Earlier this year, Bathurst Regional Council approved a 219 lot residential subdivision – plus one rural lot, one open space lot and one lot reserved for possible future school use – on 44 hectares of land behind the school in an area bounded by Freemantle Road and Logan Street.

Until now, the Department of Education said it did not foresee the need for expansion and would not purchase the 1.11 hectare parcel of land from the developer Hynash.

Long before the subdivision was approved by council, Eglinton P&C had voiced concerns that the school was already at bursting point and would struggle to accommodate new enrolments from the subdivision if the block of land was not purchased by the Department.

In a statement provided to the Western Advocate, a Department spokesman said the matter was now being further investigated.

“The Department is continuing to undertake asset planning, and is currently investigating the enrolment demand in the area,” he said.

“Representatives from the Department will meet with Bathurst Regional Council and the Eglinton Public School community, including the principal and P and C, as part of these investigations.”

Eglinton P&C member Annette Taylor said letters from the P&C about the matter to Minister for Education Rob Stokes and Bathurst MP Paul Toole had gone unanswered, but Shadow Minister for Education Jihad Dib had responded.

In a letter to Ms Taylor, Mr Dib shared a response from Mr Stokes that was the same as the Department’s spokesman (above).

Bathurst Regional Council general manager David Sherley wrote to the Department on April 9, 2018, and called for it to consider purchasing the land.

“Council seeks your reconsideration of this matter to ensure that this school and others in Bathurst are able to appropriately expand into the future,” he wrote.

Minister for Education Rob Stokes did not respond to requests for comment.