IN an effort to resolve the Turner Crescent childcare centre dispute, councillor Kevin Duffy says the solution might already lie in Orange City Council's hands.
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Cr Duffy will move on Tuesday night to reclassify council-owned land along Molong Road from public reserve to operational land so access might be created to the proposed centre, in addition to a rescission motion to reverse an earlier approval.
This meeting will mark the fourth time the centre has been considered in the past two months, with residents lobbying to move the access out of Turner Crescent.
Staff have signalled the process would take a number of months because if the intention was to sell the land to the applicant, it would also need to be rezoned to residential.
The [Northern Distributor Road] is busier than the Mitchell Highway these days.
- Councillor Kevin Duffy
But even if councillors decide to go through with the process, staff warned developing the land as an access point might still not be allowed under state policy.
"The Mitchell Highway is a classified road under the care and control of [NSW Roads and Maritime Services]," the report said.
"From a highway safety and efficiency perspective, RMS have previously advised that it is desirable that direct vehicular access to and from private developments is obtained via the local road network, before connecting to the classified road network in a controlled and safe manner."
Cr Duffy was undeterred, saying the RMS would consider a different access if the land was reclassified.
"It's not going to impact the flow [of traffic]," he said.
"You've got [exits off] the Hume Highway, the Great Western Highway - the [Northern Distributor Road] is busier than the Mitchell Highway these days."
The land was originally transferred to the council in 1999 as public reserve after the original subdivision was completed.
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