New High School in Bungendore

While we have children who will benefit from a school in Bungendore. The proposal and location of one in the centre of the park is not in any way in keeping with the historic and open nature of Bungendore. It should be located elsewhere.

Please see attached letter.

Please see attached submission

Please find attached objection.

Please refer to attached letter

Please see my submission in the attached file.
Best,
Name Withheld

I object to this proposal on various grounds, outlined in the attached letter. Primarily, they are the inadequate size of the site and the location of the proposed high school.

This project is completely unsuitable for the proposed site.

I object to SSDA no. 14394209 for Bungendore High School.
Attached is my submission.

Dear Sir/Madam
I attach my letter dated 18 October 2021
Yours faithfully
Alastair Gregory

Please see attached PDF file

Please find my objection to the proposed Bungendore High School.

Attached is my objection to the proposed develpment application for Bungendore High School.

Please find attached my submission

Name Withhheld
Address Withheld

18 October 2021


Director - Social and Infrastructure Assessments
Planning and Assessment
Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Locked Bag 5022
Parramatta NSW 2124



Dear Sir or Madam


NEW HIGH SCHOOL IN BUNGENDORE
APPLICATION NO. SSD-14394209


I refer to the above state-significant development application. I am supportive of Bungendore having a high school for our local and surrounding kids.

I object to the current proposed location. I plan to write to you as plainly and sincerely as possible

I object to the proposal, for the following reason(s):

- As a local mum of two young children, I use Bungendore oval and park frequently. My family spend quality time all across the oval, playing soccer, playing chasies, riding bikes, doing races on the grass, the playground, observing the war memorial and meeting friends, throwing and kicking balls, walking around, across, riding around and across the park and oval.
- I also use the green space for my own informal fitness. I love the space and openness- I need this, and so many other families need this because in many cases our own backyards are not big enough to do these activities in the same way at home.
- The park and oval is my “down time”, my leisure and wellbeing time. It is when I get out of my office, my house and my stress and spend quality time with my children.
- It is very important to me that I can walk there, or ride there with my children. If I was to lose the park and oval, I would lose a safe place we can go for leisure without needing to get in the car. I have been an advocate for the last 5 years for young parents of infants, and I have learned the importance of providing spaces that families can get to without needing to get in the car. This is so valuable. Often young women struggling with post natal depression, an infant and a toddler are not well enough to take the time and effort to get in the car and have to drive somewhere for recreation. It is a known fact that walking is one of the best post birth recoveries, is great for baby to rest in a pram, and great for siblings to have exercise, learn road rules and a sense of belonging and place with their local environment. Lots of mums in those early years who do not have a park or oval in walking distance to their home report feeling trapped and overwhelmed. I know I did.

- The Australian government recommends that children my age need 3 hours of physical/outdoor activity every single day and a maximum of 1 hour of screen time a day. How do you expect families to provide this by taking away this vital green space close to my house? It would be impossible.

- My family uses this space during school hours, having shared access after hours or on weekends would not be suitable. And I don’t think my young kids would ever feel relaxed around high school aged kids. I know I certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable exercising in the vicinity of teenagers.

- I moved from where the only place that was in walking distance to my home that the children and I could go and play was the local school, we were functionally locked out of it 5 days a week until about after 4, and when you have very young children, 4 is time to start preparing dinner and bath, which meant we couldn’t ever go there during the week. The grounds were filthy on the weekends, with litter, graffiti, and the older kids came, and my younger kids just wanted to go home. It was also just not very nice, with so many buildings and concrete, compared to playing in a beautiful natural environment. I also did not like my young kids being around older kids who were acting poorly, swearing, rough housing, and mucking up. One of the reasons I moved back to Bungendore was the amount of easy, safe, family friendly, free outdoor recreation available.

- Bungendore park, oval, the shelter and bush poets corner, the war memorial and water fountain are all beautiful local features, that I cherish, and I feel contribute to my and my families wellbeing, because it’s a gorgeous, green, quiet open space with no built environment. The wide open space gives me a sense of peace and calm. My two energetic kids just LOVE to ride or run right across the oval, they love the freedom and openness, and the lovely level grass is perfect for free play. I am glad the older kids are getting a sports field somewhere else in town, but that doesn’t mean you can just take this space. My children and many children who use that park are way too young to play in club sports, but they have a right to kick, throw and run just as much as the older kids. I won’t ever play in a club sport myself, but I love and feel comfortable playing here with our kids and family friends.

- I want a high school that is large enough for all the local kids, and large enough to have good, purpose built facilities. I worked as a capital works project officer and I know from my own experience working to consult with communities, and then following through on the projects, that built for purpose is so important. The current design is compromised, immediately, because the site is just not big enough.

- Honestly, why this design proposal has come this far without the meeting the minimum requirement for size of a high school seems like a worthy issue for ICAC to investigate. Why should my two sons, and all the local children be crammed into a small school and small school grounds? What justification is there for this?

- I have genuine concerns about traffic flow, and bus stops and doing pick ups and drop offs at the primary school and preschool.

- I object to having two storey school building plunked down in the middle of our historic town.

- I object to the loss of the “off leash” area for dogs, as that meaningfully has kept my children safe from being harassed by dogs during our leisure time.

- I object to having our precious, meaningful town war memorial crowded by an ugly school fence, and the loss of aspect and outlook from the different angles and directions is to my mind, is disrespectful. The war memorial will be an easy target for vandalism.

- I object to the lack of meaningful, thorough and objective community consultation.

- I object on the grounds that I do not want my primary school aged children sharing facilities with high school kids. Our primary school aged kids deserve excellent facilities, grounds and libraries. Our high school aged kids deserve that too. Why should they compromise and have to share, just so certain parties receive funds for the sale of the land? Why should my children be short changed? There is no reason.

- The school location, design and build should have 1 outcome in mind. What is best for the students and families. A high school location that is well below the minimum size is not in the best interest of student and their families. It is a simple as that.

Pleas, build us a school, a great, spacious, modern, inspiring school.

Just select a location that is big enough for the purpose.

Select a location that does not take away the heartbeat of our community. My lifeline, my down time, my “lets go for a walk kids” space, my place to run, walk, throw, catch and just breathe. Our place to take time out and enjoy the wide, open green space. The place that gives the kids a smile, that is free, good for them, healthy and we don’t need to get in the car to go to. The place that helps me to keep myself mentally well. The place that is safe, simple and fun and that will keep giving to us for years to come.

I have not, and no associate of mine, has made any political donation to any person in the 2 years preceding this submission.


Yours faithfully,

Name Withheld and her two children under age 5.

My Objection is attached

Please see my attached document, objecting to the building of a High School in Bungendore.

See attached.

I have major objections to the manner in which the Traffic issues have been described and (NOT) handled in the proposed project. I have detailed this in the attached document. The fundamental concern over the entire project, including the Traffic "study" is that it is manifestly political, poorly researched, tainted by Council misbehaviour and interference by many, and effectively fails to address the many issues that it creates for the Bungendore Community. Details about the Traffic Issues are in the document attached.

The proposed High School effectively DESTROYS the ONLY off leash Dog Park in Bungendore and the surrounding region. It is heavily used every day of the week, year in and year out. This destruction has been proposed with NO consultation with the dog owners of Bungendore which invalidates the consultation process and the proposed change of village commons land and Crown Land. The process by which is occurred is fatally flawed and almost certainly illegal with regard to the management of Crown Lands.