Santa Sophia Catholic College (New School)

Please see attached my submission objecting this project.

To whom it may concern,

My husband and I are currently local residents within the vercinity of the Gables, with a school age child currently attending a Catholic Primary School.

Our child is due to start high school in the not to distant future and we were made to believe many years ago that a new Catholic High School would be built on a site purchased way back in 2004 on Terry Road!

Given the fact we live on acreage, this location is far more favourable than our child going to school in a high rise type dwelling and environment in the middle of a highly built up new housing development in The Gables next to a shopping centre. We moved from the suburbs to a rural area so our children could grow up with a sence of space, to have an agricultural experience from living on the land and the overall freedom to run around and play in an open space, something this proposed new site at The Gables would definitely not be able to deliver, not to mention the overall size of the proposed building and the numbers in excess of 1900 students it plans to accomodate is excessive and unrealistic for the size of the site.

The fact our child would potentially have ‘shared’ use of the adjoining sporting fields with local residents and the general public is also a concern in regards to availability and safety, as well as certainly not being in the best interest of the local residents, as I’m sure they too would not find it favourable to have to share the local sporting fields, ovals and parks with hundreds of noisy children potentially on a weekly basis, whereas the site on Terry Road could more than accomodate for its OWN onsite sports fields/ovals and open spaces for the children to play, exercise and compete on.

Traffic and parking is also of great concern. The huge amount of traffic, especially during school peak times like drop off and pick up is going to be a major issue. With only 10 ‘kiss n drop’ spaces provided, no actual ‘onsite’ parking and staff having to park in the adjoining shopping centre car park will be an absolute nightmare and even more of an issue during seasonal times of the year such as the lead up to Christmas. The Terry Road site would have the infrastructure and design to cater for much larger numbers of kiss n drop car spaces within a safe carpark as well as onsite carpark spaces. For those parents not opting to use the kiss n drop area due to the sheer fact that the amount of time they will have to wait in line just to get to the the 10 kiss n drop spots wil most definitely be a deterrent, not to mention the major traffic conjestion this situation has the potential to cause, parking in the neighbouring shopping centre carpark leaves them no other option meaning their children need to walk over to the carpark then walk amongst the traffic of the carpark which will just be a TRAGEDY WAITING TO HAPPEN!

ON THE MATTER OF SAFETY....our child’s safety is our number one priority, so to not have a safe evacuation point ‘onsite’ that can accomodate all students, teachers and persons of the school in an emergency is an issue. It’s clear the whole school would need to be taken to the nearest open space big enough to cater for the whole school which means at capacity, almost 2000 bodies would need to cross a busy road in the event of an emergency, and that too is a major concern.

In regards to the overall structure of the building and what it can offer or rather its lack of ability to offer our children in regards to their learning and sporting activity is less than favourable. In a world where most children on a daily basis are indoors and on some form of electronics, its now more than ever, and especially what we wish for for our child, is a school building with large classrooms and a school environment that can allow them the freedom to run around at recess and lunchtime, to sit under a tree basking in natural sunlight to read a book or to simply just enjoy the fresh air that a large, open outdoor space can provide.

Finally, as devout practising Catholics the promise of a new Catholic High School on Terry Road also came with the vision that a new church would too also be built either on that same site or within close proximity one day, something my husband and I were so happy about as going to mass is something our child gets to experience weekly due to the onsite church at their school now. This proposed development in The Gables would most certainly not be able to offer this to the many Catholic families I’m sure had intended to send their children to the Terry Road site. The neighbouring parish of Riverstone would not even come close to being able to house even a quarter of the proposed number of students at this school at any one time, whereas Terry Road site would be able to not only build a church onsite but could possibly accomodate at least 1000 students or more. How can we have a brand new Catholic High School with no space for a chapel much less a church!

Like many parents, my husband and I aren’t looking at sending our child to a ‘school of the future’. We want our child to go to a school that has a SAFE, OPEN, and NATURAL learning environment on a large piece of land, and we whole heartedly believe the site on Terry Road, Box Hill can provide this opportunity for our child and the many children that would potentially go to school there. THIS IS WHAT WE WERE PROMISED!!!!!

Thankyou

While I support the building of a new school for the Rouse Hill Catholic Community, I object to the location of that school. While I am not geographically close to the school, my fiancée and I have had a long standing relationship with this community. As members and supporters of the community, we understand that there has been land previously set aside for the school - some eleven hectares in Box Hill. The near one-hectare site in the Gables is a dramatic reduction in the space that we can potentially send our children to play in.
In short, we object to the location of the proposed development as it is a small site and does not facilitate what we look for in a school.

Good Morning,
I strongly object to Santa Sophia school moving from the Terry Rd site into a shopping complex of the Gables.
Living in the Hills District all my life I have seen the vast changes to its suburbs.
I can not understand how a school isn't going ahead on a Catholic department large owned land and changed to a 5 story school connected to a shopping centre.
We purchased and built in the Gables (Holstein Rd) to be close to the perfect Terry Road Site.
I didn't purchase in the Gables to have traffic issues at the shopping centre, increased risk to children's safety and for it to become a children's hang out post school.
Due to the poor communication over this project we have decided to move back to Beaumont Hills and have rented out our newly built home.
We will need to make other arrangements for our children as the proposed site isn't something I think necessary for OHS reasons.
In the case of a fire - I hate to think about the situation.
The Hills Council and Government planning need to make a stand. Don't let the powers at be control the location for financial gain only.
I please urge you to think about the children and the teachers working in this environment. They shouldn't have to book out a public area/oval for the children to do sport when Terry Rd has a fantastic large site which is safer for the children.
I understand in the city some of these schools are required due to space limitations - but not in our Hills District surely!
These schools will be used for many years to come so please reconsider and put pressure on the Catholic Department to go back to the original plan promised to parents and the community.
Thank you very much for your consideration.

I object to this project on the basis of:
* Fire safety - children cannot exit the buildings due to the multi levels, if there is a fire on the lower levels students will be trapped on the higher levels
* Road safety - drop off and pick up zones are on a main road
* Traffic congestion - how will shoppers gain access to the shops at drop off and pick up time?
* No parking at the school as well as at the shopping centre for drop off and pick up time
* No playing fields for exercise purposes which will in turn lead to obesity and deter student from being able to relax

I object to this project on the basis of:

* Traffic congestion - over time it will get worse as more students enrol in the school, the shopping centre is built and apartments are built around the school
* Fire hazard - this is a real risk, evacuation will be a problem (people cannot evacuate a house, how will they evacuate a multi story school?)
* Drop off and pick up of students will be a problem especially as it is on a main road - it is bad enough at a school with a safe drop off / pick up zone
* Shopping centre will be a nightmare with students there filling themselves up on junk food
* No room for fresh air and outside play activities and being able to enjoy the open - it doesn't give them a chance to be in the open air away from their computers

I have a number of reason for putting forward this objection for the proposal of Santa Sophia college on Fontana Drive Box Hill .

1. This site is not suitable for the proposed development and is not needed in the Hills area. I can understand if the proposed School was built in a high density area But there is simply no need to build a multi level school on such a small site when provisions had already been made. Land was purchased in 2004 to build the school on Terry Road. The proposed site on Fontana Drive will not provide any opportunity for growth .

2. Traffic/Parking
There is insufficient drop off and pick up areas with no parking provided on the school site. I feel that only 10 kiss and drop off bays is inadequate for a school with 2000 students. My children currently attend a school in the hills area with 12 kiss and drop bays, the school has less than 500 students and it is a struggle and is always banked up blocking roads into the school.



3 Concerns with inadequate outdoor play area. Although there is a proposed hockey field across the road there are no actual playing fields on the school grounds. Children will have to cross a road to gain access to the hockey field which is a shared field. It is unclear how much access the children will have to this field. I feel there is insufficient open space provided and the space provided will be shadowed during the winter by the school and surrounding buildings.


4 Concerns with the school sharing boarders with a shopping centre and high density house. As a parent I feel that this will encourage truancy from students as they could be drawn to spending time at the shopping centre. The unclear fences and boarders of the school are also a concern for unwanted individuals potentially having access to the school grounds. Also the high density housing having direct view onto the school courtyard.
Another Safety concern is how evacuation in case of an emergency will occur in a safe and timely manner with almost 2000 students and staff from a multi level building. There is no safe evacuation point that can accommodate all occupants in an emergency . the nearest location would be in a public open space which would require students to cross a road.

In closing I feel that this building is suited for an inner city development where land is limited and surrounding buildings are already established. So many concerning factors can be eliminated by building the school at the original proposed site of Terry Road. This development is simply not required in an area where we have ample land in the Hill area and land has already been purchased for the proposed school in 2004 .

1) It is not advisable to build a school in a retail facility as there is a risk to the safety of students especially in the event of an calamity or accidents. Evacuating 2000 students is not that simple.
2) There are not enough supporting facilities for the school to be built in the retail centre of Gables.
3) Lack of supporting facilities and having to use the neighbour facilities can be difficult.

I object to the Santa Sophia school being developed as a high rise school on one hectare of land adjacent to a shopping centre. The catholic church already has a perfect site for this school on Terry Road with a much larger amount of land that a school like this needs to provide an excellent educational facility with its own outdoor ovals and grounds.
It is clear to me that Mr Whitby is not acting in the interests of, nor with the consensus of, the existing and future parents of Santa Sophia Catholic College by pursuing development on this site adjacent to the Gables shopping centre.
As a parent, the last place I want my daughters hanging around before and after school is a shopping centre. This has the potential for very bad outcomes for parents trying to raise virtuous citizens.
I request that planning approval not be granted for this Gables site.

I object to this Development Application on the basis that:

• It is not suitable for the site
• It is not in the public’s interest
• It will significantly exacerbate existing traffic flow conditions
• It is not safe

Traffic Safety
- The drop off / pick up zone is on a main road spanning 75 metres – children as young as 4 years old will need to be dropped off in this manner as there is no parking provided to facilitate walking children into the school – young children are unpredictable and this is a tragedy waiting to happen.
- Ason have used St Mark’s Catholic College as their comparison for the drop off / pick up zone – with an outcome being equivalent to 24 spaces in the drop off / pick up zone. It goes on to state “It is considered that the St Mark’s provision is considered insufficient for the observed demand” and then proposes 12 on-street pick-up / drop-off spaces. Therefore they acknowledge that 24 bays are not sufficient but will only have 12???
- According to the DA SSCC will be surrounded by medium to high rise apartment blocks – what is the traffic management, drop /off pick up and parking plan during the extensive time it will take to build these apartments?
- When the Town Centre (shopping centre) is built what is the traffic management, drop /off pick up and parking plan during the extensive time it will take to build this centre?

Traffic Congestion
- This development will lead to significant congestion in the area and will prevent the community from being able to access the shopping centre during morning drop off and afternoon collection times.

Emergency Safety
- There is no safe escape from a disaster such as a fire – where is the fire escape and bomb escape plan?
- It will be impossible to evacuate 1920 students from a five level building.
- If the fire is on the lower floors students will be trapped on the higher levels.

Noise Levels
- If different break times are proposed there will be significant disruption to classes not on break.

General Safety
- It is not safe for 4 years and not much older to be climbing up to four flights of stairs to play on the roof.
- Risk in taking students off campus for Physical Education – the track record with Catholic institutions in assuring student safety is not one to be proud of. Despite the best intentions of teachers, it is impossible to monitor so many children in a public facility.
- The multipurpose hall will be available for managed public use or hire outside of core school hours, typically from 3:00pm to 10:00pm Monday to Friday and from 8:00am to 10:00pm Saturday and Sunday. If there is an overlap in use of the school premises which will lead to a risk of safety to students in the school.

Lack of Open Space and Access to Sporting Facilities
- It does not appear that agreement has been reached between Celestino, CEDP, Hills Council and Hockey Australia to allow for the school to use the public fields so this DA is reliant on facilities that don’t exist.
- By estimate 64 Physical Education classes will need to take place each week.
- The community will have no access to the community fields during school hours.
- PE classes will be scheduled as 90-minute classes which enables students to move between the class and the sporting fields – the outcome of this is that students will miss out on key learning time.
- There is only 7.6 square metres of outdoor space per student within the building envelope. This estimate is calculated based on the total capacity of the school which encompasses outdoor areas include the balconies on each floor including the ground floor and rooftop external space.
- The Gables offers huge open ground so therefore a more suitable site needs to be provided for the development of SSCC to allow the students the opportunity to enjoy open play areas instead of being confined with is a health risk physically and emotionally.

Parking
- No disabled parking bays in the K to 12 school – how are disabled students and disabled visitors meant to access the campus?
- 1 disabled bay in the ELC which will be accessible only via a boom gate to the ELC centre therefore it cannot be used by the school.
- 110 staff parking, deficiency of 26 (will need to walk, cycle, public transport or ride share).
- They state that only 26 visitor spaces are needed which will be on surrounding streets within 400m – there will be 120 students in each Primary school year level and 180 students in each High school year level so this estimate is vastly underestimated.
- No student parking is provided.

DECEPTION
This DA is all encompassed in deception from inception to now. There has been a concerted effort to mislead the residents in The Gables as well as the broader community that warrants investigation and should make this Development Application null and void.

* CELESTINO DEVELOPMENTS
- On 25 September 2017 Celestino posted to their Facebook page that they had hosted a design competition for architects to put plans together for the development of the Town Centre (see attachment).
- On 28 September 2017 they lodged an application with Hills Council to subdivide their land to make way for the development of Santa Sophia Catholic College – 571/2018/ZB (see attachment).
- The result of the above is that both Celestino Developments and Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta reached agreement prior to 28 September 2017 for Santa Sophia Catholic College to be built on The Gables site.
- To date Celestino is still providing misleading information to current and prospective land owners – their Masterplan still shows the Town Centre as a large development and does not illustrate the space that will be removed to make way for SSCC as well as medium to high rise apartments (see attachment).
- There has been no community consultation with land owners and residents within The Gables – this is an attempt to slip this DA through with nobody noticing as if the community were aware that what they were promised when they purchased land was not going to be delivered there would be outrage.

* CATHOLIC EDUCATION DIOCESE OF PARRAMATTA
- CEDP has mislead the community and parents throughout this process. As demonstrated above agreement was reached with Celestino Developments prior to September 2017 for the school to be built on this site.
- As mentioned in the SEARS Request document dated November 2018 CEDP met with Council on 1 November 2018 and Urbis dated their report April 2018.
- On 29 January 2018 there was an article in The Daily Telegraph / Rouse Hill Times announcing the opening of Santa Sophia Catholic College in their temporary location in Schofields and announcing that they would open on Terry Road in 2020 – Excerpt from the article “Santa Sophia Catholic College is being constructed at 40-46 Terry Rd, Box Hill, and is expected to be ready by 2020. “
- https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/rouse-hill-times/excited-students-start-off-santa-sophia-catholic-college/news-story/1ea6a4871002e55f2872343a7bb57814
- On 28 January 2019 there was an article in The Daily Telegraph / Rouse Hill Times just after school had commenced for 2019 – High School in Schofields and Kindergarten in Rouse Hill - that they would be opening in The Gables in 2021.
- https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiYo6DP04HjAhUPfX0KHbP9DLMQFjAAegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fnewslocal%2Frouse-hill-times%2Fnew-santa-sophia-catholic-college-to-be-located-inside-box-hill-shopping-centre%2Fnews-story%2F349aa4a1012b282d3beeb57818812d6b&usg=AOvVaw0h1LRaTxIkdTf5GnZH6o1D
- Students were enrolled and public statements were made on the basis of deception – as mentioned previously the agreement to build in The Gables was forged by the latest in 2017

* LACK OF CONSULTATION
- News of the location being in The Gables was poorly received.
- Information sessions were held unfortunately purely to tick a DA box. The community were told in no uncertain terms that irrespective of anybody’s views the development in The Gables was going ahead.
- These information sessions were recorded - I urge you obtain the recordings so that you may appreciate the vehement opposition to this initiative and how distraught the community are at this deception and at the lack of regard for the impact on families and the community.
- Feedback forms were provided with a deadline date of Friday 22 March 2019.
- As an indication of CEDP’s contempt for the DA process is that they emailed their response to the feedback prior to this deadline passing on 18 March 2019.
- The letter pertaining to CEDP’s response stated “Separate correspondence is being issued to invite current and prospective parents of Santa Sophia Catholic College and Our Lady of the Angels Primary School communities to an evening event that will provide a chance for feedback on the design of the College. An opportunity for parents to take part in a guided tour of two other CEDP schools to see first- hand how the learning works in these learning spaces is also being arranged. The dates for these events are currently being finalised.” None of this was delivered upon.
- Urbis have driven the deception in the DA process – the Feedback Form that they have attached is not the Feedback Form that they provided – it does not even have the same date as the one that they actually used and certainly does not request the same information or ask the same questions as the form they really used (see attachment)
- Urbis have attempted to mislead in their feedback appendix by attempting to say that the opposition is mainly from the Parish – this is a Catholic school, we attend mass each weekend and are obviously part of the Parish, if we weren’t our children would not be attending Catholic schools.
- All of the participants at the information sessions aside from the Parish Priest were parents of students at Catholic schools or parents of prospective students at Catholic schools.

I object to this project for the following reasons:

NOT CHARACTERISTIC FOR THE AREA - This development is putting 2000 children on one hectare in the middle of a shopping centre without playgrounds and sporting fields. People that have chosen to buy and live in the Box Hill area are looking for open space, if the lifestyle they liked was in high density and high rise they would have chosen to live in the city, not out at Box Hill. In this area they would be expecting a school on a suitable site that has plenty of room not cramped in a shopping centre. The shared facilities that are proposed are not sufficient, children need to be outside during every recess and lunch break without restrictions of this outdoor space and without the danger of crossing roads. Adjoining sporting facilities will not be exclusive and are reliant on 3rd party agreements that are not yet even in place. The school will be competing with other parties for the use of the space, and also at an additional cost. Such a big building there won't be any sun anywhere. Children are exposed to screens indoor long enough these days for their learning, they need open space for their health and well being.
ANOTHER MORE SUITABLE SITE IS AVAILABLE - The size of the proposed building is excessive for the one hectare space. This is not a major city were space is an issue. The Catholic Church made provision with the purchase of 11 hectares of land in 2004 for the building of this school, why now this high density on one hectare? That land is available for the building of this school on Terry Rd.
SAFETY - Safety is a major issue, that cannot be monitored in a shopping centre. In a normal free standing school with its own perimeters, someone that should'nt be there is easily seen, anyone can hang around with the wrong intentions in a shopping centre. Dropping off children out on the street is not a safe option either. Also in the case of emergency there is no safe evacuation point, you have to cross the roads with 2000 children.
NOT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST - This proposal is not in the public interest whether you have children going to school or not. It will burden the neighbourhood, size of the building is excessive, it will be a nightmare for shoppers around school time, or residents that simply want to be able to get around their neighbourhood, the parks or the shopping centre.
TRAFFIC - Traffic will be horrendous, picking up 2000 children, normal resident activity and shopping traffic. Traffic flow in the area is proposed to be 120 vehicles per 10 minutes, and that is just for the school. On top of that resident daily traffic and shopping centre traffic.
ONSITE PARKING - Such a major development with such limited parking. Staff parking is only available in the shopping centre. This will not cater for all staff on the assumption that some staff will walk or cycle. That is a big assumption, the chances are that 99% of the staff will not live in the area. Only 10 Kiss and Drop places for 2000 children. There is no provision for visitor parking. A development of this scale should not be allowed without its own parking. These parking issues will affect the residents in the area, the school parents, the staff or any visitors to the school. There is also no allowance for parking for Year 11 and 12 students that will be driving to school.
FUTURE EXPANSION - This site is not suitable because it does not allow for future expansion. This is a growing area and modifications might be required at a later stage. What if there is commercial changes or differences with the developer and/or the shopping centre owner, you are then left with a massive school building with no parking and no open space.
UNSUITABILITY OF HIGH RISE SCHOOLS - There are plenty of articles out there demonstrating the unsuitability of high rise schools, why are we subjecting our communities' children to this?
MUCH BETTER ALTERNATIVE IS AVAILABLE - This same school or much better can be built on the 11 hectares on Terry Rd Box Hill, already owned by the Catholic Church, bought many years ago for the purpose of building this school , without any of the issues mentioned above. Yes it will take a bit longer to build on the Terry Rd site because the time was wasted on the plans for this development at The Gables in conjunction with the developer of the area. I am more than happy to wait for the building of this school on the location that was provided on Terry Rd. Working in this community for many years, I know that parents are willing to wait for the right location. This is a decision that is going to affect many families in the future.
TEMPORARY SITES ALREADY IN OPERATION - Building on the Terry Rd site is very achievable, there are currently already two temporary locations in operation for Santa Sophia Kindy at the site of Our Lady of the Angels Rouse Hill and for Santa Sophia High School students at St John Paul II at Schofields site, that can easily continue for the next couple of years. The density on these two temporary sites will be no were as bad as the density proposed at The Gables, and that density will only be temporary.
PUBLIC DECEPTION - The public has been deceived about the change of location from Terry Rd to The Gables. Right from the beginning of the Catholic Parish of Rouse Hill in 2007, the planning for the building of this school was and advertised to be on Terry Rd. All the plans and decisions of the relocation were done without the collaboration of our community and whilst being advertised and led to believe that this development will be on Terry Rd.
I hope that my submission will be taken in consideration and hope for a favourable outcome for the good of our community in the present and future years to come.

As an investor within the Gables Estate having bought land there and built a house within the estate it would probably be a smarter option for me to welcome this project with open arms. I have no doubt there are financial benefits to profit from as an investor from such a project as having a catholic school within the estate helps with property valuations in the years to come for the houses within the catchment area of a reputable catholic school. But as a parent and someone with a conscience lead by my own morals and ethics as opposed to financial gain, I am unable to watch this development start without at least objecting to it before it’s too late.
In a nutshell and brief description of my concerns, I simply cannot fathom why this project above a shopping complex is the preferred option over the land the catholic schools system has access to and owns on terry rd in box hill.
This project may adhere to all the requirements and council regulations to pass the development approval process. But it is certainly not a popular one.
I am deeply distressed that a Tokyo style CBD planning approach is the preferred option in planning our children’s future here out at north western Sydney where people choose to live because of the semi rural feel. I feel this style of development belongs where there is a lack of space in the inner city and schools are forced to build upwards. Not in box hill where there is land (already owned) by the Catholic Church to build an education hub on acreage that would be appropriate for such a development and could meet all council requirements.
I worry about the shared spaces our children will have to settle for with this development, I worry about the traffic congestion and logistical nightmares It will bring to the area. I’m completely opposed to this development in the Gables. I would like to see this development happen on the Terry Rd site as it was originally planned, as I feel the space would be better suited to such an education hub.

We object to the location of the proposed Santa Sophia Catholic College at the proposed location at Fontana Drive, Box Hill site, because of the unsuitability of placing a school so close to a shopping centre and residential buildings, with the resulting traffic and parking issues, when a perfectly suitable site is available in another location. This seems ludicrous. The lack of proper playground facilities, with resulting restricted opportunities to run, exercise and de-stress at morning tea and lunch times, is counter productive both to good health and learning outcomes. Children spend a great deal of time already with technology, so providing an effective circuit breaker, through adequate and ongoing physical opportunities is essential. Having to share a general purpose, publicly used open space, where competing interests rely on access, is totally unsuitable and frankly unsustainable for the ongoing health of so many children. This whole proposal needs to be thoroughly reassessed with the students and the general school community's needs in clear focus, not the vested interests of those who may benefit financially or otherwise from the relocation, or who appear to have minimal idea about the broader needs of the school community. The original site may take longer to complete, though that seems questionable, but the ongoing educational outcomes are what is paramount. Maureen and Clarence Palmer-Burton

I object to this school being built in the Gables as I do not think it is best practise for the children to be located so close to a large shopping precinct.
The planned parking is insufficient for the school's parent needs. I understand that the kiss and drop zone only caters for a small number of cars, approximately 10 spots. That is currently a problem at the much smaller catholic school in Rouse Hill, so I can't imagine how far the traffic would have to queue down the road both before and after school at this much bigger school. Imagine the frustration this would cause to shoppers simply trying to access their local supermarket, who get caught up in school traffic issues. I also wonder why their has been no provision made for visitors parking, and teacher parking? Teachers often have heavy loads to carry, including craft supplies, teaching materials, marking as well as their personal possessions. To ask them to park in the shops and walk across the road and into the school is ridiculous.
The issue of traffic congestion around shopping areas and safety involved in the amount of cars coming and going so close to that number of pedestrians, especially young children and teenagers, is also a concern.
I understand that the school will not have their own sporting facilities, and will need to share/use the facilities located in the same precinct. Arranging for the children and staff to walk /travel to sports fields and courts is yet another instance where vehicles will be impacted by whole class groups crossing roads to reach their destination. The school was originally planned to be in Terry Rd and 11 hectares were purchased for this project. This would allow for ample outdoor space for the students to enjoy, without any issues with the general public or their vehicles.
I am also concerned that the school would have to organise their sporting needs around the needs of the rest of the district's sporting requirements. Does the plan already give assurances that the required hours for physical development in schools will be met? The movement to and from the sporting fields will also impact on the actual time the children can enjoy their sport. If the class is 40 minutes, and the children take 20 minutes being transported to and from, they will have wasted half their class time needlessly. There is also the issue of supervision around these sporting venues. It is much more onerous for teachers to supervise a large public area than it is to assess risks on a school oval, particularly given the proximity to a major retail outlet, where there may be members of the public wandering around, along with dogs etc.
My other concern is that children are too easily caught up in the negative social issues around these precincts, especially the issue of drugs, which we have seen happening at other centres in the Hills district.
My other main concern relates to the type of learning space being proposed. A multi level school is unnecessary in this semi rural residential area. Residents living and working nearby want large open spaces and this proposed structure is really only needed in an inner city environment, where lack of space is an issue. Having looked at the plans, it seems that there is not much direct light available, let alone play areas enjoyed by other students across the state. Again, this would all available at the Terry Rd site.
Also, this structure does not allow for any future expansion, whereas the Terry Rd site would cater to the needs of the area for a long time to come.
To conclude, we have another option available at the Terry Rd site, which would meet all the possible needs of any future school community in the area.

I currently live in the Gables, and part of the suburb/community that will be using the town centre. The submission of a school into the town centre will directly impact the town centre.
My concerns and impact to the community are as follows:
- The school is relying on staff and students walking/ riding a bike to school to reduce traffic however it is not said how many staff will be living locally or if they even have any currently
- The town centre will be over run by teenagers loitering after school
- what provisions will be in place to prevent balls or other items being thrown off the roof, where the multi purpose court is, and hitting anyone below?
- the town centre will be made up of shops, businesses and residential facilities all that will have a large traffic flow/ parking requirement that has not been taking into consideration
- increasing the height of the school/ area is completely unnecessary and will cause the area to be over crowded by large buildings that provide little sunlight into the area
- the school will be taking parking spaces away from the community and paying customers for businesses
- the number of students in the school, the small building footprint and location among the town centre and many residential apartments will mean increased traffic and with it increased risk to pedestrians and the community
- the school has another site that is larger and has a lower impact on the community and roads, that is outside of the town centre that they could use (on Terry Road)
- this is an area that does not need a multi story compact school, there is plenty of land and the height does not need to be increased and nor should it.
- this school does not take into consideration the number of students that will be attending the public primary school, which is on the same street, and the number of cars that will impact traffic and add to congestion in the area
- the school is planning to use local sporting facilities rather then providing their own, which will take away access from the local community
- the number of students within a small space, combined be the tall buildings (residential) surrounding the school will increase the noise from school students throughout the day

The proposal should be reconcidered as it is has significantly altered the original design intention by deceiving residents from the original retail town centre into a private and exclusive school that was never requested from the community. By having a school that accommodates circa 2000 students in a multi level concrete structure void of playing fields and sporting opportunities, especially in an area of abundant green fields sites, goes against what the origibal DCP was trying to achieve.
There had been an unrealistic view with traffic flow in and around the area, with little to no thought of peak student drop off, pick up or inconvenience to residents around the local area.
With respect to the local area and how much readily available land is in abundance, it is not with the students best interest to have a complete education experience in a multi-story commercial building with retail and high density residential buildings in close proximity.
Hills Shire Council should not be bullied by the Catholic Education System or the developer and should maintain its original policy in keeping with the intention of their DCP.

As a parent of an eight (8) year old and member of the parish community of Our Lady of the Angels at Rouse Hill, I reject this decision as I believe it has not been made with all the due process and proper collaboration with the parish community.

Canon law (796§2) states that “Parents must cooperate closely with the teachers of the schools to which they entrust their children to be educated; moreover, teachers in fulfilling their duty are to collaborate very closely with parents, who are to be heard willingly and for whom associations or meetings are to be established and highly esteemed.”

I understand that Fr Warren Edwards, our Parish Priest and the voice for the parish community, has repeatedly asked for proper collaboration from the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (“CEPD”) however this has not happened. In fact, he has been left out of this important decision making.

I respectfully request that you defer this decision until proper consultation with the parish community has occurred.

I dont believe the school should be built near a shopping center in a high rise building, This is not considered save for children especially as this high rise building will be from K-12. There is no grounds for the children to play, children will have to walk across the road to the communal grounds to do there sports which causes high risk. Santa Sophia does have a ground on Terry Road where they can build a proper and saver school for the children with proper facilities including playing grounds. High Rise schools is not seen a a need in Box Hill. Box Hill has more than enough space to accommodate a school that is not high rise, especially if Santa Sophia already own a huge piece of land why go build the school else where and why build it High Rise.