One of the shire’s longest-running playgroup centres will be closed and the land sold for housing under a proposal by Sutherland Shire Council.
Between 150 to 200 children a week use the Gymea Bay Children’s Resource Centre, including children with disabilities, but Sutherland Shire Council said the site is surplus to the council’s requirements following the restructure of its Family Day Care operations in 2016.
A council planning committee report recommends rezoning of the land from public recreation to low density residential and for it to be sold at auction.
Playgrounds NSW has expressed its concern over the loss of the venue and Councillor Barry Collier called the plan “appalling”.
The site at 276B Gymea Bay Road is presently occupied by a Council Children’s Services Family Day Care centre.
The 708 square-metre triangular site is bordered by Gymea Bay Road and Greygum Place.
The site has been used by Children’s Service to facilitate play sessions for Family Day Care Educators as well as local playgroups.
A restructure of Family Day Care in 2016 has resulted in Children’s Services no long facilitating playgroups at Gymea Bay.
The site is currently hired out to local playgrounds and is utilised on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10am to 12pm.
“The present usage of the site does not facilitate public access and the use is redundant to the local community needs,” the council report said.
“The close proximity of alternative suitably equipped public recreation facilities meets the current and future needs of the community.
“These factors support the council divesting itself of the property.”
Councillor Barry Collier told the Planning Committee that he was appalled that this proposal.
"The Shire community has every right to feel outraged. Not only has this Draconian proposal been put up to Councillors 'out of the blue' without any prior discussion and without full research, the community has not been consulted in any way shape or form,” he said.
"The proposal shows a complete lack of understanding not just of the activities conducted at the facility for the 150 local young children each week but of the important role of playgroups for very young children, their parents and grandparents.
"The report's conclusion that the present usage of the facility is ' redundant to community needs' is just plain ridiculous and an affront to common sense.
“If we close this facility and sell it off, we are not only putting capital gains before the future of our children and our grandchildren, we a falling short of our commitments and failing the shire community, " Cr Collier said.
Playgrounds NSW deputy chief executive officer Karen van Woundenberg said the Gymea Bay site is one of Playgroup NSW’s longest-running services.
“We are very concerned when one of our strongest and most vital playgrounds could lose its venue,” she said.
“We have used it since 1987 which is a real testimony to the value of this service.
“Around 150 to 200 chilen a week use the centre; that’s a lot of children who will have to find somewhere else to go.
“We have five sessions a week for 0 to five-year-olds plus a disability support playgroup called My Time for parents who have a child with a disability.
“This gives a quality support play experience for children with a disability and their siblings while their parents get support activities.”
Louise Williams sends her sons, Eric, three, and Mark, one, to the playgroup.
“I’m new to the area and so the playgroup has been excellent support for me,” she said.
“Originally we were with a mother’s group and we wanted to do more activity with a playgroup.
“This group uses singalong, storytelling, craft and sensory activity.
“It’s an excellent group for both the parents, who get support from other parents, but also for children.
“It’s great for their development. They do a lot of activities they wouldn’t get at home.
“There’s probably close to 70 families who use the center and some have two kids.
“They come from all over the shire - Kirrawee, Cronulla, Engadine.
“They have a really good outdoor area for kids with a very large sandpit, lots of outdoor and indoor toys.
“This centre has a lot of rescources.”
