St Clair couple “shocked and scared” over childcare centre plan

Dorotea and Michael Seed and with daughter Nicole Ochoa in their St Clair home. Photo: Melinda Jane.

A St Clair couple fears the proposed development of a child care centre next door to their home of 40 years will ruin their beloved neighbourhood.

Dorotea and Michael Seed have lived on Banks Drive in St Clair for the past four decades, having had their house built in April 1985.

At the beginning of June, they received a letter that a Development Application (DA) had been lodged with Penrith City Council for a 68-place childcare centre to be built next door to them on the corner of Banks Drive and Melville Road.

“We were both shocked, worried and scared as to what it will bring to our lives as retirees,” Michael said.

“We can’t comprehend why there was another childcare needed in our area when there are many already and more being approved.

“We are worried about how it would affect our quality of life.”

The hard-working couple raised their two daughters, Nicole and Justine, in the home but since receiving the letter have had their mental health decline due to the stress of what might happen.

“Since receiving this letter and writing so many emails and talking to people in the community and anyone from our local Council, it has caused us so much stress and anxiety that we have both been to our GP for support and my husband has been back to see his psychologist,” Dorotea said.

“We worry about the increase of congestion and traffic, the noise of construction and then operation, the anxiety as to how it will affect the foundations of our property, the worry we might be forced out of the property and not being able to afford another property and the lack of sunshine due to the two-storey building.”

Both Dorotea and Michael have struggled to understand why the childcare needs to go up where it has been proposed, they even spent close to $1,000 to understand the letter they received regarding the proposal.

“I’m crying every day. I can’t sleep!” Dorotea said through tears.

“We’ve lived here 40 years and then they are doing this! We worked so hard. We expected a peaceful retirement in our own home because we are afraid to go to a nursing home or retirement village.”

The couple want to see their family home preserved as it is, without the construction and noise that will come if the DA is approved, saying it doesn’t fit within the character of the residential street.

“We would like to see the childcare centre not be built next door to our home,” the couple said.

“There are so any childcare centres already in St Clair.

“We would like our voices and reasons of objections to be heard and taken seriously.”

Penrith City Council confirmed they review all submissions made in relation to DAs and take them into consideration during assessment.

“All applications are assessed in accordance with relevant legislation, State and Local Policies along with matters raised in submissions received during the exhibition of the DA,” a spokesperson for Penrith City Council said.

“Council welcomes community input in assessing applications.”

The DA for the childcare centre on Melville Road is currently under review at Penrith City Council.

An answer is expected in the coming months.

Emily Chate

Emily Chate joined The Western Weekender in 2024, and covers local news - primarily courts and politics. A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Emily has contributed to The Daily Telegraph and worked as a freelance journalist.

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