A three-bedroom home in a Barrack Heights street could become a childcare centre under plans before Shellharbour City Council.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The development application proposed demolishing the garage and carport at 30 Bass Street and renovating the home to turn it into a 29-space childcare centre.
That will include a nursery, two indoor play areas and one outdoor play area, with the centre catering for four babies, five two-to-three year olds and 20 children between three and five.
"The scale of the centre is residential in nature, the aesthetic presents both residential and commercial characteristics to achieves a design which is complementary to a residential setting (single-storey and pitched roof form) whilst still being clearly distinguishable from dwellings as a childcare centre," the statement of environmental effects said.
"The outdoor play areas have been primarily located in the north and western sides, where the maximum separation from existing/future residential properties can be achieved."
There will be on-site parking for four cars but the application also requested the use of two on-street spaces which "would serve as drop-off and pick up points for parents or as potential parking for a staff member".
The application referred to a 2023 report that found 42 per cent of people in regional NSW lived in a "childcare desert", defined as having one childcare place for every three children in the area.
"Childcare places are concentrated in the wealthiest areas and where fees were highest, suggesting there is an incentive for providers to open in wealthier areas where families can afford to pay higher fees," the statement of environmental effects said.
"Greater numbers of women with a child under five were in the workforce in locations where more childcare places were available.
"The shortage of childcare places is a concern for both the economy and children's early development. There is a huge body of evidence showing the positive long-term impacts produced by high-quality early learning in setting children up for success as they transition to school, with the benefits continuing throughout their life."
The statement of environmental effects also said a traffic count was taken out over two days and found "no significant vehicular traffic" was observed.
"The lack of substantial traffic during the observed periods suggests that the proposed change of use development to a 29 place childcare centre will not have a significant immediate impact on the existing traffic conditions in the area," the statement said.
The development application is on public exhibition until April 15.