Earlier this month, the elected representatives asked Maitland City Council staff to go back to the drawing board and provide grounds to refuse an application to build an 84-place childcare centre in Hartley Drive.

This was despite a recommendation that the development should proceed.

Councillors will debate the matter again in the chamber tonight, after staff presented a report that outlined grounds for the childcare centre to be rejected.

Concerns arose when a Thornton business manager told the meeting that the centre would cause traffic problems and that noise and fumes from local industry would be unhealthy for children who attended the facility.

After council officers considered all the concerns lodged during the public submission process, they addressed these ­concerns in a report that had been tabled for councillors before the last meeting and noted that the development should go ahead.

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Cr Peter Blackmore, who had voted in favour of the development at the last meeting, said he hoped commonsense would prevail.

He agreed that the scenario could open the door to possible legal action from the applicant if the development was rejected.

“The numbers are going to be very ­important [in the vote]. It was seven-six last time,” Cr Blackmore said.

“It would not surprise me if [ the childcare centre was rejected], but what I’m hoping for is that one councillor has a change of heart.

“It’s their individual right to vote how they see fit.”

At the last meeting, councillors tried to reject the proposal on the spot.

But general manager David Evans said they could not reject a development without proper grounds.

Those grounds had not been discussed formally with staff before the debate in the chamber.

Cr Philip Penfold and Cr Peter Garnham put forward a motion to have council staff investigate grounds for the childcare centre to be rejected and most councillors ­supported the move.