impacts from the location of a proposed new access road to the development with co-location of industrial services to the development, including:
* The complete loss of all southerly and south-westerly aspects and vistas given the bulk and scale of the project with maximum main building heights of 12.3 metres from a survey height for ‘minimum habitable floor levels to be set no lower than RL 191.5 metres AHD’.
(Appendix C – Architectural drawings – Drawing CD2103 floorplan and drawing CD3101 elevations, EIS Section 3.2 – Numerical Overview, Table 3, EIS Pg 106 mitigation measures, flooding, dot point 5).

* Fire booster pump with associated hydrant tanks.
(Appendix C – Architectural drawings - Drawing CD1102).

* No fewer than 10 car parking spaces opposite residence.
(Appendix C – Architectural drawings - Drawing CD1102).

* An air conditioning condenser compound.
(Appendix C – Architectural drawings - Drawing CD1102).

* A 6.8-metre-high construction, offset 13.5 metres from boundary opposite residence.
(Appendix C – Architectural drawings - Drawing CD1102, EIS Section 3.2 – Numerical Overview, Table 3).

* Pole-mounted LED lights along the access/service road.
(Lighting Strategy Report – Section 2).

* Proposed waste management plan of daily kerbside collection with ‘bin placement adjacent to the school driveway entry’, ‘to occur outside of school hours and not to interfere with bus movements and kiss or drop times’, producing an unsightly permanent display of bins. (Construction and Operational Waste Management Plan – Sections 5 and 6).

* Recommendation of 2.1 metre high, solid sound barrier wall at a minimum length of 60 metres and its potential to restrict airflow and ventilation along the southern boundary of my residence and concern for the possibility of localised shading creating mould and damp issues. (Acoustic Assessment Report Section 6.2).

* Accompanying the proposed recommended sound barrier wall, installation of screen planting along the boundary of ‘Todd’ Chinese Elm trees. This is a large exotic tree with mature height of 10 metres and a canopy width of 11 metres, this has high potential of localised shading and overhang to my residence. The trees are deciduous and will lose their leaves during winter, thereby losing their screening capacity. They also have ‘a vigorous root system with surface roots that may cause future maintenance issues.’
(Appendix F – Landscape Plans; Cultural Landscape Plan, drawing LP03 and https://www.cityservices.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/1502911/Ulmus-parvifolia-Todd.pdf).

3. Noise impacts that will arise from the location of service/access road and industrial services to the development.
* A permanent increase of noise levels resulting from spiked and generally increased numbers of traffic movements arriving and departing from the site.
(EIS section 5.4.5; Traffic Generation and Acoustic Assessment Report – Section 5.6).

* A permanent increase in traffic noise along the access road and car park area that will cater for staff, service and delivery vehicles up to heavy rigid trucks.
(Appendix C – Architectural drawings - Drawing CD1102).

* The significant increase in noise generated along George Street from vehicles, in particular buses, as they exit and accelerate from the drop off/pick up zone.
(Appendix C – Architectural drawings - Drawing CD1102).

* Excessive noise and vibration from construction equipment and heavy vehicles entering and exiting via the only designated entrance point to the site.
(Construction and Operational Management Plan – Section 4).

* Significant noise will be generated by an air-conditioning condenser plant to be installed opposite my residence.
(Appendix C – Architectural drawings - Drawing CD1102).

4. Anticipated financial loss resulting from the development, specifically the potential reduction of property value arising from the proposed development, and within the development, the location, co-location and proximity of many industrial aspects of the proposed development as outlined above.

Additionally, the potential impact of sub-division viability of vacant land of my property because of the negative impact of the bulk and scale of the main school buildings, and of the proposed location of the Environmental Centre. (Appendix C – Architectural drawings - Drawing CD1102, EIS Section 3.2 – Numerical Overview, Table 3) which will house plant and equipment for the maintenance of the school grounds, car parking spaces, service vehicle delivery point, waste collection point, water bore and pump equipment, sewer pump station and LPG storge site. This combination of visual, aural and olfactory deterrents will render subdivision of my property unfeasible.

Unsuitability of Selected site

I support the need for a new Wee Waa High School, but I do not support the site location when taking into account the short, medium and long term (permanent) impacts such a development will have on myself and my family.

I find the reasons given in the proposal to justify the new site unconvincing.

Centrality in a community as small as Wee Waa is meaningless and proximity to the other school seems irrelevant.

The two public education units have existed in the present (primary school), and former (evacuated High School) locations for several decades, strongly suggesting the level of shared resources and collaboration between the two campuses has been and would probably continue to be minimal.

Development of new fields and grounds would replicate facilities that already exist in the community (Dangar Park, Cook Oval, Wee Waa Tennis Courts, Ludowici Park, Rotary Park and the Sports and Community Centre), creating an oversupply of sports and recreation fields at the expense of natural landscape and numerous established and mature native trees.

Co-location and centralisation in a community the size of Wee Waa will not lead to efficiency gains. Rather, it will concentrate traffic and create further congestion in what is already one of the busier precincts of Wee Waa when compared to other potential sites (evacuated high school excluded).

Excluding the evacuated high school and reference to Dangar Park (EIS Section 4 – Consultation; table 6 – options assessment and EIS Section 1.4.1 – Alternative Options; Option 2 – Alternative Sites), other alternative sites are not specified. Thus, no reasons are given for the exclusion of these other sites.

Suitability of Alternative Site

The vacant land adjacent to the Wee Waa Sport and Community Complex, located to the north of the evacuated high school and on the northern side of the Kamilaroi Highway, (which may or may not have been one of these alternative sites), is superior to the site proposed in the current SSD Application.

My reasons are as follows:

 * The site is clear of significant vegetation and structures and is generally undeveloped.

 * The site has a higher elevation than the proposed site. It does not become inundated with water during or after heavy rain, thus removing considerable expense of flood mitigation requirements. (Lyall and Associates Technical working paper: Flooding Figure 4.10)

 *The site is significantly underutilised.

 *The school would maintain a northern aspect.

 *Traffic congestion and increased urban noise are mitigated.

 * Disturbance to community and neighbours is negligible/eliminated.

 *Replication of existing community areas will not be required.

 *A natural habitat (proposed site) is retained.

Proposals for consideration

In summary and in order of preference, I submit the following proposals.

A. Commitment to an alternative site. (The vacant land adjacent to the Wee Waa Sport and Community Complex, located to the north of the evacuated high school and on the northern sided of the Kamilaroi Highway)

B. Land acquisition and (just terms compensation) of my property.
(Section 1.4.1 – Alternative Options; Option 3 – alternative designs, Figure 5).

C. Partial land acquisition and (just terms compensation) of my vacant land west of my residence, and commitment to relocate proposed structure, service and access facilities adjacent to the property boundary (fire pump and tanks, wider spacing of service road from property boundary, car park, cultural centre, air-conditioning condenser unit).

Thank you for considering my submission.
Sincerely,
Edward Williams

please see attached letter of submission

Please find attached Narrabri Shire Council's Submission Report.