No. The proposed building is a new home for Langwarrin Pre-school and the local Maternal Child Health Nurse service. It also provides a space for parent education and/or playgroup. It is intended to be a hub for support and educational services for young children up to 4 year old kinder.

Long Street Reserve is approximately 8600m². There are minimum space requirements for early years services. Both concept plans meet these minimum space requirements, but there are some size differences between the options shown.

Option 1 - Building is positioned lower on the block in a central position.
This option shows a slightly smaller building and slightly longer driveway. Option 1 proposes to use 22.3% of the site for the building, carpark and driveway. This concept plan shows a larger outdoor yard for bush kinder, which exceeds the minimum space requirements for early years services. A smaller yard may be considered at the detailed planning stage after considering community feedback.

Option 1 Building: 1100m² (12.8% of the site)

Option 1 Carpark and driveway: 820m² (9.5% of the site)

Option 1 Kinder yards and facility landscape: 1485m² (17.3% of the site)

Option 1 total as shown with larger yards: 3405 m² (39.6% of the site)

Option 2 - Building is positioned higher on the block at the Long Street end.
This option shows a slightly larger building and slightly shorter driveway. Option 2 proposes to use 21.7% of the site for the building, carpark and driveway. This option shows a bush kinder yard that is close to the minimum size requirements for early years services. A larger yard may be considered at the detailed planning stage after considering community feedback.

Option 2 Building: 1120m² (13.0% of the site)

Option 2 Carpark and driveway: 750m² (8.7% of the site)

Option 2 Kinder yards and facility landscape: 873m² (10.2% of the site)

Option 2 as shown with standard size yards: 2743m² (31.9%)

No. The existing Langwarrin pre-school is currently too small to support the increase from 5 to 15 hours that are now being offered by the Victorian Government as free 3-year old kinder.

Langwarrin is also a growing area, and recent feasibility studies have shown that the existing Langwarrin Preschool in Long Street, cannot be expanded to meet the future demand, and the current building is not fit for purpose. The existing kindergarten is needed for this growing area and has a waitlist, so providing a new, larger site in the same area is a priority.

From 2025, the existing kindergarten will be closed and the Committee, staff and families will transfer to the new facility.

We will retain as many trees and as much vegetation as possible. Both options propose to retain 78% of the vegetation, with removal of vegetation being limited to the small area of the kindergarten and MCH building and car park.

The building and carpark will use 22% of the overall land.

No. Council has endorsed the Long Street Reserve as the preferred location for this kindergarten, following analysis and feasibility studies of several sites across Langwarrin over a number of years.

Councillors were briefed on the number of kindergarten places required to ensure community-based kindergarten can continue in Langwarrin, and to meet the requirements of the Victorian Government’s kinder reforms.

Long Street Reserve meets all the criteria for a new kindergarten location to meet future needs in Langwarrin.

See the sites which were considered for this project here.

No. We will retain as many trees and as much vegetation as possible. Both options propose to retain 78% of the vegetation, with removal of vegetation being limited to the small area of the kindergarten and MCH building and car park.

Trees that are proposed for removal are shown as red circles on the concept plans. Both options proposed retain the majority of the perimeter trees for screening and privacy.

We are also seeking feedback on what kinds of trees and vegetation you would like planted within and around the new centre. The design of the new building can be softened to integrate with the natural surroundings.

The natural features of the site will allow for a bush kindergarten, as well as broader community enjoyment of the site. The bush kinder will embrace the local flora, fauna and bio-diversity by keeping as many trees as possible. By having a bush kinder, we can ensure the next generation embrace nature and respect the reserve and all it has to offer the local community.

We are inviting feedback about natural features that are important to you here:

https://engage.frankston.vic.gov.au/early-years-infrastructure/community-drop-discussions

Adequate car parking will be provided from the entrance off Long Street, and this will be communicated to all families accessing the facility.

Bike, scooter and pram parking is also being considered to encourage walking and cycling to kinder.

Should there be any concerns in the future, Council will address these accordingly.

We are inviting feedback about traffic, parking and movement here.

https://engage.frankston.vic.gov.au/early-years-infrastructure/community-drop-discussions

Yes. Council notified the community of the proposed plans from Friday 9 December 2022. The consultation is open on the Engage Frankston website until 5pm 26 March 2023.

• A letter to residents in properties adjacent to Long Street Reserve hand delivered Friday 9 December 2022
• Engage Frankston website project page launched on Friday 9 December 2022, including email alert to subscribed Engage Frankston members.
• Postcards delivered to homes in the local area in the week of Monday 12 December 2022.
• Notifications to families by Maternal Child Health Nurses.

Our precious open spaces are important to Council and our community, that’s why we’ve invested over 7 million dollars to enhance and preserve our green spaces over the last year.

By providing a unique bush kinder program, we’re encouraging our future generation to embrace the reserve and all it has to offer through bush play and education. Through bush kinder, we’re allowing our children to form a deep appreciation and respect for nature, biodiversity and all the reserve has to offer.

When putting together our concept designs, we’ve used clear space as much as possible, to protect vegetation and wildlife as best we can. Both of our two proposals retain most of the perimeter trees for privacy and green outlooks.

The Victorian Government has made a significant investment in funded kindergarten, making several policy changes to make kindergarten more accessible for the community.

Over the next decade, Four-Year-Old Kindergarten will transition to ‘Pre-Prep’ – increasing to a universal 30-hour a week program of play-based learning for every four-year-old child in Victoria.

For three-year-olds, it means an increase from 5 and up to 15 hours per week of funded kindergarten program.

Currently, a single kinder room can accommodate multiple groups by scheduling them on different days of the week. As the number of program hours increases, this arrangement will no longer be possible.

This development is needed to ensure that there are sufficient high quality kindergarten places and related early years services available to support the young families living in the area now and into the future.

Over the past 5 years, we have sought a suitable location that would meet space requirements and be accessible for the community with young children. Long Street Reserve meets all the criteria for a new kindergarten location to meet future needs in Langwarrin.

The nearby Langwarrin pre-school is unable to be expanded to create more rooms. The 1970s building is not fit for purpose and at a point where we can’t retrofit to bring it up to standard. This is a popular kindergarten with a waitlist so providing a new, larger site in the same area is a priority.

Both concept plans include a public playground, but the existing one will need to be replaced. We are asking for community input on what to include in the new playground and where to position it within Long Street Reserve.

As this is a sessional kindergarten, the programs run across different time slots meaning not all parents arrive and depart at the same time – they're scattered throughout the day. This reduces the impact on local traffic and parking.

The concept plans promote Long Street as the main access point for the site by locating the car park and building entrance on the Long Street side of the building.

We will work with the kindergarten provider to minimise and manage the number of cars accessing the site at any one time. This is already being managed in Long Street due to the location of the existing kinder.

Pedestrians will be able to access the site from Long Street, Alcon Court and Pamela Place. Cars will access the site from Long Street.

A formal traffic engineering assessment will be undertaken in the next design phase.

Long Street Reserve will continue to be a public place with a playground, green open space and connected paths through the reserve.

Both concept plans include a public playground, but the existing one will need to be replaced. We are asking for community input on what to include in the new playground and where to position it within Long Street Reserve.

There will be restricted access for public on the licenced kindergarten site. Please see the concept plans on this page for more information.

Both options retain the majority of the perimeter trees for screening and privacy.

The design of the new building can be softened to integrate with the natural surroundings.

While both concept plans seek to retain as many trees as possible, some will need to be removed. Trees are shown as green circles on the concept plans.

We are also seeking feedback on what kinds of trees and vegetation you would like planted within and around the new centre.

We are inviting feedback about natural features that are important to you here:

https://engage.frankston.vic.gov.au/early-years-infrastructure/community-drop-discussions

Council recognise the long history of the current Langwarrin Preschool and that the existing site cannot be expanded, also noting that it is less than 100 metres from the proposed site.

We will work with the Committee of Management and teaching staff to transfer to the new facility.

Recent feasibility studies have shown that the existing Langwarrin Preschool in Long Street, cannot be expanded to meet the future demand, and the current building is not fit for purpose.

From 2025, this kindergarten will be closed and the Committee, staff and families will transfer to the new facility.

Future use of the site will be determined following Council's internal and external engagement process, and in accordance with our property strategy.

This service will continue to operate at the existing site and transfer to the new facility along with the kindergarten. The new centre will have improved facilities and parents will have access to other allied health services, parent education and group sessions on site.

Future use of the site will be determined following Council's internal and external engagement process, and in accordance with our property strategy.

Children attending the existing Langwarrin Preschool will continue at their current location until the new kindergarten is completed. Enrolments will open for the new kindergarten when the building has been completed and furnished.

Child/staff ratios for kindergarten are a minimum of 1 staff to every 11 children. This ratio will be maintained as the service expands.

Community consultation was open from 9 December 2022 to 26 March 2023. Feedback recieved during this consultation period is now being anaylsed and reported on.