New education facilities at West Dapto will suffer because of the government’s ‘‘short-sightedness’’ towards population growth, Shellharbour MP Anna Watson says.
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The Draft Illawarra Regional Growth and Infrastructure Plan has flagged that 11 new schools – eight primary and three secondary – will be needed in the West Lake Illawarra urban release area to cater for the area’s future needs.
The report, published by the Department of Planning and Environment in October last year, gave a five to 20-year timeframe for their implementation and indicated the Department of Education and Communities (DEC) was ‘‘monitoring housing construction, enrolment growth and property opportunities’’ in the area, which includes West Dapto and Calderwood.
Before the March state election, Labor pledged a $44 million spend on an ‘‘education precinct’’ in the sprawling area, which has been dubbed one of the state’s key growth suburbs.
Ms Watson is concerned Education Minister Adrian Piccoli’s decision to rule out investigating a new high school at Flinders or Shell Cove will have more far-reaching implications.
‘‘It seems the minister’s view will be the same dismissal of the need for a new high school at West Dapto,’’ she said.
A DEC spokesman said there was ‘‘spare capacity in all the high schools in the Dapto area’’ and its demographers constantly monitored population changes and forecast the long-term effect of them on schools.
‘‘In planning for the provision of educational facilities, the department considers clusters of schools and identifies strategies to address each cluster’s long-term needs,’’ the spokesman said.
‘‘This planning takes account of other agencies’ work, such as the Department of Planning and Environment plan referred to, of which the Department of Education is aware.’’
The spokesman said the department also worked closely with Illawarra councils and developers to keep track of population growth and ensure cluster strategies accommodated the increase.
‘‘Before the department decides whether an area needs a new high school, the department assesses the capacity, demand, and potential to redevelop the area’s existing high schools,’’ he said.
‘‘A new high school may be one of the strategies identified for a cluster of schools which are experiencing significant growth.’’
The spokesman said future capital works would be confirmed in the state government’s annual budgets.
Ms Watson said a school for children with a disability was also needed in her electorate because they were also at peak enrolment levels.
