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State Significant Development

Determination

Catherine McAuley Catholic College

Port Stephens

Current Status: Determination

Interact with the stages for their names

  1. SEARs
  2. Prepare EIS
  3. Exhibition
  4. Collate Submissions
  5. Response to Submissions
  6. Assessment
  7. Recommendation
  8. Determination

Catherine McAuley Catholic College

Consolidated Consent

Consolidated Consent SSD-8989-Mod-2__

Archive

Uncategorised (1)

Request for SEARs (1)

EIS (240)

Agency Submissions (9)

Response to Submissions (57)

Determination (4)

Approved Documents

Management Plans and Strategies (18)

Agreements (1)

Reports (21)

Independent Reviews and Audits (7)

Notifications (2)

Other Documents (14)

Note: Only documents approved by the Department after November 2019 will be published above. Any documents approved before this time can be viewed on the Applicant's website.

Complaints

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Enforcements

There are no enforcements for this project.

Inspections

27/05/2020

17/10/2022

24/11/2022

3/04/2023

30/11/2023

Note: Only enforcements and inspections undertaken by the Department from March 2020 will be shown above.

Submissions

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Showing 1 - 10 of 10 submissions
Name Withheld
Comment
Medowie , New South Wales
Message
I am in favour of the Catherine Mcauley Catholic School being built in
Medowie ,however , I am concerned about the access and the current
traffic situation re South street and Medowie Road as it is now , let
alone adding more traffic to the area when the School is built . I
travel to Newcastle daily , turning left coming out of South Street
and also turn right out of South street many times through out the
weekend and at other periods , re living in sylvan Ave ,( I have
extended family who also use this intersection daily ) trying to turn
right of an afternoon in peak period is crazy , we sometimes go around
South Street, James road , Ferodale Road to enter Medowie Road . I was
hoping that Port Stephens Council was thinking of combining the school
access with the South Street/ Medowie Road intersection with a
roundabout , as Medowie is growing fast along with the Pacific Dunes
Area . I hope my concerns are listened to as I know a lot of people
living in my area feel the same . Can you please let me know that you
have received this concern as well as any upcoming information re my
concerns .Thank you
Name Withheld
Support
Medowie , New South Wales
Message
This school is going to be wonderful for the growth of Medowie. This area
desperately needs more educational opportunities for young families.
To have a facility that caters for a huge range of needs K-12 will
make Medowie a place where people will want to live.
I hope some good planning has gone into road traffic around the entry
point to the school and exiting from South Street.
Name Withheld
Support
Raymond Terrace , New South Wales
Message
Looking forward to seeing a Catholic high school that my children will be
able to attend and have the opportunity to be part of a new high
school experience.
Name Withheld
Support
Raymond Terrace , New South Wales
Message
This is a vital piece of infrastructure for the Port Stephens community
and should be approved ASAP
Nicholas Diemar
Support
Nelson Bay , New South Wales
Message
I believe this school will be a great asset to the Medowie community
which is in great need of secondary educational facilities.
Furthermore the chapel will provide greater liturgical services to the
community than what is currently available.

I believe the architecture of the school is within keeping with the
Medowie township with the buildings set back from the road keeping the
feeling of open space.

I look forward to this fantastic facility for the community opening as
soon as possible.
Rebecca Reed
Support
Nelson Bay , New South Wales
Message
I'm very excited about this project. I have young children and the option
of having a Catholic school within our area is very welcome. My oldest
child currently has to travel to Newcastle to attend Catholic high
school. He has struggled with the distance and travel time.
I also believe this project shows sufficient future planning for the
projected growth of our area.
E.C Ellis
Comment
Medowie , New South Wales
Message
Submission Attached
Attachments
Port Stephens Council
Comment
Raymond Terrace , New South Wales
Message
Pleas see attached documents
Attachments
Ian Warby
Object
Medowie , New South Wales
Message
Before I start my submission, I would like to point out that the `drop
down box' ("your view on the application" - below the submission box)
does not provide adequate options:
* I'm just providing comments
* I support it
* I object to it
It is compulsory to make a selection in this `drop down' box - and the
limited choices could give a false skew when quoting statistics e.g.
80% of locals support it or similar. How do you say you support the
application, but you have a few objections - not just comments, but
objections.
I ticked "I object to it", however I actually support the idea of the
school being built at the location - but on the proviso that:
* Road Safety, road infrastructure and traffic flow are all studied
and catered for prior to approval being given
* The local residents are treated with respect - respect their choice
to live in a quiet `dead-end' street, with no traffic and/or roadside
parking, limited machinery noise and relatively clean air.
_______________________________________________________

I note that the proposed entrance to the site is via Medowie Road,
however the application has numerous mentions of additional access via
Kingfisher Close e.g.
* "The proposed development will also have access to Kingfisher Close
on the northern boundary"
* "Future access may also be provided from Kingfisher Close"

I would hope that access via Kingfisher Close would be completely
banned for all construction traffic.
Both Blueberry Road and Kingfisher Close are not capable of support
such construction traffic, and if permitted, would adversely affect
the infrastructure, cause issues with traffic flow (a very narrow
street) and it would severely impact on the peaceful environment that
the locals currently enjoy.

Access for normal school traffic should also be banned from using a
Kingfisher Close access point.
The road is clearly not built to accommodate the extra traffic
resulting from the day-to-day operation of the school facilities, and
it is already hard enough to exit Blueberry Road (onto Medowie Road) -
due to the increasing traffic (from both directions) and the presence
of summit 100 metres to the north on Medowie road. The new development
should provide a well-planned access point on Medowie Road (opposite
South Street), where the terrain is much more level than it is at the
Blueberry Road area. The traffic on Medowie Road is getting heavier by
the day, and will experience further growth once the upgrade to the
Air Force base (further down Medowie Road) is completed. Road safety
should be paramount in the planning process for a new school, and the
planners should study the major roadworks that are currently being
carried out at the Air Force base - consideration to past experiences
and future traffic growth has assisted in the design for their traffic
flow solution.
Parking should be banned in both Blueberry Road and Kingfisher Close -
except for local residents
These two roads are very narrow and fall away to culverts on both
sides, which become very soft and boggy after periods of rain.
I note from the application that the developer expects to utilise the
local streets for parking e.g. "Parking demand will increase and will
be managed through drop off and pick up zones, parking in local areas
and on site parking". Large developments never provide enough on-site
parking to accommodate their day-to-day needs, so the local residents
can expect to be inundated with vehicles parking on their streets.
There are only two local streets that you would expect to be used
(Blueberry and Kingfisher), as all other local streets are across the
other side of the busy Medowie road thoroughfare.
Kingfisher Close is extremely narrow and oncoming traffic are required
to straddle the grass verge to pass each other - and the grass verge
slopes away to culverts, as mentioned earlier.
Local residents rarely park on the street, but should be permitted to
continue this practice - however non-resident parking should be
prohibited. When parking spaces are in limited supply, people tend to
park anywhere - happy to offload their car whilst they attend work,
school or whatever. They return at the end of the day to collect their
car, with no thought at all about the inconvenience they may have
caused the locals during their time at work/school. One could just
imagine the difficulty any traffic would have on such a narrow road
with people parking on the limited grass verge on either side of the
roadway:
* Local traffic attempting to pass oncoming traffic
* Gaining access to our driveways could become a mission in itself
* Garbage bins would have to be placed in the middle of the road
* Garbage trucks may not be able to gain access at all
* The 8 residents of Kingfisher (all 5 acre farms) have horses, and
parked vehicles would deny them access to their properties when
maneuvering horse floats in and out
* As the properties are all rural, they often require large delivery
trucks to access their properties - delivering horses, metal, produce
etc. This is hard enough now, but would be impossible with parked cars
providing further obstacles

I note the inclusion of the following statement, in the application:
"A Traffic Impact Assessment will prepared to consider impact of
vehicles on the local road network. As discussed previously, the
proposed development is likely to be considered Traffic Generating
Development and require referral to RMS"
Common sense would tell me that such studies should be undertaken
before any approval is given. It's absurd to think that someone would
propose to perform an activity, knowing too well that there will be
certain impacts/repercussions - yet not include a plan to rectify the
perceived impacts.
Local and/or State Governments should not be approving any
development, without due consideration to the safety of citizens -
therefore a properly designed road infrastructure model should be
developed for the Medowie Road/South Street/School Entrance area,
prior to approving this development (as is currently being constructed
at the RAAF Base further along Medowie Road).
Attachments
Name Withheld
Comment
Medowie , New South Wales
Message
Catherine Macauley Catholic College is a needed and most welcomed
development for Medowie. It is reassuring that the Catholic Schools
Office recognises Medowie in their plans. I am enthusiastic for
building to begin. The proposed development of the school is very
impressive. It appears to be a modern and stimulating environment for
young minds to develop within.

I would like to lodge my specific concerns for pedestrian school
children. I acknowledge that a signalised Medowie Road and South
Street intersection includes pedestrian phases and a 40km/h school
speed zone. But, I remain concerned for the safety of future school
children. This is due to the form of Medowie Road, the types of
vehicles that frequent Medowie Road and the number of children who
would need to cross the road to the school to attend the school and
catch buses from the site.

The Traffic Impact Assessment (May 2018) states that the north side of
Medowie Road has a crest that "creates a short length of Medowie Road
where stopping sight distance is not available". The report documents
that "a vehicle can disappear from a driver's view for a brief
moment". Though the report suggests that this could be mitigated with
"a high mast arm for signals and a flashing yellow sign to advise of
queues ahead", I would suggest that this is not enough. Many heavy
vehicles use Medowie Road as an exit point from the highway in to
Newcastle. The combination of a known blind spot with an extended
braking period for heavy vehicles would immediately comprise the
safety of any pedestrian utilising the signalled crossing at Medowie
Road and South Street.

Each morning and afternoon, there are approximately 4-5 buses that
stop within South Street, allowing school students to board or alight
and to swap buses from the one that picked them up and change to the
one that will get them to their correct destination (and vice versa).
This area of South Street is colloquially referred to as the "Medowie
Bus Interchange", though there is no seating or shelter available at
this location. It is likely that the activities of this area would
transfer to the bus bays of Catherine Macauley Catholic College, once
built. With the number of children that would be boarding or alighting
from these buses, I would propose that there must be the safest method
in place for these children to cross the busy Medowie Road. Also to
this, Medowie Road encounters peak usage that aligns with the start
and finish time of staff at the Royal Air Force Base at Williamtown.
My concern is that this also aligns with the time that students would
need to cross Medowie Road to board/alight from buses.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2017) reports that 1
in 4 children (aged 2-17) are overweight or obese, and the prevalence
of overweight and obesity among Australian children is rising. I
understand the important considerations that new schools should
accommodate in their development and construction, in order to foster
active lifestyles and healthy behaviours. The Medowie Road and South
Street Intersection should provide safe passage for school students to
walk, cycle, scooter or skate to school. Whilst I do appreciate that a
signalised intersection could assist, an ideal passage would not be
hampered by traffic lights, nor light and heavy vehicles.

In the interest of the health and safety of school students, I would
like the following amendments to be considered for to be incorporated
in to the development of Catherine Macauley Catholic College, Medowie:

· The Medowie Road and South Street intersection be signalised as
proposed.

· The Medowie Road and South Street intersection include the removal
of the hill crest from the northern side of the intersection.

· The proposed provisions for pedestrians include the construction of
a modern pedestrian bridge, free from interaction with the traffic.
The elevated crossing should include stairs for pedestrian, as well as
access ramps for wheelchair-bound students and those that choose to
cycle, scooter or skate.

I appreciate your consideration of this feedback and my suggestions. I
look forward to witnessing the build of the Catherine Macauley
Catholic College in Medowie and my children attending the school once
built.

Kindest Regards.
Attachments

Pagination

Project Details

Application Number
SSD-8989
Assessment Type
State Significant Development
Development Type
Educational establishments
Local Government Areas
Port Stephens
Decision
Approved
Determination Date
Decider
ED
Last Modified By
SSD-8989-Mod-2
Last Modified On
14/01/2022

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