Noise pollution from children playing and parents slamming car doors are at the heart of residents' complaints against a new childcare centre in a sought-after heritage neighbourhood.
A double-storey daycare centre is proposed for a residential street in the regional city of Bunbury, south of Perth, to accommodate almost 70 children.
An old weatherboard cottage, lined with a white picket fence, on a large corner block will be bulldozed to make way for the new centre in Bunbury's "tree street" heritage precinct.
Some concerned neighbours have letter-dropped homes in the area, saying the facility "would have a negative impact on our quiet and safe neighbourhood".
The anonymous letter, only signed off by "Karri Street Residents", encouraged neighbours to voice their concerns to the local council.
The tree street precinct is a long-established neighbourhood in hilly terrain behind Bunbury's town centre, where many of the roads are named after significant native trees.
'Tree street' has, in the past, been promoted as an attractive selling point in local real estate marketing.
Child play noise a concern
The letter's author said, in addition to children playing, other factors contributing to noise pollution would be "increased traffic, slamming car doors, exhaust fans, motorised electric gates, and industrial heating and cooling systems".
The development application said outdoor child play would occur from 7am until late in the afternoon.
The block is just 200 metres from the long-established Bunbury Primary School, which this year celebrated 60 years in the tree street precinct.
But residents said traffic from the school was already a concern.
They were concerned the daycare centre would bring additional traffic to the area that is "already heavily impacted by increased traffic" and the operating times coinciding with peak drop-off and pick-up times at the school.
Residents also noted the proposed car parking bays for the centre were "smaller than the standards", which may cause some people to seek alternative street parking.
The childcare centre would offer 18 car bays on site.
Child care solutions needed
Bunbury Mayor Jaysen De San Miguel said the city had received more than 40 public submissions about the proposal.
He said it was clear there was a growing need for more child care services in the city.
"We'd always love to encourage and see that kind of development going on," he said.
But he said residents' concerns would be fully addressed ahead of the proposal being considered by the council, most likely in October.
Mr De San Miguel said there was no significant heritage value found at the site with the existing cottage but that would be investigated further.
He said, although child care was a state government matter, it was on the agenda for several regional councils at a recent meeting.
"I think we're just trying to be a bit forward thinking in that area and see what we can do," he said.
