Child care centres in Whittlesea will be restricted from being built on busy roads and next to service stations under a proposed change to the council’s planning policy.
The council has noted a substantial increase in the number of applications for child care centres, leading to an oversupply of places.
There are 6702 existing or proposed child care places across Whittlesea, however, only 3408 places are needed.
The council said many of the applications are to build centres in inappropriate locations, such as on main roads or next to service stations, car washes and convenience restaurants.
In a bid to address the oversupply, the council will ask Planning Minister Richard Wynne to authorise a change to its planning policy, outlining where centres can be built.
Under the proposed changes, applicants will need to demonstrate that there is a need for another centre.
The council will also prioritise applications for centres next to activity centres or in non-residential/community hub locations that are well-serviced by public transport.
Applications for centres on roads with “very high traffic volumes” will be discouraged.
Cr Emilia Lisa Sterjova welcomed the planned changes, saying there was no need for an oversupply of child care places.
“Why should we have an oversupply of child care centres when we could have other essential services?” she said.
The proposal has drawn criticism from some councillors, who fear the new policy will prevent child care operators from investing in the municipality.
Cr Norm Kelly said he feared the changes would be too restrictive and would “drive people out of the community”.
“I don’t think it is up to council to say how many child care places we need. We don’t determine how many fish and chips shops we have, or how many restaurants we can have up at Uni Hill,” he said.
