'Eminently sensible': Council approves school classrooms, considers parking issue

All councillors present at the April 18 meeting approved a development application to demolish the temporary art building and build a new Inquiry and Environment Centre at Scotch Oakburn College's Elphin Campus.

City of Launceston councillors previously approved a development application for the project in December 2022. However, this did not come to fruition.

The designs have changed since they were last before the council. The new plans call for a single-storey building containing four classrooms, a dedicated arts studio and inquiry room, and collaborative spaces.

Councillors were broadly supportive of the proposal; however, nearby residents objected to the development over concerns about staff parking.

Council planning officers said the number of staff was a condition of the permit and had not changed since the previous permit was granted.

However, councillor Danny Gibson proposed an amendment to that condition, namely that representatives from the school brief the council on staffing numbers each school year to ensure ongoing compliance.

"The addition of the classrooms could see - the response is that it's not the intent - but the addition of the rooms could see a 20 - up to 25 per cent - increase of enrollments at the junior school or an additional stream per year level one to five," he said.

"That's certainly possible with the construction of this center.

"We have it on authority ... that is not the intent. We have no reason to believe that it is, but I think what this does is over time ensure that there is an opportunity for us to revisit it with a permit condition."

Councillor Tim Walker, who voted against the previous permit in December 2022, said the amendment was an "eminently sensible idea".

"I don't envy private schools' struggles with their growth," Cr Walker said.

"They are quite often located in suburban areas with limited space out over the years and this is happening all over Australia, not just in Tasmania, not just in Launceston."

The only councillor who was not present for the vote was deputy mayor Hugh McKenzie, who left the room citing a conflict of interest.