The King’s School has always provided state-of-the-art teaching and extra-curricular facilities and is excited about the opportunities a range of new facilities will provide for current and future students, as well as ensuring King’s continues to attract and retain the best staff.

An internal School Masterplan has been prepared by Architectus to support the school’s development, project prioritisation and sequencing over the next 20 years.

The proposal is highlighted by five Detailed Stage 1 projects. These are:

• A new building for the Senior School’s science, technology, engineering, arts and maths precinct.
• Preparatory School stage 1 works.
• Nine new townhouse residences for staff and their families.
• Additional staff accommodation in the residential precinct.
• A new vehicular entrance into the site from the west via Masons Dr, as well as internal roadworks.

The application also contains a Concept Proposal for new and upgraded facilities, including:

• Future upgrades to the Preparatory School (termed ‘Stage 2’ works).
• A new Sports Pavilion adjacent to the western sports field precinct.
• A new Boarding House.
• A Day Boy House for Year 7 students.

The school’s executive and council believe completing these projects as part of a consolidated masterplan will deliver the greatest benefit to the school and those we share our broader community with.

Delivering the broad scope of work as part of a consolidated State Significant Development Application will also allow members of the local community to easily review and provide feedback on all major school development initiatives in one place.

The State Significant Development pathway also delivers greater consultation and a more transparent and rigorous environmental impact assessment than individual approvals for each component of the project.

Community members and stakeholder groups will have regular opportunities to provide feedback to help guide detailed design and make a formal submission about the project.

The current proactive engagement of the community and stakeholders by The King’s School relates to the lodgement of our Request for Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) by the Department of Planning and Environment.

This will include public information sessions, meetings with stakeholder groups and the opportunity for all community members to ask questions.

Consultation carried out as part of this process will influence detailed design of the proposal and culminate in public exhibition of the Environmental Impact Statement, at which time formal consultation will be conducted and formal submissions can be made.

We have listened to feedback from the community and amended the proposal in several areas, including traffic management arrangements. Plans have also been amended to reduce impact on riparian zones on the school campus.

The King’s School has been a member of the Greater Parramatta community for almost 200 years and has always taken its responsibilities to all communities within and surrounding the school very seriously.

That includes the school’s duties as a custodian of its historic property and as a neighbour to surrounding residents, schools, churches and businesses.

The SSDA projects will be funded by school revenue. The use of government funding is subject to the terms of relevant government legislation.

A Construction Traffic Management Plan within the EIS will detail strategies and plans to manage construction traffic, and The King’s School will invite neighbouring schools to form a working group dedicated to ongoing traffic considerations.

Work will be scheduled to minimise impacts on classes and other school activities, with a particular focus on avoiding impacts on exams.

A Construction and Operational Noise Report will also be provided as part of the EIS. The report will provide a detailed assessment of potential noise and vibration impacts caused by construction activities and recommendations for mitigation measures.

The King’s School is pursuing the SSDA pathway in part as it provides a framework for rigorous environmental impact assessments.

The EIS will include demonstrations of the ways in which principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) have been incorporated into the proposed development and will also include a Biodiversity Development Assessment Report, Bushfire Hazard Assessment, Stormwater Management Plan and Sediment and Erosion Control Plan.

The King’s School is a proud custodian of the site and the proposed developments will be designed in a way that respects the significance of the site’s heritage.

The EIS will include a Heritage Impact assessment which will address the heritage significance of the site.