RFI - Attachment 4 - Traffic Impact Statement · MCU22/0094

 Stockwell Development Group Pty Ltd                               SLR Ref No: 620.30735-R01-v1.2 Traffic Impact Statement 2023 03 30-
 Traffic Impact Statement                                                                                                 update.docx
 Noosaville Childcare Centre                                                                                               March 2023
 Lot 4, Noosa Business Centre




5          Car Parking Considerations
The car parking probable solution for childcare centres of the size proposed herein as specified within Table
9.4.1.4 of Noosa Plan 2020 (the Plan) is summarised within Table 4.

Table 4      Noosa Plan 2020 Probable Solution
 Land Use                                                                                                 Probable Solution
                             Yield     Probable Solution Parking Rate
                                                                                                              Provision
                                       1 space per 2 employees                                                 7.5 spaces
 Childcare centre           15 staff
                                       3 spaces for every employee space                                      22.5 spaces
 TOTAL                                                                                                         30 spaces

The proposed design consists of 31 parking spaces including a dual purpose visitor/turning bay, which achieves
Council’s acceptable outcome as per Table 4 above even when the single dual turnaround bay is excluded from
the calculations given that this dual purpose bay would be less desirable to be utilised.

Stockwell has recently advised that the 15 staff members specified within the development application is the
minimum staffing for the centre to meet the relevant statutory requirements for educator to child ratios based
on the children ages. They have identified that the operator may seek to provide a higher level of amenity which
would necessitate additional staff such as a chef. As such, SLR has sought to understand if the proposed parking
supply will remain adequate to accommodate likely parking demands if the operator were to provide enhanced
amenity such as on-site meal preparation which would necessitate additional staffing beyond the minimum
educator to child ratios.

SLR considers that the visitor (i.e. drop off/pick up) parking demands of a childcare centre are most directly
correlated to the number of children at a centre not the number of staff. For instance, under the generic rates
within the scheme if a chef were to be employed at the centre this would increase the visitor (i.e. drop off/pick
up) parking requirements by 1.5 spaces without any change to the number of children enrolled at the centre
and therefore the inherent level of drop off or pick up activity.

As a consequence, SLR has sought to interrogate if staffing the centre with more than the minimum educator to
child ratios to facilitate enhanced amenity would likely result in additional parking demands beyond the spaces
available at the centre. This assessment has included a comparative assessment against other planning scheme
requirements under which visitor (i.e. drop off/pick up) parking requirements are a function of the number of
children. In addition, surveys of centres operated by the same operator that provide enhanced amenity for the
children beyond the minimum educator to child ratios have been undertaken.




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