26 November 2025
The community can have its say at a public meeting on the proposed Minarah College, a State significant development application (SSD-30759158) for a new two-storey school at 268-278 Catherine Fields Road, Catherine Field. The proposed college would cater for 980 Kindergarten to Year 12 students, including a 30-student school for specific purposes and a 60-student early learning centre. It is proposed to be constructed in four stages.
The decision on whether the development application will be given planning approval has been referred to the Independent Planning Commission as at least 50 objections from the public were received by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, and Camden Council objected to the proposed development. Commissioners Clare Sykes (Chair) and Michael Wright have been appointed by the Commission Chair to determine the application.
The key issues identified in the Department’s whole-of-government assessment of the application including land use conflicts, site servicing, built form and urban design, traffic, transport and access, and flooding.
The Commission has access to all previous written submissions made to the Department on this proposed development, however it is particularly helpful for the Commission Panel to also hear the community’s views on the Department’s Assessment Report, which can be found on the Commission’s website.
A livestreamed public meeting on the Minarah College proposal will be held at Camden Civic Centre located at 31 John Street, Camden on Tuesday, 3 February 2026 commencing at 10:00am (AEDT). Anyone wishing to present at the public meeting, either in-person at the venue or by dialing in by telephone, must pre-register on the Commission’s website using the Speaker Registration Form.
The deadline for speaker registrations is 12:00 noon AEDT on Friday 23 January 2026.
The Commission also invites members of the public to make written submissions on the Minarah College State significant development application, which can be lodged via the ‘Make a Submission’ portal on the Commission’s website.
The Commission will also accept written submissions made via post or email provided they are received by the submission close date.
Written submissions will be accepted until 5:00pm on Tuesday, 10 February 2026.
Please note
The public meeting will be livestreamed on the Commission’s YouTube channel. Registered speakers will be asked to nominate their preference for presenting at the Public Meeting either in-person at the venue or by dialing in by telephone. Please note that if the demand for either in-person or virtual attendance is low, the Commission may opt to conduct the meeting either entirely virtually or entirely in person. Similarly, if demand for speaker timeslots is high and Tuesday, 3 February 2026 becomes fully booked, the Commission will schedule a second day. If either of these scenarios occur, this will be fully communicated to all registered speakers in advance, including how the Commission can assist people to attend the meeting virtually. These flexible arrangements ensure as many people as possible can be heard by the Commission Panel, whilst making best use of public resources.