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Two more boarding house applications are set to come before Campbelltown Council next Tuesday night. The applications are for 1 Bocking Aveue, Bradbury, near the Bradbury Avenue/Oxley Street intersection, and 60 Moore Street, opposite St Peter’s Anglican Primary School. Boarding houses have become somewhat of a bug bear for the council, which has been inundated with applications for the complexes since 2015. The complexes are designed to provide a form of cheaper accommodation for renters and under state government legislation (State Environmental Planning Policy), there is little grounds for council to reject applications even if they don’t comply with existing council planning controls. “If we don’t pass it we are taken to court,” Cr Ben Moroney (Greens) said about an application for an Ingleburn complex earlier this year. “I know it’s a broken record but it needs to be highlighted – the SEPP needs to be changed.” Several past applications have been met with strong opposition by nearby residents. And the latest two applications were no different. There were seven objections lodged with council regarding the 15-room 60 Moore Street proposal, with two objections from the same person. The most common concern centred around the lack of car parking with the developer only required to provide one car space for every five rooms. Other complaints centred around potential crime and visual impacts. “Please do not pass this development application. They will be the slums of Campbelltown in years to come,” one objector wrote. There were three objections and a 38-signature petition regarding the nine-bedroom 1 Bocking Avenue application. A maximum of 18 occupants would be able to reside in the building at the one time. “Bocking Avenue is almost entirely single storey dwellings and the proposed boarding house would ruin the tranquility of the surrounding residential area,” one objector wrote in their submission. Another person opposed to the boarding house wrote: “As no supervision would be provided, the boarding house will become a crime and drug area.” In 2015 the council asked the state government to put a halt on boarding houses in the area. That request was denied. Council staff have recommended both applications be approved.

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