The following letter has been sent to: 

• Mr Chris Thompson, Regional Director. South West Victoria.Department of Education and Training
• Mr Chris Keating, CEO. Victorian School Building Authority
• The Hon. Melissa Horne, MP. Member for Williamstown
• Jonathon Marsden, Mayor. Hobsons Bay City Council

Planning future classroom accommodation for Newport Lakes PS/Mod 10 classrooms required

I am writing to you on behalf of Newport Lakes Primary School (NLPS) Council regarding forward planning for classroom accommodation. The school community does not feel its voice is being heard on this issue and wishes to strongly state the following:

The steady and continued growth in student enrolment at our school MUST be met by replacing single storey Mod 5 classrooms with double storey Mod 10 classrooms. School Council, with the backing of the broader school community, categorically rejects the alternative of losing yet more of our extremely limited yard space and cutting down the few remaining trees on our school grounds. 

We wish to secure a meeting as soon as possible with the Dept of Education and Training (DET) Regional Office and the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) to:

• Determine whether further accommodation will be provided to NLPS for 2022
• Agree that the next accommodation to be provided to the school will be a Mod 10 (to replace one of the current Mod 5 buildings) and not a Mod 5 in a new location that will decrease our school play space and require the removal of 4 trees
• Agree an accommodation plan beyond 2022 that is acceptable to NLPS (the school is firmly in support of continued placement of Mod 10 buildings or triple story buildings to replace current Mod 5 buildings rather than new Mod 5 buildings in new locations on the school grounds)

History and context

As you may be aware, the School Council and our School Leadership team have been concerned over the past number of years about accommodating growing enrolments within a limited school footprint. We have requested numerous meetings with the DET Regional Office and the VSBA to discuss and agree a forward plan for accommodation, but this has not occurred or resulted in a plan that is satisfactory to the school community.

In 2020 the VSBA did provide us with plans for the next stage of growth at NLPS, which unfortunately gave only one option – adding another Mod 5 to a new part of the school (see attached plans). The suggested placement of the future Mod 5 would require cutting down the largest tree left in the school ground and an additional 3 smaller trees, require the relocating of our sand pit, and raise safety issues with the placement of the Mod 5 near the running track around the oval. Not to mention a further decrease in the already limited footprint and playing space available to the children in our small school ground.

This option for future growth is entirely unsatisfactory to the school community.

Newport Lakes Student Enrolment Figures (past 5 years)

The past 5 years has seen NLPS grow steadily year on year, adding 100 extra students in this period.

The school obtained one Mod 10 in 2014 and from this time was under the impression that adding additional Mod 10s would be the most sensible plan for future school growth.

In 2020 and 2021 we inquired specifically about the allocation of a Mod 10 classroom that would replace an existing Mod 5, to enable maximum accommodation without further reducing the available open space, which is already low per student, compared with other neighbourhood schools. (See attached plans to show where the school believes a Mod 10 should be placed, next to the existing Mod 10).

This request was denied both years and instead we were allocated two Mod 5 buildings (for 2019 and 2021 school years). That is 4 classrooms over the period 2019-2021 that have been placed in new areas of the school grounds, taking away vital play space.

While we understand that there may be limited Mod 10 buildings available and other schools with need, we are very disappointed that these decisions have been made with minimal engagement with the School Principal and without consultation with School Council and the broader school community. These decisions also seem to fly in the face of demonstrated continued school growth that requires sensible planning for the maximum benefit of future students.

Ongoing population growth in Western suburbs

We know the Western suburbs of Melbourne in general are undergoing a major growth phase. A range of relevant data sources, including those used by the VSBA, shows that population growth in Hobsons Bay LGA and specifically in the school zone of Newport West will continue at a steady rate for the next 20 years (see Appendix 1). It is clear that this issue is not going away.

We can also see from this data that other LGAs in Western Melbourne (e.g. Melton and Wyndham) are growing at an even faster rate than Hobsons Bay so therefore might be considered in greater need for Mod 10 classrooms than schools in our LGA.

It would be unfortunate if our school was being penalised because it is geographically located in the fastest growing region of Melbourne and one of the fastest growing regions of Australia. If Mod 10s are the answer to solve the growth issue throughout western Melbourne, could more Mod 10s be built and provided to all schools in need in this area, including ours?

With enrolment data showing that NLPS will grow again in 2022 (present enrolments are 531, projected 2022 enrolments are 558 and the school has a current capacity of 550), we are facing all the above issues again with no plan in place that is visible and acceptable to the school community.

VSBA plans are against Hobsons Bay Council’s “Urban Forest Strategy”

The suggested placement of the new Mod 5 by the VSBA, requiring the removal of 4 of the limited trees remaining at the school, is in direct opposition to Hobsons Bay Council’s “Urban Forest Strategy” (see Appendix 1).

This strategy aims to educate the community on the environmental, economic and social benefits of increasing Hobsons Bay’s urban tree canopy to 30% by 2040. To meet this goal, the Council will plant more than 50,000 trees over the next five years across Hobsons Bay, with school zones called out as one of the priority areas for planting.

The suggested removal of 4 of the few remaining trees at NLPS by the VSBA would result in very limited remaining greenspace at the school, which is directly against both the wishes of the school community and the environmental policy of our LGA.

In summary

It is both prudent and necessary for Newport Lakes PS to adequately plan for future student growth and ensure that the best decisions regarding school accommodation can be taken for the benefit of future students. This is particularly important for a school such as ours that has a small school footprint so must optimise play space and the limited natural environment remaining.

We therefore urgently request a meeting with DET Regional Office and the VSBA to address these issues and plan for the introduction of Mod 10 buildings for the future benefit of the school community.

Yours sincerely

Meredith Kelly

President – Newport Lakes PS School Council

Appendix A – Population Trends of Hobsons Bay LGA / Urban Forest Strategy

Population Trends

It is clear from a range of data sources (including NLPS student enrolments over the past 5 years plus projections from the Victorian Government and Hobsons Bay Council) that the population of Hobsons Bay has and will continue steady growth over the next 20 years.

Newport Lakes Student Enrolment Figures (past 5 years)

Victorian Government and Hobsons Bay Council growth projections

We understand the VSBA uses student enrolment data in addition to data from the  Demographic Demand Forecast data (sourced from the Victorian Government endorsed Victoria in Future dataset) which shows that Hobsons Bay LGA is in a steady growth phase (projected to grow by 24,130 people from a 2018 population of 96,470 to 120,600 in 2036 with an average annual growth rate of 1.2%).

Hobsons Bay Council undertakes its own trend forecasting which reflects slightly higher population growth figures (between 2016 and 2041, the population for Hobsons Bay City is forecast to increase by 32,732 people from 93,455 persons to 126,177 (35.03% overall growth), at an average annual change of 1.21%). (Hobsons Bay Population Summary)

Residential Development

Largescale residential developments are planned for areas within the Newport Lakes school zone. Precinct 15 in Altona North has 3,000 new dwellings forecast in the period to 2040. Newport Village on Blackshaws Rd will soon develop 273 new dwellings. In addition, infill development will also continue to create new residential stock in Newport West, due to ageing dwelling stock and larger lot sizes typical of this area. (Hobsons Bay Drivers of Population Change)

There will be continued requirement for Newport Lakes PS to take enrolments from primary aged children in these growth areas. Continued growth requires a sensible future plan for school accommodation. A solid plan that delivers Mod 10 classrooms or triple storey classrooms rather than Mod 5 classrooms, is the best solution to solve this problem for Newport Lakes PS.

Hobsons Bay Council – “Urban Forest Strategy”

Hobsons Bay City Council has a vision for an urban forest that creates a liveable city, a better urban environment and contributes to the health and wellbeing of the local community.

Hobsons Bay Council Urban Forest Strategy 2020

The Urban Forest Strategy features four key objectives to address climate change, urban heat and development:

• Increase tree canopy in Hobsons Bay to 30 per cent by 2040
• Develop a diverse and healthy urban forest
• Adopt a ‘trees led’ approach to city planning, design and delivery
• Educate and foster care for urban trees

Priority areas for planting 50,000 trees by 2040 have been identified across the municipality. These include: locations with high volumes of pedestrian movement such as school zones and public transport hubs.

Removing trees to make way for classrooms at Newport Lakes PS would appear to be in direct opposition to Hobson Bay Council’s Urban Forest Strategy and the simple solution to avoid this is use of Mod 10s.