New Wee Waa High School: 'unsafe' drainage poses 'extreme risk' to children, council claims

The Narrabri Council also claimed the state government had not "sufficiently addressed" an alternative site for the $37.8 million new school preferred by the local government.

In July, education minister Sarah Mitchell announced the new high school would be built on a site known by locals as "the swamp".

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The area is the main stormwater drainage channel for Wee Waa. During storm events, water drains into the site from multiple different parts of town, pooling and then flowing off over the Narrabri Shire Council said in its submission to the project DA.

The council slammed the design of a proposed drainage channel needed to keep the school dry as "unsafe for people".

A child could easily walk into a culvert which runs from the north-west corner of the proposal site and ending on the northern side of Boundary Street, and wind up being sucked by unpredictable storm water along a 1350 mm pipe for a distance of 200 metres to their death, the council said.

"The proposed culvert upgrade along Charles Street, as designed, is an extreme hazard," the council said.

"The likelihood of a child either falling into the channel (or playing in the channel) would be relatively high during a summer storm event. The likelihood of that child being sucked into the Charles Street culverts would also be relatively high given that velocities appear to increase as the flows drain into the culverts."

Exclusion bars to keep kids out of the pipe would increase the risk of flooding of neighbouring properties, the council said.

The council also criticised the state government for failing to provide technical information on drainage and flooding problems, and claimed an alternative site presented to the government by council's technical staff "has not been sufficiently addressed".

A spokesperson for the department of education defended the site, saying the department had undertaken a "robust planning and development" process.

"The department has a good working relationship with Council and are working to resolve matters raised," they said.

"The department knows that the overwhelming majority of the community supports this project and we look forward to working with Council to resolve any outstanding matters to deliver the new high school in Wee Waa."

The old Wee Waa High School closed in 2020 after students contracted a mysterious mould-related illness. Students have studied at the town's primary school ever since.

Locals complained the site is contaminated with lead, asbestos, and zinc.

The new school will be built to accommodate 200 students, with the ability to expand to fit 300.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell estimated students would attend their first classes in the new school by the end of 2022.

In July, she said the government would use "fast-track methods when it comes to planning but also construction to get the school built as quickly as possible".

A spokesperson for the department of education said a number of potential site options were assessed by the department and presented to the school leadership team before making a final decision on its strategic and business case.

"The Wee Waa high school project has undergone the same robust planning and development protocols as all other school infrastructure NSW projects," they said.

"Many of the items in council's submission are already being addressed as part of the ongoing design process for the new high school.

"The drainage system will be designed to the relevant codes and standards and safety-in-design processes will be followed to ensure that the system is adequately protected from being accessed by unauthorised parties."

The project team will respond to all submissions made in a formal submission to the department of planning as part of the state significant development application process. The response is due in the new year.

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