A development application has been lodged to build a new childcare centre at Mudjimba, adding to an early education provider’s growing network on the Coast.
The proposal is for a 96-place centre with capacity for 15 staff, to be located at 687 and 689 David Low Way, on a 1443sqm site near the Mudjimba Multisports Complex.
The land is made up of two blocks and has been contracted for purchase from the current owners, who have provided consent for the development application. The site will be amalgamated into a single lot and redeveloped, replacing two existing residential homes.
If approved the new centre would be operated by Smartland Boutique Early Learning and open Monday to Friday from 6.30am to 6.30pm.
The Smartland website says it already has centres at Maroochydore, Minyama, Mountain Creek and Sippy Downs on the Sunshine Coast, as well as Coffs Harbour, Ripley and two in Port Macquarie.
Related story: Early learning operator opens fourth Coast centre
The application, prepared by Murray Bell Planning Co on behalf of Smartland Property Pty Ltd, seeks approval for a material change of use for a childcare centre and associated operational work.
A development application report says the proposed two-storey, 10.77m-high building would be below the maximum permitted 12m height. It would provide 740sqm of gross floor area, with 30 car parking spaces.
Facilities would include a ground-floor nursery for 12 children with 100sqm of outdoor play space and first-floor areas for 84 children aged two and over with 596sqm of outdoor play space.
The planning report said the applicant wanted to “capitalise on the premier location of the subject site” by delivering a new childcare centre.
“The proposed centre will deliver high-quality, long-day childcare services for local residents, and the intended local operator and developer, Smartland Early Learning, has identified a short- and long-term need within the catchment area,” it said.
“There is limited new centre development in the pipeline and parents are experiencing significant cost-of-living pressures. The average fees have grown by over 7 per cent in the past 12 months, indicative of the strong underlying demand and limited places.
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“The proposal will therefore benefit the community, while also delivering a well-designed and practical commercial building that supports the broader goals of enhancing and consolidating the existing Local Centre.”
Access would be via a new single left-in, left-out crossover to David Low Way. Because the site is within 25m of the state-controlled David Low Way, the application requires referral to the State Assessment Referral Agency.
Traffic engineers assessed the centre as generating 72 vehicle movements per hour in the morning peak and 62 in the afternoon, which the report said was “considered low impact for a sub-arterial, state-controlled road”.
The applicant said the facility was designed to address “existing and future local community need” and would “provide families with high-quality child-minding services within proximity to their principal place of residence”.
“The development will appeal to busy parents, providing ease of pick up and drop off in a highly accessible location adjacent to local centre services,” the report said.
The application is code assessable.
