School move-site competition fears

A proposal to use the existing building which houses KingsView School for additional early...
A proposal to use the existing building which houses KingsView School for additional early childhood education and community activities is opposed by six parties including the Queenstown Airport Corporation. Photo by James Beech.
State integration of a Queenstown special-character school may lead to competition with overcrowded Wakatipu schools for sites designated by the Ministry of Education, a hearing commissioner says.

Commissioner Christine Kelly made the observation yesterday during the hearing for a resource consent application to expand the existing KingsView School into early childhood education, before the school planned to move to a custom-built facility on an unknown date when the ministry saw fit.

The Christian School Association of Queenstown, a charitable trust, applied to use the existing leased building, within which the primary school operates on Yewlett Cres, Frankton, as premises for the KingsView Early Learning Centre and as a hall for pupils, It would be managed for the community by the Salvation Army.

Association counsel Russell Ibbotson told commissioners Kelly and David Collins the mixed non-denominational Christian school advised its neighbours and community it always intended to move to a new site and increase its roll from an already consented 100 pupils to 300 pupils, to provide "education options and choice for families in the Wakatipu".

However, there was a "dire need" for the proposed expansion into early childhood education in the community in the meantime, Mr Ibbotson said.

The "modest" application was prompted not only by the agreement to elevate the school to ministry standards, but the board of trustees' need for future certainty as the school's existing resource consent was due to expire in February 2013, he said.

"With three applications under your belt [since February 2007], it's an expensive business," Ms Kelly said.

Mr Ibbotson said the latest application was lodged with the written approval of 19 neighbours or near neighbours. Six submissions were lodged when the application was publicly notified and four called for it to be declined on issues of precedent, erosion of residential amenity values, traffic increases, inadequate parking, "noise issues" and the suitability of having an early learning centre and community hall in the same building as a tavern.

The Queenstown Airport Corporation opposed, citing concerns aviation noise-filtering standards should be certifiably met by the school.

Mr Ibbotson told the commissioners the association and trustees realised the whole proposal had been "put in jeopardy" by the inclusion of Salvation Army activities to make the most of the school hall, which was not acceptable to submitters.

The application now withdrew plans for Salvation Army congregational meetings on week and weekend nights and music practice on week nights. It was now proposed school activities start at 8am and the early learning centre start at 7.30am and end at 8.30pm on weekdays and operate from 8.30am to 3pm on Saturdays.

Principal Rebekah Key said at the hearing yesterday the introduction of the reduced enrolment zone around the neighbouring Remarkables Primary School from April 23, 2012, brought the issue of limited schooling capacity to the community's "urgent attention".

"KingsView Early Learning Centre already has a waiting list of families contacting us as they are unable to find places for their children elsewhere," Ms Key said.

 

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