A CONTROVERSIAL childcare centre has been given the green light, with councillors saying they had no choice but to approve it.
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The decision was made at the February 4, 2026 ordinary council meeting, and came after a public forum earlier in the evening in which neighbours of the development site made their opposition clear.
The proposal before councillors was for a 59-place childcare centre, with associated car park, on the corner of Alexander and Wellington streets in Eglinton.
In order to construct the facility, the existing 1960s house and garage on the property would need to be demolished.
Residents who spoke during the public forum raised a number of concerns about the development, including noise, privacy, the number of childcare centres already located in Eglinton, and traffic impacts.
The major concern was the safety of children in the area, who would pass the childcare centre as they walked or biked to school.
"Many children walk and ride to and from Eglinton Public School and I'm speaking out today to highlight the issues of this intersection and to say that I hope I, and no one else, ever sees a child get hit by a car," resident Caroline Blake said.
"None of us ever want to see that.
"The risk of this increases with the project going ahead on the corner block on a T-intersection."
When it came time to discuss the development application (DA), several councillors made it clear they shared some of the same concerns as the neighbours.
However, the development complied with the city's planning controls and was recommended for approval by council staff, with conditions.
"It's a DA that we have no reason not to approve, with those recommendations," Cr Natalie Cranston said.
A similar opinion was expressed by Cr Warren Aubin, who was particularly concerned about traffic.
"I do not believe that this is right. I feel for the people ... but obviously we've got our hands tied," he said.
Councillors added to the list of conditions in an effort to lessen the impact of the childcare centre on the immediate neighbours.
Deputy mayor Ben Fry, who suggested the additional conditions, said: "It's a very allowable development in a community, but how do we make it fit and how do we make it the least worse?"
The added conditions related to fence height, with the developer required to raise the height of the fences on the boundaries with 79 Alexander Street and 48 Wellington Street to 2.1 metres between the building line of the dwellings and their rear boundaries.
The fences are to consist of a 1.8m high acoustic fence, as recommended in the Noise Impact Assessment, with privacy screen on top of the additional height.
Regarding 48 Wellington Street specifically, the remainder of the boundary fence is to be as recommended in the Noise Impact Assessment.
A further condition of consent, as recommended by council staff, is that the developer must construct a 1.5-metre wide footpath for the full frontage of the subject land in both Wellington Street and Alexander Street.
The council's engineering department will also review the matter of parking restrictions at the intersection of Alexander and Wellington streets, looking specifically at sight distances and adequate clearance between parked vehicles and the double white painted lines.
