The neighbourhood should remain tranquil

Amanda Smith from Quellerina writes:

I refer to the letter from “Concerned parent” who wrote about the unregistered Day Spring Cambridge School that sprung up last year in Constantia Kloof (Roodepoort Record 8 February 2015).

When you buy a house you take many things including location into consideration as it is a long-term commitment. Mr E and other neighbours would probably not have bought next to a school, otherwise they would not be objecting. The neighbours of the school have spent money and time maintaining a standard of living which is now compromised by extra traffic and noise on their doorstep. This was not a decision they made or seems they had any say in. It was forced on them and Sue Parry the principal of the school admits that she did not follow due process.

In an article about the school on page 2 of the same Roodepoort Record it states “According to Parry she had no choice but to purchase the property and start operating regardless of not having applied with the GDE”.

Why didn’t she have a choice? I would be cautious about sending my children to a school where the principal ignored getting proper consent and approval for her school, and also did not bother consulting with the neighbours. Not a good role model when it comes to right and wrong. Would the anonymous writer of the letter be happy if a school suddenly appeared on their doorstep? Highly unlikely. The writer probably lives in an area where the location of the school does not affect them so are content for it to inconvenience the immediate neighbours, and also probably decrease the value of their properties in time.

We have a similar situation in Quellerina, where application has been made to rezone a residential property (with most of the suburb objecting), so I understand the frustration and attitude of the school’s neighbours.

When you have paid hard earned money to turn bricks and mortar into a home, it is understandable that you will want to keep it that way. Hopefully in both situations the community will stand together to ensure the neighbourhood they choose as their home remains a haven of peace and tranquility.