"There is an urgency with this. It's about safety."
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
That's what West Bathurst Preschool Management Committee president Cindy Houston says about the status of a car park used by the preschool's parents.
- "The church will permit the use of the car park area by members of the public": see council's response below
Ms Houston says the Church of Christ car park, which is next to West Bathurst Preschool on Windradyne's Wark Parade, has been used by the preschool's parents under a long-term formal agreement with the church and council.
Council maintains the car park on behalf of the church, Ms Houston said, and in return the parents have a safe place to drop off and pick up their children.
IN OTHER NEWS AROUND BATHURST:
But Ms Houston says staff from businesses in Westpoint Shopping Centre, which is below the preschool on Wark Parade, are parking in the church car park and leaving limited spaces for parents at pick-up time.
"Westpoint Centre Management have been supportive of our position, but it seems some tenants are insisting on parking in the limited space available in the church car park rather than at Westpoint or on the street," she said.
The result, she said, "is limited car parks available in the safest parking zone for the preschool, which is adjacent to the preschool, forcing small children and parents to cross a now busy traffic area".
The problem reached a head last Thursday morning when the church closed its car park for a funeral - to prevent spaces being taken in the morning and used all day, according to Ms Houston - and preschool parents had to walk their children from the Westpoint car park across busy driveways.
"There are no safe places, such as zebra crossings, to cross from Westpoint to the rest of Wark Parade," she said.
"There is poor visibility due to a low wall and restricted parking conditions outside Balance childcare due to construction at Westpoint."
Ms Houston - who wanted to stress that the church was supportive of the preschool's position - said council could solve the problem by clarifying the car park's status.
"Council can swiftly resolve the issue by clearing up whether the church car park is private land, which means Westpoint staff can't park there, or council-controlled land, where council can install parking signs, monitoring and enforcement," she said.
She said pick-ups and drop-offs are not allowed in the preschool staff car park on the site because it is not considered safe.
"A minibus performs shuttles for disadvantaged children to attend the service. The minibus reverses into this staff car park, which makes the area unsafe for parents to drop off and pick up," she said.
Council's response
BATHURST Regional Council general manager David Sherley says council has been in contact with West Bathurst Preschool Management Committee in relation to concerns about the use of the car park near the facility (see main story).
"There is currently a Deed of Agreement in place between The Churches of Christ Property Trust and Bathurst Regional Council which was signed in 2006," Mr Sherley said.
"The agreement stipulates that the church will permit the use of the car park area by members of the public for the purpose of short to medium stay car parking.
"Unless the prior written consent of the church is obtained, the use of the car park area shall be restricted to private passenger vehicles for stays of no longer than 12 hours."
Mr Sherley said council's engineering staff "are currently investigating the status of car parking in the Westpoint vicinity with the intention of providing further clarification as required".
