Melton council has taken the unusual step of funding a new car park at Exford Park Primary School as the school tries to deal with enrolments that have tripled since 2010.
In what mayor Bob Turner said was a unique situation, the council decided to fund the construction of a car park next to the school.
“The school is located in a relatively remote rural site with limited options to cycle or walk to school,’’ Cr Turner said.
“With enrolments continuing to increase, the lack of car-parking spaces is a growing concern, particularly at peak drop-off and pick-up times.”
School council president Bonnie Lang said there were major issues with car parking, with only 50 spaces available. But parking is far from the only worry for the school, which has seen enrolments grow from 111 in 2010 to a projected 332 this year.
“We have been designated to move to Eynesbury, but the [state] government won’t purchase the land,’’ Ms Lang said.
“There are already some portable classrooms and the cap of 370 students should be hit by the end of next year.”
Her fears about the school’s rapidly growing population are shared by the council, which says similar pressures are being felt across the municipality.
“There’s high need for a primary school to be provided in the Eynesbury development due to the pressures on Exford,” council community services general manager Maurie Heaney said.
“There is a shortfall of schools that are to be delivered in the whole municipality, with extreme pressures on the Eynesbury development and the eastern corridor, particularly Taylors Hill and Burnside.”
Mr Heaney said the Education Department had increased the number of relocatable buildings to existing school sites, putting pressure on local roads and increasing traffic congestion.
A spokeswoman for state Education Minister Martin Dixon said the government was working with Melton council to plan for additional schools.
She said the government had provided funding for a new school, Melton North West Primary, and some schools had received extra money as part of an additional $51.5 million spent statewide since 2011.
“Schools in Melton will benefit from a net increase in the number of relocatables for the 2014 school year,” the spokeswoman said.
