Plans for the promised multi-million dollar upgrade of Dapto Public School have gone on public exhibition for the third time in six months.
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The delays have brought into question whether the controversial upgrade will go ahead.
Residents have long complained that traffic around Dapto Public School gridlocks of an afternoon and morning.
Many Horsley residents told the Mercury they feared the situation was only going to get worse once the school gets its upgrade, which will see student capacity increase towards 1000 students.
But the latest delays centre around concerns about the planning and design phase of the upgrade.
One of the proposed buildings is 2.3 metres above the 9m height limit.
There are also issues with drainage and traffic congestion which need to be resolved.
But the Department of Education (DoE) told the Mercury the upgrade was on track to be ready for students for early 2021.
The school project aims to cater for current and projected growth in the area and will deliver 20 new permanent class rooms, upgraded administration facilities, library, canteen, student toilets and outdoor learning areas.
Demountables will be removed upon completion.
The upgrade will accommodate up to 875 students in permanent classrooms. The school currently has an enrollment of 738 students.
A spokesperson said the DoE was working closely with Wollongong Council to ensure all the development application (DA) conditions are met to allow for construction to begin on the school upgrade.
"The council has asked the department for further information including additional traffic modelling, peer review of the Statement of Environmental Effects, and consideration of impacts from adjoining properties," the spokesperson said.
"The department is addressing the council's requests with a redesign of the building currently underway to mitigate concerns from adjoining properties."
Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery though remained particularly concerned with the intensification of students that will go to the school and the associated traffic issues.
Cr Bradbery said the council nominated eight sites where West Dapto's schools should go but the NSW Government is yet to commit to any new educational facilities in the area.
"The only one they seem interested in is bumping up the school numbers of this particular school," he said.
"They are pushing the boundaries of what we believe is acceptable but at the same time what concerns me most is the traffic issues and having that number of students around that particular location, which will be on a major thoroughfare, especially when the Fowlers Road extension is complete.
"Even now we've got problems with the drop-off and pick up of children.
"The upgrade is just going to exacerbate the problems, not lessen them in any way as far as I can understand."