Colac’s New Child Care Centre

A client engaged our team with a clear proposal to develop a new childcare centre and required town planning support to progress the project through to approval. While architectural plans had already been prepared, the proposal needed to be reviewed against the relevant planning controls and structured for submission to the responsible authority.
Childcare centres are a sensitive land use within the planning system and are typically assessed with close attention to traffic impacts, parking provision, access arrangements, amenity considerations, and signage. These factors often require careful resolution to ensure the proposal aligns with both planning policy and practical site constraints.
Our role focused on reviewing the design against the planning scheme and identifying where refinements were required to support a clear and compliant application. This included assessing access arrangements, confirming parking compliance, and reviewing signage provisions to ensure consistency with applicable standards.
We worked closely with the client and project team throughout the process to refine documentation and ensure the application clearly demonstrated how the proposal responded to relevant planning requirements. Ongoing engagement with the responsible authority also helped resolve queries efficiently during assessment.
Following lodgement, the application was assessed and decided by Colac Otway Shire Council. The proposal was ultimately supported, resulting in the issue of a planning permit and endorsed plans for the childcare centre.
This outcome highlights the importance of aligning design intent with planning requirements early in the process, particularly for use types that attract detailed assessment. With approval in place, the project is now positioned to move into delivery, providing an important facility for the local community.