Release of land for a childcare centre to service Harrison and Franklin is inching closer to realisation, with the Land Development Agency providing GCC with a rough plan to show that the proposal will fit on the allocated block of land next door.

GCC has been pursuing this issue since my first media engagement in October 2006, through meetings with the Planning and Education Minister Andrew Barr and media comment in 2007, to the eventual allocation of a block of land - unfortunately in a bad location - in 2008. Then in April 2008 we were successful in getting the site relocated to an ideal location adjacent to the Harrison Primary School - and even better, next to the pre-school section of the school.

At the time LDA staff were clear that it would be a stretch to have the land released quickly so that a centre could be built in time for the 2009 school year. They felt mid 2009 completion was more likely. However, with this being as far as the project has got in the last six months, it seems most unlikely that the land will even be released for sale before the end of the year, and we are looking more like a 2010 commencement...

We don't know why this is taking so long - it was meant to be a priority project. Once the new government is sorted out, we'll take it up with the relevant minister to try to get things moving a little faster.