Letters to the Editor
21 May, 2026
Letter to the Editor - Childcare
Dear Editor, I recently read your articles regarding the approval of the childcare centres on Eridge Park Road and Farnborough Drive
Dear Editor,
I recently read your articles regarding the approval of the childcare centres on Eridge Park Road and Farnborough Drive and wanted to raise concerns about another childcare proposal currently before council — DA 26/2306 for a proposed 102-place childcare centre at 26 Old South Road, Bowral.
While childcare services are absolutely needed in the Southern Highlands, there appears to be a growing trend toward increasingly large-scale centres being proposed within residential areas. Many residents are concerned that the scale of these developments is now exceeding what is appropriate for established neighbourhoods.
What makes the Old South Road proposal particularly concerning is the intensity of the development compared to other recently approved centres in the area. Despite being proposed on a site understood to be less than half the size of some other approved childcare developments, it is seeking approval for a significantly larger 102-place centre, including a basement car park and a substantial number of parking spaces.
The acoustic reports submitted with the application also predict noise levels reaching right up to the maximum allowable limits. Residents are concerned about the real-world implications of this, particularly given the proposal allows for up to 90 children outdoors at one time with no clearly restricted outdoor play timeframes identified.
The proposed operating hours (6am - 7pm & longer than most) would also have a significant impact on surrounding residents, with activity beginning early each weekday morning and continuing into the evening across extended daily operating hours, with closures only on public holidays. In practical terms, this means neighbouring residents could potentially be exposed to near-constant traffic movement, vehicle doors, conversations, outdoor play noise and general activity throughout the working week in what has traditionally been a quiet residential area.
Further concern has been raised regarding some of the assumptions relied upon within the acoustic management measures. These include expectations that parents with unsettled or crying children utilise lifts within the basement car park, requests for parents to avoid raising their voices, and requests for drivers not to sound vehicle horns within the car park area. Many residents question how realistic or enforceable these behavioural assumptions are within the day-to-day operation of a busy 102-place childcare facility.
Importantly, I say this not only as a nearby resident, but also as a parent with children who attend childcare themselves. I fully understand the need for quality childcare services within the community. However, I would personally feel far more comfortable with my children attending a centre of a more typical local size — approximately 40–60 children — rather than a 102-place facility where up to 90 children may be using outdoor play areas at the same time. At that scale, it no longer feels like a standard neighbourhood childcare centre, but instead a very large commercial operation placed directly amongst surrounding homes.
To be clear, this is not opposition to childcare centres themselves. If this were a standard-sized centre more consistent with the scale of many established local childcare facilities, residents likely would not have the same level of concern.
However, a 102-place commercial childcare facility positioned among surrounding homes feels excessive for the site and raises broader questions about overdevelopment, residential amenity, traffic impacts and planning controls within Wingecarribee.
There is also concern within the community that, with the number of childcare DAs currently being lodged across the region, the area may soon move toward an oversupply of large centres concentrated within residential streets.
I felt this may be an issue of wider community interest.
Stacey Jones, Bowral.
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