Your Letters

Childcare centre closing not a good thing

As a parent of two children at Bondi Public School, I am concerned that pressure has been applied behind the scenes to force the school to provide a child care centre on its grounds because the Benevolent Society is closing down the Maurice O’Sullivan Childcare centre at the end of the year.

At a time when our prime minister has made universal childcare a key topic of his 2020 Summit, it defies reason that we are getting rid of existing childcare centres in Waverley (especially the more affordable ones). There has been a lot of misleading information floating around and the school community feels that we aren’t being given the full story here.

Whatever happens, Bondi Public School will suffer greatly from the dust, traffic and noise that would be generated by a building development of this scale over an extended period. Despite assurances from the Benevolent Society, parking will be an enduring problem around the school as a result of this development. What’s more, surely Bondi is built up enough already’ To put a couple of 10-storey (yes, 10) tower blocks in such a densely populated area cannot be a good idea. Why does it have to be so high’ Nearby Penkivil Street has already been ruined by the imposition of large apartment buildings up and down the street.

The Benevolent Society seems to be some sort of sacred cow, above any criticism. This has to change. Their proposed development is far from appropriate for this area and even its oft-stated commitment to low income elderly citizens is paper-thin.

The intention to include a bar, florist and so on the site shows that this is clearly being pitched at aging cashed up baby boomers despite the slick BS advertising campaign in the local media. Why not include a childcare centre on the site’ It doesn’t have to be a ghetto for old people.
Andrew Worssam
Bondi

Not a charitable development

What is happening in Sydney these days, when even charities are becoming developers’
The Benevolent Society, which had land in Ocean St Bondi gifted to them in 1917, now intends to build a retirement village of two 10-storey apartment blocks and a cluster of 4 to 8 storey buildings containing 127 units ‘ 10 per cent of which will be for needy people, and the rest sold for profit on the open market.
They maintain that the units are for the elderly, but no provision is being made for in-house help!
As far as we can tell, the only help will have to come from outside, so because of insufficient provision having been made for parking space (80 car spaces for 127 apartments) this will result in clogging up traffic in both Ocean and Wellington Streets where parking space is at a premium at any time.
This wealthy charity is determined to become wealthier, while adjoining residents whose properties are considerably lower in height, will suffer loss of light, sun and views, and be inundated with traffic, not to mention the strain on the environment with water, sewerage, electricity, vehicle pollution and destroying a number of trees to make way for the buildings.
The Maurice O’Sullivan Children’s Day Care Centre which has been run by the Society for more that three decades is closing its doors at the end of this year, and no provision is being made to replace it in the new project.
This will leave working parents who very much relied on the centre in a most unenviable position.
Surely Waverley Council cannot let this happen’
Fay and Larry Zeilic
Bondi