Oppose Rezoning of 70 Conrad Drive, Blairgowrie to a Place of Worship

We, the undersigned residents and stakeholders of Blairgowrie and surrounding areas, formally object to the proposed rezoning of Erf 2329 (70 Conrad Drive) from business use to a “place of worship.”

While we respect freedom of religion and support appropriate development, we believe this application is unsuitable for this specific location and raises serious concerns for the community.

Key Concerns

1. Traffic and Safety Risks
Conrad Drive is already a major arterial route experiencing congestion. Increased traffic volumes—especially during peak prayer times such as Friday midday—will worsen traffic flow, increase accident risk, and hinder emergency vehicle access.

2. Insufficient Parking

The application fails to meet practical parking requirements. While the applicant claims that 19 on-site parking bays are sufficient based on a technical formula, this does not reflect real-world usage, where up to 75 worshippers are expected—many arriving by car, especially during peak periods like Friday prayers.

Crucially, the applicant has implicitly acknowledged this shortfall by already proposing to:
• use off-site parking at the Stadio campus, and
• lease part of a public park for additional parking

These proposals clearly indicate that the site cannot accommodate actual parking demand on its own.

Because these off-site options are uncertain and not approved, and because planning rules require adequate on-site parking, the development will likely result in overflow parking into surrounding residential streets, worsening congestion and safety risks.

In short: the site is fundamentally inadequate in terms of parking, and the applicant’s own proposals confirm this.