ORANGE could soon have an extra 112 childcare spaces available if a new $1 million centre is given the OK for the corner of McLachlan and Dalton streets.
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The operator of the yet-to-be-named centre, Troy Allen, hopes it could be opened as early as December to ease the city’s childcare shortage.
Along with wife Erin, he operates centres in Wollongong, Wellington and Dubbo.
“All the research we’ve done suggests there’s a shortage in this area,” he said.
Mr Allen said the demand for more childcare was a result of Cadia Valley Operations and Orange attracting more residents as one of the Evocities.
Currently Orange has enough childcare spaces to cater for about 600 children, but has about 200 on waiting lists, particularly in the zero to three age group, according to the centre’s application.
At full capacity the centre will employ 24 full-time equivalent staff and will operate from 6am to 6pm, five days per week.
Mr Allen said there was a demand for 24-hour childcare in city areas, but less so in regional areas and longer operating hours would increase staff costs.
While the building would be a “stock standard” childcare centre the backyard would be unique, Mr Allen said.
“We’re going to have a dry creek and a rock wall, but we haven’t finalised the plans,” he said.
“It used to be about getting rid of all the good fun stuff and putting softfall in, but the department [of education] is trying to get us all back to nature.”
Councillors raised safety concerns about the site’s proximity to the roundabout, during the process of rezoning the former Transgrid site to make way for the centre.
Mr Allen said it had also been one of his concerns, but he was confident the access from McLachlan Street would be safe.
“There will be a turning lane off the street and all the buildings will be moved off that roundabout,” he said.
The building’s designer Ben O’Halloran said he deliberately pulled the buildings back from Dalton Street so the play area would catch the northern sun.
Its not the first childcare centre he has designed and he won’t be the only local to work on the centre.
“The idea is to keep it to the scale of a house,” he said.
“As kids move through their education the buildings should reflect where they are in their lives.
“Little ones spend most of their time at home.”
Mr O’Halloran said the building would have more parking than required so everyone could park off the street.
The childcare centre will start calling for enrolments later this year.
clare.colley@fairfaxmedia.com.au