Calls for council to defer Kelly’s Place closure
Kelly’s Place Childcare Centre in Crows Nest is calling for North Sydney Council to extend its lease until December 2027 and secure support for a long-term relocation before a planned demolition of the site.
The community-based not-for-profit centre on Hume Street was informed in February that it must vacate the site by December to allow for the Hume Street Park expansion.
Council completed Stage 1 of Hume Street Park in 2022 but does not have the finances to complete Stage 2. State Government funding would allow the park to be completed.
Katie Newton, Kelly’s place director, told NL that the parent-run centre was ‘very sad.’ “We’re 680 square metres and there’s grass on our roof already,” Ms Newton said. “We all need green space for children and families. But not to the detriment of not having early childhood services. North Sydney Council has always wanted to make this open space, but it’s always been discussed that they would relocate us.”
Willoughby Liberal MP Tim James has lent his support to Kelly’s Place, sharing his advocacy on social media.
“Using taxpayer funds to flatten a long-standing, not-for-profit community childcare centre is simply wrong,” Mr James said. “Yes, we need more open space as our area grows. But childcare is essential infrastructure too. Not-for-profit community childcare is in short supply locally. We must be growing the services families rely on, not knocking them down.”
North Sydney Mayor Zoë Baker said that increased housing growth in Crows Nest increased the demand for open space.
“Council has a responsibility to plan for the long-term needs of the entire community, which sometimes requires difficult decisions about how land is used,” Mayor Baker told NL.
Mayor Baker said council recognised the importance of Kelly’s Place to the community and had been working with the centre to explore relocation options which was ‘increasingly challenging,’ particularly when it came to properties meeting the operational requirements needed for a childcare centre.
“Council has already approved the extension of Kelly’s Place lease by 12 months and will continue to support and assist in exploring potential opportunities,” Mayor Baker said.
“Given the constraints on available sites in the area, it may also be necessary for the centre to consider options such as securing suitable premises through a private lease to enable the service to continue operating within the North Sydney community.”
Council established Kelly’s Place in 1988 and handed it over to the community to run and manage in 1999. The centre leases the building from council at a peppercorn rate, providing affordable childcare for zero to five years. It caters for 40 children daily, 50 families per week, and has 160 families on a wait list.
An online petition to save the centre had almost 2,500 signatures at the time of going to print.
