Dear Editor,

Thank you for your article published on November 3, 2023 regarding the proposed childcare centre at 30 Hospital St, Daylesford. (PLN23/0027). Your readers may be interested to know that the application has drawn considerable community discussion by the site’s immediate neighbours and it is likely there will be objections to the plan.

There are several reasons for this, primarily around traffic and safety. They include:

  • The intersection at Vincent St North and Hospital St is dangerous. It is unsafe and will create traffic congestion. It has two forks and each are single lane. There are several blind spots and there is a risk for increased accidents with possible vehicle movements increased from 10 – 20 cars per day to possibly upwards to 500 movements (100 clients X 4 for drop off and pick up, plus staffing in and out, drop offs, delivery, garbage collection). This is an increase in traffic of potentially 2500%.
  • With increased congestion, access for emergency vehicles to any of the existing homes or the child care centre in an emergency will be severely limited. It will also be difficult to evacuate all residents and users of the childcare centre in an emergency as the roads are inadequate. This is an unsafe proposition for everyone in our neighbourhood!
  • There will be increased vehicle movement in the Hospital St unsealed section between Vincent St North and Millar St, which is meant only to be used as a fire road. This will mean more traffic movements through the surrounding streets and increased dust from the unsealed road which will affect all residents in the area. This will potentially affect the whole “dust bowl” area between Vincent St North (and beyond) in the east, West St in the west, Raglan St in the South and other homes towards Hepburn Springs in the North.
  • There will be increased noise issues in what is currently a semi rural residential area. There will be increased noise from the centre activities, the vehicles picking up and dropping off, and from increased garbage collection and deliveries. Noise travels and will affect many people who live in this part of Daylesford.
  • The proposed child care building does not fit in with the character of the area or other established dwellings in the neighbourhood. It will significantly change the outlook and view for many homes in the area without any “real” acknowledgment or community consultation.
  • There are no footpaths in the section of Hospital St meaning that any pedestrian access to the Childcare centre will be on the road. Local people who currently access Doctors Gully via Hospital St for walking and exercise will be at increased risk from the massive increase in road traffic.

These are just a few of the issues that have been discussed so far by residents and are concerns which may be shared by readers of the Wombat Post. There are many others based on individual circumstances. These will come to light in the coming weeks and months as this plan is discussed at Council.

Bruce Roberts
Daylesford