To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Monty Muhl and I live in Cobbs Village, Mardi. I’m writing to object to the proposed special education school at Keefers Glen (St Peter’s site, 84 Gavenlock Road).

The main issue is traffic. Our streets are already narrow and difficult to get through, with cars often parked partly on the footpath just so people can pass. We’ve already had incidents in the village with pedestrians being hit and injured because of poor visibility. Adding heavy construction trucks, service vehicles, staff cars, and daily school drop-offs will make it dangerous and unworkable.

Other concerns are the noise and dust from construction, the height of the buildings affecting privacy, and the likely hit on property values for residents here.

There are much better options than using Keefers Glen for access. Gavenlock Road is built for heavier traffic and would make far more sense. Extending the existing St Peter’s driveway from Gavenlock Road through to the new site would also solve most of the issues. If that’s not possible, then at the very least there should be restrictions such as:

Making Keefers Glen one-way,

A no-drop-off zone, or

No school traffic entering via Keefers Glen at all.

Any of those options would help keep our community safe while still allowing the project to go ahead. Right now it feels like residents haven’t been properly consulted, and I think that needs to change before this moves forward.

Regards,
Monty Muhl

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Elaine Purches and I live in Cobbs Village, Mardi (1/22 Keefers Glen, Mardi). I wish to formally object to the proposed Eileen O’Connor School at Keefers Glen, 84 Gavenlock Road.

The road network in and around Cobs Village is already unsuitable for the level of traffic we currently have. Streets are narrow, cars have to be parked halfway across the footpath just to let others through, and this has already led to safety issues and accidents involving pedestrians. Adding construction trucks, trades, and later the daily movement of staff, students, and service vehicles will put even more pressure on roads that simply cannot cope.

Beyond traffic, the project also raises other concerns for local residents. These include construction noise and dust, the impact of taller buildings on privacy, and the likelihood of a negative effect on property values.

At this stage, there has been little opportunity for genuine consultation with residents. Given the scale of the impact, the community should have a much stronger voice before any approval is granted.

Yours faithfully,
Elaine Purches

To whom it may concern,

We are an owner/occupier In Mardi, residents recently received a letter from the NSW planning and development regarding the proposed development of the new Eillen O'Connor school on the grounds of St peters.

The proposed three storey school is to be built in the back corner overlooking Keefers glen with the entry and exit to be in Keefers Glen and not through the already existing school grounds entry on Gavenlock Rd.

The school is a K-12 and will cater for 200 hundred students and over 70 school andauxiliary staff. Parking for the proposed site is inadequate as the allocated spots only come to 61. Being a special needs school, all students will need assistance either by private car or buses. The proposed site also includes a Multi-purpose centre to be used after hours and weekends.

Central coast council has already opposed the entry and exit on Keefers Glen. They have said the entry and exit needs to be off Gavenlock road due to many reasons but the main one being the street and surrounding streets will not cope with the increase of traffic that this will bring and buses being unable to navigate the roads safely.

The schools governing body(CSBB)recently undertook a safety audit of the gate that leads from the school into Keefers Glen and as of Term 3 the gate has been locked as they deemed it unsafe for students to use for pick up and drop off.

The community has been submitting their objects to the proposed entry and exit to the NSW planning and Development in hopes that this will be rectified.

Being a strata community is there any laws or by laws that could help in this situation? And if so, could we please have access to this to be able to submit.

And for your consideration does any potential lose in property values effect strata costs and fees ? A local resident has gone through the whole proposal and has found a number of legal flaws. They have posted on the community Facebook page which we can send if you would like to read. Also, please find attached Council document.

We are not against a school Being built but a three-storey building overlooking backyards on Brickendon and overlooking Keefers people lose all privacy, we are against the entry and exit on Keefers glen and it should be constructed from the Gavenlock entrance. We understand that community's go through change, but this is on a very large scale and impacts all residents.
The development fails to consider any impact on the small local community that we are.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

My name is Peter McKenna, I own and reside at a strata managed property located in Cobbs Village Mardi and I'm currently a committee member of the strata management team.

I have reached out to you before in regards to the continue flooding of my business premises located in Ace Crescent Tuggerah, your advise and suggested contact person at the council at that time was a great help to the commencement of solving our problem.

FYI, I have also reached out to David Harris MP in regards to these matters and awaiting a reply.

You may be aware of the proposed new development for a 200 student special educational school at Keefers Glen Mardi.
My reason for contacting you at this time is in an effort to promptly encourage consultation between the NSW Department of Planning and Environment and the property owners of Cobbs Village and the greater Mardi suburb.

Currently we are one and a half weeks into a four week period offered to the Cobs Village property owners by the Department of Planning and Environment to lodge any objections to the proposed development, a process that many property owners are now undertaking.

N.B: In the recent pass there has been incidences in Cobs Village involving motor vehicles and pedestrians, including children, resulting in the latter's hospitalization recovery. The majority of these incidences were caused by the narrowness of the streets and resident's cars that have to straddle the footpath and street when parked so as to keep a thoroughfare, all of which reduces everyone's visibility.

FYI, to date the main concerns that the property owners have are in regards to our village sized streets leading into the heart of Cobs Village, in that of Keefers Glen, that are going to be subjected to firstly all of the construction vehicles ranging from semi and ridged trucks, cement mixers and pumpers and all associated trade vehicles during the construction period and secondly once the project is completed all of the students, teaching staff, school management, school maintenance, service, trades people and suppliers vehicles adding addition movements throughout each day.

These village streets are accessed from the main Woodbury Park Drive Mardi, as you would know, a winding up elevated before down again road that has had to have numerous speed humps installed in an effort to reduce the local traffic's speed, that would be subjected to all of the above noted additional types of vehicle's daily movements.

The development proposal is addressed as '84 Gavenlock Road Mardi' being St Peters College, from overhead viewing on Google Maps, it is obvious to us that there are more simple and suitable entry routes that could be taken from the main industrial grade designed Gavenlock Road to the proposed development site rather than subjecting all of Mardi let alone the unsuitably sized Cobs Village roads and Keefers Glen to these additional daily vehicle movements.

The other property owner concern's that have been raised relate to such as the additional noise and dust generated during the construction period, the height of the above single story buildings of the development reducing the level of privacy to their properties, the suitable types of screening and/or vegetation that would be used in an effort to possibly overcome these privacy issues and the local real estate industry advised of potential devaluation of their properties.

Alternatively, if the proposed building site was situated further east on the cleared land towards Gavenlock Road, starting at say in line with the end of Brickendon Avenue and vehicle access via the above noted more suitable Gavenlock Road, all of our concerns

would be greatly alleviated allowing Cobs Village, the Greater Mardi suburb and St Peter's College to continue to operate safely and harmoniously together. Under the current NSW Department of Planning and Environment arrangement there is no opportunity for the property owner's of Mardi to consultation with the department.

I object to SSD-67173718 - New Eileen O'Connor School. I object to this DA and the proposal of sub-dividing the land and building the new Eileen O’Connor School and having the entrance on to Keefers Glen, Mardi. The proposal says it is for 84 Gavenlock Road, Mardi, which I feel is wrong, as when you go to the Planning Portal the front of the new school, as well as the entrance and exit are on to Keefers Glen, Mardi. Keefers Glen is really just a tiny little laneway (which is confirmed by Central Coast Council in my attachment to this submission).

I specifically draw your attention to Central Coast Council's pre DA Advice of 20/9/2023, part of which I have attached to my submission. I can supply more of this. I 100% agree entirely with this report. The Council stated that they will not support this proposal and list the very many reasons on it.

The proposed new special needs Eileen O'Connor school will generate extremely higher traffic nd Keefers Glen and surrounding roads are unsuitable for the huge amount of traffic that a special needs school of this size will create, particularly as the majority of students are coming from out of area and arriving in community buses. This does not even include the large quantity of trucks and workers needed for to construct a project of this size (suggesting figures of 100 workers on site at one time).

Keefers Glen, Deloraine Glen, Wagners Place and Brickendon Avenue were only designed for a small amount of traffic. They are small, tight streets and cannot handle the amount of traffic. In Keefers Glen itself, two cars cannot pass each other in parts of it, Central Coast Council call it a laneway. Why would anyone plan to have this amount of traffic in a street like this! There is no parking available at all on the street or surrounding streets, parking already is a huge trouble. The new school proposal is only providing 61 car spaces, yet will have 71 teachers plus extra auxilliary staff. Where are they going to park?

There are sections of Keefers Glen, including the doglegs at the top, which cannot cope now with two passing cars at a time. The proposal does not include upgrades to Keefers Glen except for an extra bitumen section in front of the school and a short footpath from the school entrance to Brickendon Ave.

Objection due to Environmental Concern:

There is a natural dam on site and I am very concerned about this, as the proposal just says the builders are just going to fill it in. What will happen with the waterflow and underground water table. This could be a major environmental mistake, as a lot of the year it is so very wet on that block of land and Keefers and Brickendon . There is already run off from this dam into Keefers Glen and Brickendon Ave. The dam doesn't look much to the eye, as it is surrounded by trees and shrubs, but it is a big dam which can be clearly seen on Google maps. What a big environmental concern this is.

The Significant Impact on Local Residents:

The burden and disruption on a daily basis of the traffic to and from this proposed new school will be horrendous to the residents of these small, tight streets in Mardi. The traffic going up and down from the school will all finally bank back on to Woodbury Park Drive and this will be chaotic especially on the steep hill of Wagners Place and the corner of Deloraine Glen. Then when the traffic reaches the roundabout at the end of Woodbury Park Drive and Wyong Road, it will be a nightmare, as it is usually very hard to get out of this roundabout now! This new noise from this school will be bad. I know there is another school there now but none of it is facing our streets and also there is to be a community hall. which will also have things after hours and on weekends. The huge increase in traffic past our houses will severely affect our quality of lives, be a danger pulling in and out of our driveways and significantly decrease our property values.

Important Safety Concerns:

Pedestrians: It will be extremely dangerous for local pedestrians, school children and people walking their dogs. As there are no footpaths and as the streets mentioned above are so little, cars are already mostly parked on the nature strips, otherwise traffic cannot get by. It is already a big danger for children walking to school or people walking to the bus stops on Woodbury Park Drive - what will it be like with hundreds and hundreds of extra vehicles a day and at the same time as the local children are walking to the bus stop to go to the local primary and high schools. This cannot happen !! Also when people and children walk up to Woodbury Park Drive there are no footpaths there and it is dangerous walking or jogging on the nature strips and currently most people walk on the road itself. All of the above is a terrible accident waiting to happen ! This is a huge concern.

Traffic Queing and Delays and Traffic bank up:

The proposal has not taken into account that there will also be queuing of cars and special needs buses to get in and out of the school. These are not children who can get in and out of vehicles quickly, they will need a lot of help, quite a few will be in wheelchairs etc. They will take quite a long time to load and unload and the traffic will queue into and out of Keefers Glen, banking back into Deloraine Glen or Brickendon Avenue and then onto the main through road Woodbury Park Drive.

Objection:

I totally object to this development application by Catholic Schools Broken Bay as it currently stands. However, if the proposed new special needs Eileen O'Connor School has to be built on this subdivided site, which I definitely object to in its current form, then all traffic to it MUST enter through the purpose built entrance at 84 Gavenlock Rd, Mardi - which is the address given for this application. There is ample room for the existing internal road of St Peters Catholic College to continue on to this new school and have the new school back on to Keefers Glen, Mardi without any entry and exit through Keefers Glen.

It is not going to be feasible for the current proposal of this school tpo be built with inadequate parking for the staff that will be required here, let alone the private vehicles and buses that will be coming in and out of the street transporting students. This needs to be revisited to have space expanded to allow for staff as well as students.

I am writing to strongly oppose the proposed use of Keefers Glen, Mardi, as an access road for the new Eileen O’Connor Catholic School in Tuggerah. Keefers Glen and the surrounding streets of Brickendon Ave, The Sheiling, Richmond Mews, Delorain Glen, Wagners Pl, Hawthorne Pl, and Woodbury Park Dr are wholly unsuitable to accommodate the scale of traffic this development will generate. I urge the planning authority to abandon the Keefers Glen access proposal entirely and instead utilise Gavenlock Road, which is far more suitable and sustainable.

Inappropriateness of Keefers Glen as an Access Route
Keefers Glen is a narrow residential street, originally designed to service 16 homes. It cannot cope with the traffic associated with:
• Daily student drop-off and pick-up,
• Access to a 61-space staff car park,
• Construction traffic from up to 100 workers per day, and
• Long-term operations of a school of 200 students and over 71 staff.
The introduction of this volume of traffic would cause serious congestion, safety hazards for residents, and permanent loss of residential amenity.

Traffic Impacts on the Wider Road Network
The use of Keefers Glen as an access point will inevitably funnel traffic into Brickendon Avenue, Deloraine Glen, Wagners Place, and Woodbury Park Drive and the roundabouts where Wyong Road and Woodbury Park Drive meet and where Woodbury Park Drive and Gavenlock Road meet.
• This roundabout where Wyong Road and Woodbury Park Drive meet is already under pressure during peak commuting hours. The addition of concentrated school traffic — particularly during narrow drop-off and pick-up windows — will worsen congestion significantly.
• Traffic queuing from Keefers Glen will create spillback into Brickendon Avenue, Deloraine Glen, Wagners Place and Woodbury Park Drive, affecting not only local residents but also through-traffic accessing Wyong Road.
• The safety of pedestrians and cyclists using this corridor will be compromised by increased vehicle volumes, particularly larger school, and service vehicles.
• Keefers Glen, Brickendon Avenue, Deloraine Glen, and Wagners Place are not wide enough to support two-way car traffic, how can these roads be expected to safely support two-way traffic of assisted transport busses, service vehicles and construction vehicles? They cannot, and should not be burdened with the task.
This additional strain on the local road network is unacceptable and undermines broader traffic safety and efficiency in the Mardi–Tuggerah precinct.

Case Study: St Gabriel’s School, Castle Hill – A Cautionary Example
At St Gabriel’s School, Castle Hill, traffic congestion is already a major issue.
• Drop-off (8:15–9:00am) and pick-up (2:15–3:30pm) generates queues stretching 500 metres along Old Northern Road, despite the school having a 100-metre internal access road and being located on a four-lane arterial road.
• Traffic incidents and safety concerns are common, showing the severe impact even when major roads are used.
• St Gabriel’s employs over 100 staff, suggesting that the Diocese’s current staff estimate of 71 for the Eileen O’Connor School is either negligent or intentionally misleading.
If a major arterial road with dedicated stacking space cannot cope, it is unreasonable to expect Keefers Glen and its surrounding residential streets to absorb similar traffic without disastrous consequences.

Amenity, Privacy, and Planning Compliance Concerns
The proposed school includes a three-storey building, which is inconsistent with local council planning regulations that restrict building heights in this residential area. Cobbs Village Estate primarily consists of single and two-storey colonial era style houses, the planned design for this school are a modern monstrosity in comparison to the existing historic country charm.
• Loss of sunlight: Residents of Keefers Glen will experience significant amenity impacts, as the height and bulk of the building will block morning sunlight.
• Loss of privacy: The building’s height will result in classrooms and windows overlooking the backyards of Brickendon Avenue, creating an unacceptable loss of privacy.
• Visual impact: A three-storey institutional building is inconsistent with the low-rise residential character of the area and will create an imposing and oppressive presence.
This development, as proposed, does not respect council regulations or the rights of surrounding residents.

Proposed Widening of Keefers Glen – Further Unacceptable Impacts
Although the school plans emphasise the use of Keefers Glen without clear widening details, Keefers Glen and the surrounding residential streets are being considered to accommodate increased traffic volumes.
This raises immediate questions:
• What land will be reclaimed to widen Keefers Glen?
• Will this require compulsory acquisition of private residential land or reduction of footpath and green space?
• What will be the impact on existing street parking, driveways, and property access?
Any attempt to widen Keefers Glen will result in further loss of amenity, safety concerns, and disruption for existing residents. It is not an appropriate or acceptable solution.

Influence of the Catholic Diocese over Local Planning
The Diocese of Broken Bay, as proponent, appears to be leveraging its institutional and political influence to override the genuine concerns of local residents, and Council to potentially bypass Council process. This sets a dangerous precedent where the interests of a powerful religious body are placed ahead of those of the small residential community that will bear the full brunt of the disruption.
Decisions about local planning should be made in the best interests of residents and road safety, not institutional convenience and identity.

“Sense of Pride” Justification – An Insult to the Existing Community
It has been suggested that the Diocese wishes to use Keefers Glen as the school’s entry point because it provides the school with a “sense of pride and identity.” This reasoning is profoundly insulting.
• It implies that the “pride and identity” of the school is more important than the safety, privacy, and amenity of the existing residents of Cobbs Village, especially that of residents of Keefers Glen and the surrounding residential streets.
• Pride and identity for a new institution should never come at the expense of destroying the established character and liveability of a small residential community.
This justification reveals a disregard for the rights and wellbeing of residents and highlights why Keefers Glen must not be used.

Gavenlock Road: The Only Suitable Access Point
By contrast, Gavenlock Road is a logical and safe access option.
• It is wider and better equipped to handle large volumes of traffic.
• It directly connects to arterial roads such as Wyong Road, the Pacific Highway, and the M1 Motorway.
• It avoids channelling heavy traffic through residential streets, protecting the safety and amenity of existing neighbourhoods.
This alternative aligns with responsible urban planning and provides a future-proof solution.

Requested Actions
I respectfully request that:
1. The use of Keefers Glen as an access road be abandoned entirely.
2. Any widening or modification of Keefers Glen for school access be formally ruled out.
3. A revised access plan be prepared utilising Gavenlock Road as the primary entry/exit point.
4. An independent Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) be undertaken, including modelling of Woodbury Park Drive, Wyong Road, and Keefers Glen.
5. The development be required to comply with local planning regulations on building height, bulk, and neighbourhood character.

Keefers Glen is wholly unsuitable as an access road for the proposed Eileen O’Connor Catholic School. The street cannot safely or sustainably manage the traffic generated by a 200-student, 70+ staff school and associated construction impacts.
The proposal disregards the safety, amenity, and rights of the existing community, while privileging institutional convenience and “pride” over local liveability. The only responsible planning outcome is to abandon Keefers Glen as an access point and instead pursue Gavenlock Road as the school’s designated entry.

I live on Keefers Glen, it is not suitable road for a new school entrance, neither are the connecting streets. This proposal is ridiculous to be entering from this quiet street. The access should be from Gavenlock Rd only.

OVERVIEW

As a Mardi resident, I fully endorse this vital special education facility whilst raising serious concerns about the proposed vehicle access arrangements via Keefer's Glen. I urge NSW Planning to approve the school development but require access through Gavenlock Road as advised by Central Coast Council.

ENDORSEMENT OF THE SCHOOL PROJECT

This development represents a crucial advancement in special education provision for the Central Coast. The facility will serve 200 students with disabilities, eliminating the current need for families to travel to Sydney or Newcastle for specialist services. The project delivers on key NSW Government commitments to educational excellence and supporting disadvantaged communities. I wholeheartedly support this important community infrastructure.

TRAFFIC CONCERNS - INAPPROPRIATE KEEFER'S GLEN ACCESS

Traffic Generation Analysis

Transport assessment data reveals concerning vehicle volumes:

213 vehicle movements/hour during morning school peak (8-9am)
156 vehicle movements/hour during afternoon peak (2:30-3:30pm)
Complete vehicle dependency for all students (85% ASTP transport, 15% private cars)
71 staff members requiring vehicle access
This represents unprecedented traffic loading for a narrow residential lane currently serving just 16 homes.

Direct Impact on Our Street

Traffic surveys document current Brickendon Avenue volumes of 93 vehicles/hour (AM) and 77 vehicles/hour (PM). As the primary connection between Woodbury Park Drive and Keefer's Glen, our residential street faces potential traffic increases of 200-300% during school operating hours.

Council's Professional Assessment

Central Coast Council has categorically rejected the Keefer's Glen access proposal, stating:

"Council will not support this proposal"
"The proposed special needs school will generate considerably higher passenger vehicular movements"
"Residents amenity will be severely affected"
"Keefers Glen was not constructed to facilitate traffic loading associated with a traffic generating development"
"All access to the new school is to be provided via the existing driveway on Gavenlock Road"
This represents authoritative technical assessment that the proposed access is fundamentally inappropriate.

Infrastructure Inadequacy

Multiple technical deficiencies exist:

Substandard carriageway width for proposed traffic volumes
Intersection design limitations preventing safe bus movements
Absence of pedestrian infrastructure creating safety hazards
Parking capacity issues displacing essential resident access
GAVENLOCK ROAD - THE APPROPRIATE SOLUTION

Gavenlock Road provides superior infrastructure characteristics:

Proper road classification with adequate design standards
Existing school zone infrastructure including 40km/h speed restrictions
Proven traffic management successfully serving adjacent St Peter's College
Superior intersection design connecting to Woodbury Park Drive collector road
Direct access to State Road (Wyong Road) and Pacific Highway networks
CONSTRUCTION PERIOD IMPACTS

The 18-month construction timeline presents additional concerns:

Heavy vehicle movements through residential streets unsuited to such traffic
Noise impacts exceeding 75dB(A) "Highly Noise Affected" thresholds
Extended disruption preceding permanent traffic increases
Potential negative impacts on residential property values from construction activity and permanent traffic changes
RESIDENTIAL AMENITY AND PROPERTY VALUES

The combination of construction disruption and significant permanent traffic increases poses genuine risks to our neighbourhood's character and property values. The acoustic assessment acknowledges noise will exceed acceptable management levels, whilst traffic volumes represent a fundamental change to our quiet residential environment.

COMMUNITY MOBILISATION

This issue has galvanised residents throughout Mardi, who recognise the school's importance whilst rejecting inappropriate traffic arrangements. The community consultation process identified residents' desire for "wider Keefer's Glen" - however, simply widening to 6 metres cannot address fundamental infrastructure inadequacy for such traffic volumes.

FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT

While proponents cite flood concerns regarding Gavenlock Road access, emergency management planning can address these issues without forcing inappropriate traffic through residential infrastructure designed for minimal volumes.

POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Approving access explicitly rejected by the responsible traffic authority establishes problematic precedent for prioritising developer convenience over community safety and technical expertise.

RECOMMENDATIONS

I urge NSW Planning to:

Grant approval for this important educational facility
Mandate primary vehicle access via Gavenlock Road per Council recommendation
Restrict Keefer's Glen to emergency access only if any access required
Implement comprehensive traffic monitoring following school opening
This approach delivers essential special education services whilst protecting residential community safety and amenity.

CONCLUSION

This valuable school deserves approval as vital community infrastructure. However, approval must not compromise residential safety through inappropriate traffic arrangements that contradict professional traffic engineering advice.

Central Coast Council's comprehensive technical assessment demonstrates that Keefer's Glen cannot safely accommodate the proposed traffic volumes. Their documented concerns regarding infrastructure capacity, intersection performance, residential amenity, and community safety are well-founded and evidence-based.

Requiring appropriate access via Gavenlock Road ensures this important educational facility can operate successfully whilst maintaining community safety and residential amenity. This represents sound planning that balances competing interests appropriately.

I urge approval of this essential school with mandated access via appropriate infrastructure that can safely accommodate the proposed traffic volumes.

Technical documentation referenced: SSD-67173718 Environmental Impact Statement, Transport & Accessibility Impact Assessment (Traffix Group), Preliminary Construction Traffic Management Plan, Central Coast Council Pre-Development Advice (September 2023, July 2024).