A WILLIAMSTOWN man who protested against the expansion of a childcare centre next door to his home says he has been unfairly portrayed as a person who dislikes children.
Paul Petzierides appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal against an increase in the number of children at the Bright Steps centre.
He said the noise of 60 children was acceptable – but not 80.
If the centre wanted more children it required improvements to cater for the increase.
VCAT member Rachel Naylor agreed with him, ordering the centre to build an acoustic fence between its property and Mr Petzierides’ house.
Ms Naylor said it was time to “revisit the oft-quoted decision of 1978 that it will be a sad day when the laughter of little children becomes a nuisance”.
She said that while the noise of children playing was reasonable in a residential area, that did not mean a childcare centre “could obviate the need to act responsibly and appropriately”.
In 1996, the former Administrative Appeals Tribunal granted a permit to build a centre for 60 children.
In 1999, Hobsons Bay Council granted a permit to lift the number to 75, and last November it allowed the centre to raise the number to 80.
Mr Petzierides said residents had been happy to live near a centre with 60 children.
“The objections that were presented to VCAT were not only about kids’ noise,” he said.
“While there were 60 kids it was a delight to hear the children, but the latest increase, together with the original landscape no longer being there – which had acted as a sound barrier – and the brick paved paths formed for the children to play [with] wheel toys … it’s only increased the noise levels. Fair is fair.”
Bright Steps owner Diana Zalewski said: “It’s a sad day when people complain about children playing.”
