Background

The City of Cockburn has received a planning application at 810L Wentworth Parade, Success for a Childcare Centre and a Swim School. The land uses are 'A' uses within the residential zone, meaning that the City is required to advertise the application publicly in accordance with the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015.

About this application

This application for planning approval seeks approval for a new swim school and childcare premises, with associated car parking, access, landscaping, and signage on the development site.

The proposed childcare premises is located at the south-western corner of the site, addressing the corner frontage of Wentworth Parade and Malata Crescent. The childcare facility is proposed to operate 6:30am-6:30pm on weekdays. The facility is comprised of a building totalling 789sqm GFA (647sqm GFA on the ground floor and 142sqm GFA on the upper floor) and an outdoor play area of 697sqm, providing internal and external areas for early education and care services.

The proposed childcare facility will provide 96 places for the following age groups:

• Babies: 26 places
• Pre-kindy: 40 places
• Kindy: 30 places
• Total: 96 places.

The facility includes an upper level which provides an office area and internal and external staff amenities. In terms of staffing, the facility will be serviced by 18 ‘room ratio’ educators with additional provision for centre manager, chef, and support staff.

The proposed swim school is located at the north-western corner of the site, addressing the corner frontage of Wentworth Parade and the Cockburn Gateway Shopping City access driveway. The swim school is comprised of a building totalling 886sqm GFA which includes a pool, change rooms, UAT, staff areas, and back of house areas. The swim school is a facility designed for the delivery of specialised swimming curriculum to babies and small children. The swim school does not include any café or food-based services. The facility operates 6:30am-8pm 7 days per week, delivering swimming curriculum in a structured manner through pre-organised lessons. The lessons are delivered in two ‘shifts’, with the facility usually not providing lessons between 12:30pm – 2:30pm. Approximately 6-7 lessons are provided per shift, with up to 25 kids in the pool for lessons during normal activity and up to 35 kids in the pool for lessons during the peak periods. Staffing at any one time is usually comprised of a manager, a customer service officer, pool supervisors, and swim teachers, which totals 7-10 staff in peak periods.

About the assessment process

The City is not the determining body for this application.

At the end of the advertising period, the City will collate community comments and prepare a Schedule of Submissions. The City will assess the application, considering the submissions and planning framework before making a recommendation to the Metro-Outer Joint Development Assessment Panel (MOJDAP). The MOJDAP will decide the outcome of this planning application.

A Development Assessment Panel (DAP) is an independent decision-making body comprised of technical experts and elected local government members. These panels determine development applications made under local and regional planning schemes in the place of the original decision maker. Visit the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage website for more information.