News in brief

Scots College conciliation breakdown

Conciliation proceedings between Woollahra Council and The Scots College broke down last week in the NSW Land and Environment Court.

Scots College had appealed Woollahra Council’s decision to refuse a Section 96 application lodged by the school.

The motion to reject the school’s application was carried 9 votes to 3 in June.

Following the refusal, the school has launched two separate actions in the NSW Land and Environment Court against the council.

One action will appeal council’s decision to refuse the change of a dwelling to a kindergarten, and the other modifies the cap on student numbers from 1120 to 1470.

In its original refusal, council cited the lack of an updated traffic management plan and an updated master plan for the school.

Council asked the school to regularise its student numbers after community group Concerned Scots Neighbours said the school was in breach of its cap.

The school has maintained it was never in breach of its cap. In May this year, principle Ian Lambert wrote:

“The difference of 350 students occurred when we added into the cap the students that were already a part of the Victoria Road campus and were currently not capped!”

Mr. Lambert also described the confusion as being perpetuated by Concerned Scots Neighbours.

“The action group has engaged in a campaign designed to call the integrity of the College, its staff and our community into question as they attempt to prosecute their argument in front of Woollahra Council.”

Sam Goldman, member of the Concerned Scots Group had said they had launched their own action in the Land and Environment Court, but that had been nullified because of the dispute emerging from the school’s attempt to modify their DA.