New High School in Bungendore

I object to the school being built on Bungendore Park as that is the only real space in our village that can be used by everyone, at all times.
The size of the space available on the park is inadequate to allow for further population growth and will cause significant pedestrian congestion between the preschool and primary schools.
I feel it’s highly inappropriate for preschoolers and even younger primary school ages children to be forced to share a space with much older students and their inevitable behaviours/language etc.
Traffic congestion around residential streets in Bungendore will be a problem, especially as most of the streets around the current schools and the Park itself do not have curb and guttering and would not tolerate high usage.
The post office, which is a cornerstone building and business for our town will be completely overrun and the threat to our War Memorial cenotaph from bored high school kids is completely unacceptable.

Please find submission, cover letter and annexures attached.

Bungendore will have a site area of 2.9 hectares - this is almost 3 acres- smaller than the State Government’s own minimum requirements.
If we are to compare to Jerrabomberra high school being built at the same time, it is being built on a site of 4.5 hectares and will cater for 500 students with room to grow. Bungendore high school will cater for 450 students maximum, where there is little space for expansion when the need arises.
This is not an acceptable location for our high school.

Sonya Reynolds


17 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 OBJECT to the proposal, for the following reason(s):

The loss of the majority of the park will be detrimental to our community. Having free access to this area has been a godsend, especially during COVID. Having the ability to go to the oval and kick a ball around has been a favourite past time, not only for my children, but many others in our community. Mick Sherd Oval and the surrounding park is the heart of our community. It is where we take our children to see Santa. Where children learn to play soccer and football, bringing families together to socialise. Where we teach our children to run and play. It is for family reunions, family photos, celebrations, not o lot for families, but as a community.

I am concerned that the space is not big enough to expand in the years to come. Bungendore is expanding. We have many new families moving here to live ‘the good life’. We are going to see the population increase more in the years to come, bringing more children to the area. The fact that children from Bungendore can only access certain high schools already, creates an issue when families want their children attending Bungendore High School. Where will the school expand too? Is it going to encroach further into Mick Sherd Oval, an absolute Icon of Bungendore?

The loss of area that was committed to Abbeyfield for the elderly is disgusting. Bungendore is an old town, full of families who have been here for generations. With the loss of this promised facility, many older residents, who have been born and raised here, will need to move to other locations, away from family and friends and the community they have loved for their entire lives.

This area, is the only green space in our community. If it gets taken away, what do we have?

I am also concerned that the off lease dog area, that floods, is not a usable space for any part of a high school.

My son currently attends Bungendore Primary and I am also concerned about the increased congestion of traffic.

My husband and I moved here 10 years ago. We chose Bungendore as our base, vowing never to leave. We didn’t know a single person. We got to know our neighbours, becoming friends and some, family.
I found family who I didn’t even know, quickly forming friendships and forming a base for our own family. Since then, we have had two boys. They love our community and all the people in it. When we moved here, there were a lot less houses. More dirt roads. Bungendore is expanding and it is going to keep on expanding for many years as people move to our beautiful community. We need a space that can and will accommodate the increasing enrolment of children. Somewhere that will provide the open spaces for children to grow and learn. For them to not be squashed between parks and buildings, Not somewhere that will soon become too small.

Please reconsider the location of our new Highschool. I object to the location. I agree we need a high school. Please consider the heritage and history of our beautiful village and all that has been offered and what it will have to offer if you keep the Park as it is. As our village and town expands, if you take away this beautiful space, we will have nothing left. The community spirit will be gone.

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,

Sonya Reynolds

I object to the proposal to situate the new high school in Bungendore in the area where there is currently a park, council buildings and an historic railway station, for the following reasons:
* Traffic - the surrounding streets and residential areas are not designed to carry the amount of traffic that the school will generate. In addition, the roads around the site that will remain open are already used by some drivers to avoid traffic on the Main Street through Bungendore. Any kind of traffic calming or similar in this area (including closure) will exponentially increase traffic on the Main Street and frustrate drivers and pedestrians alike.
* Future-proofing - the site is too small for present needs and does not allow room for expansion to accommodate the growing number of families and children in the wider area.
* Health and Safety - the adjacent railway line has known lead contamination; this is not conducive to the health of growing children who will be exposed on a daily basis.
* Loss of amenity - the park is a known and well-used space for visitors and residents alike; people arrange to meet here, use bathrooms, run around and play on the field … all with the knowledge that it is safe and free.
* Heritage - the new school will not be consistent with the heritage buildings in the area and this will detract from the attractions of the village and potentially affect local businesses.

Suggestion - could the new high school be sited near the new recreation area?

Keep up the good work. Don't listen to the pensioners who don't need a school for their adult kids, or the DINKs who have no need for a school. Everyone else wants it.

I object to the NSW Government Planning Industry and Environment Exhibition of State Significant Development Application SSD-14394209 New High School in Bungendore for the following reasons;

• The new high school of 450 students has no room for expansion on the proposed site with more primary school students in Bungendore already that could be accommodated and numerous new housing estates in planning or underway meaning further demand on the proposed site

• An alternative site at Ashby just outside the village confines was already ear marked as a suitable location for the new high school, so much so that contracts were prepared for early works and access deeds by DPIE. This site has much more room for expansion with degrading an existing heritage heart of a community

• An announcement to close Majara Street between Turallo Terrace and Gibraltar Street to provide extra land for the new high school implies there is not enough land and shutting this main thoroughfare was a “clasping at straws” moment. The road provides access to the Kings Highway and Railway Station from Elmslea estate, closing it would direct traffic down Butmaroo Street and back onto Gibraltar Street past the Primary School. Road vehicles and children don’t mix

• No evidence exists that the state government consulted “stakeholders” of the Mick Sherd oval, the Community Centre, Swimming Club, and St Mary’s church, owner of the kindergarten/preschool property. How was it that the outcome from 2 information sessions at the Primary School Hub was overwhelming support for High School even though the location which was predominantly objected against not taken into account?

• Community fundraising initiatives and efforts contributed to the swimming pool complex and the Community Centre being the facilities they are today however if the proposed site for the new high school goes ahead then they will be demolished along with restrictions imposed on the community use of Mick Sherd Oval during school hours. The 2.1m fence proposed around the perimeter of the new high school and oval will change the character of Bungendore Park for the worse

• 12m high prefab buildings making up the new high school will not be in character with the heritage precinct which currently exists at Bungendore Park. Open space being the Common is earmarked for parking spaces, agricultural plots and sheds. The Rotunda and Bush Balladeers stone memorial are all required to be moved to another site at the expense of the new high school.

• Over 70 trees will be removed and replaced with high fences and concrete buildings which are not in character in a heritage precinct

This whole process looks like political expediency instead of due process where thorough community and heritage consultation has taken place. Making the right decision on the location of the new high school could see a bright future for the Bungendore community, making the wrong decision could do irreversible damage.

I support this proposal. It is well considered and will support the needs of a growing town. The site is a sensible option taking advantage of current infrastructure and an under utilised site. The high school will benefit the community, primary school and will ease transition of kids to high school. This is a great opportunity for children to stay in the town they live in without lengthy travel across the border. I am very hopeful this is built as planned for commencement February 2023. Thank you for considering my submission.

It is the most logical location for the high school to be built as any other location is either is either in a flood zone or out of town which would prevent kids from being able to ride their bikes to school safely. It also makes sense in building it next to the primary school as it will connect the two and make the transition from primary to high school easier for students as they will be familiar with the school

The Bungendore community has been advocating for a local High School for over a decade. As a small rural community, children, in the past, have always travelled for their high school education to Canberra, Queanbeyan or Braidwood

With the preferred high school choices in central Canberra no longer available and other regional schools reaching capacity, the demand for the NSW government to provide a local high school in Bungendore has been growing and the government has now delivered on that commitment.

Many families make life-changing decisions based on the educational needs of their children and the option to remain living within the Bungendore community and are eagerly awaiting having a local high school option. This is in no small part due to the significant support that has been shown for the High School by the local community.

The only issue in contention has been the location. The objection of the proposed siting of the school from those who live nearby is not surprising. They do not have children who will benefit from a high school and do not want to see change near where they live. However, it is our submission that the addition of a high school will enhance rather than diminish the Mick Sherd Oval and Bungendore Park.

Whilst the decision to locate the school adjacent to the Mick Sherd Oval has been a government one, and the Bungendore High School Action Group (BHSAG) was not consulted, we strongly endorse the current proposal as set out by School Infrastructure (SI) NSW for the following reasons:

• The proposal will deliver a high school by Term 1, 2023. Any rethinking of the proposed siting would delay this, at best, for several years. Another generation of high school students would miss out on a local high school education.

• Co-location of a high school adjacent to the current primary school provides for the efficient use of shared facilities and services. As well as the new high school, the primary school will benefit from upgraded classroom, playing field facilities and the opportunity for extended learning. The idea that a high school should be built away from the town centre does not acknowledge that the education of future generations should be at the centre of a community’s responsibilities.

• The refurbishment or recycling of the former Palerang Council Offices, a stranded asset, provides the resources for the Regional Council to reinvest in new community facilities to the benefit of the whole community. The partnership between state and regional government in the development of the proposed ‘educational hub’ has significant appeal. There are significant additional community facilities associated with the overall proposal (heated pool, new play areas, library, community centre) within the strategic plan for Bungendore.

• Having a high school within the Bungendore town centre will provide additional demand for local retail outlets and enhance the ability of young people to access sport and recreation as part of their school day.

BHSAG believe that most families, within the Bungendore community, strongly support the proposed site and are keen to see it progress.

A high school in Bungendore is a huge and much-needed investment into our community’s infrastructure – creating jobs locally, helping local business and most importantly supporting our children's future within their community.

Many families are making life-changing decisions based on whether a local high school is available or not. I have seen friends leave our community over the years because there is no local high school or because the commute got too difficult. For those families that stay locally, since the close of ACT schools to NSW students, our local teenagers are now scattered in small numbers across many high schools outside our community, some travelling from after 6am and arriving home just before 6pm. This greatly impacts on their daily and family lives.

For me personally, I struggled with long commutes when I was student. Thankfully it was only for a short period of my life, but I don’t want that for my children. When I moved to Bungendore it was well before I had children and the commute by car into Queanbeyan or Canberra seemed perfectly fine. I was shocked when I discovered that high school students needed to leave Bungendore at 7.30am to get to the nearest high school, much earlier just a few minutes out of town. They travel without seat belts, and from the south end of town often standing for extended periods, on busy roads with lots of kangaroos. Most people commute into Canberra for work and used to send their children to high school there too so that they could travel together and minimise the long, tiring and potentially unsafe commutes.

Since the high school options considerably decreased, more families from Bungendore and the surrounding areas have been considering leaving. For many of them, I believe more than ever, that a local high school is a critical issue. It would also create opportunities for our teenagers to feel more connected to their community through participation in senior levels of sport, community groups and a part-time workforce – ultimately boosting Bungendore as a place to live and raise children.

I think the chosen site puts the wellbeing of our community’s children first. Having a high school in a central location is not just practical but is also safe. The co-location beside the primary school also brings much-need additional facilities and upgrades to the primary school but also has the added benefit of creating extended learning opportunities for primary school students. I ask the Department to continue to put the wellbeing of children first by making sure the Mick Sherd Oval is available during recess and lunchtime. I believe the concerns about high school students damaging it are unwarranted. I would expect that the reduced use of the oval by the primary school and all football codes once the sports hub and new primary school ovals are built will balance out any additional usage by the high school.

I also ask that the front office of the primary school remains on the public-school grounds. I believe it is great that children have a sense of independence and responsibility running errands to the office but do not feel comfortable with young children crossing a road on their own and potentially meeting members of the public. If a parent is running late, having to park to check if a child needs a late note would also cause unnecessary traffic congestion.

Once the SSDA is approved, I urge the Department of Education to ensure there is continued and meaningful consultation with the local community. Thank you!

Objection SSD-14394209/ New Bungendore High School

I object to this development on the grounds that it is detrimental to the amenity of Bungendore’s historic community, institutional and recreational precinct.

From 2001 to 2015 I published the Bungendore Mirror, a weekly community newspaper serving the town and surrounding district. The period of publication coincided with a dramatic increase in the size of the town from 1500 to almost 4,000 people. During these years I got to know many of the town’s residents and business people and most of those involved with running the many community organisations and institutions.

It was very apparent that the town’s residents loved their little town and some were fearful of the changes that the increase in the town’s size may bring. Many of the newcomers felt the same, understanding that while the town could not be preserved in aspic, the essential elements and scale of the town should be respected.

Bungendore didn’t have a high school of its own, so its secondary school students were bussed west to Queanbeyan high schools and Canberra secondary colleges and private schools and east to the Braidwood Central School.

As the population grew, Bungendore Public School parents and others stated to lobby the State Government for a high school to be built at Bungendore to serve the town and surrounding district. We now know that the NSW Department of Planning investigated the possibilities and came up with a proposal to build a new school on a greenfields site, the ‘Ashby’ property, which is close to the town and, in particular, close to the Elmslea Estate, the major focus of new housing development.

This proposal made sense. It was reasonably accessible to students from all parts of the town and the layout would not be constrained by existing buildings and site limitations. There would be ample room for one level school buildings (not needing ramps or lifts for disabled access), open space for sport and recreation, open air facilities for the proposed agricultural science centre, and with space left over for future expansion.

Then a new proposal appeared, apparently backed by the Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council, who were keen to rid themselves of the former Palerang Council administration building. It involved amalgamating their property, a public recreation area (the Recreation Ground), a creekside passive recreation area and a road reserve to create an enlarged site for the redevelopment of the school. The resulting space is the bare minimum required and dictates that most of the new buildings will be two storeys to fit on the site(s).

The Recreation Ground, which is the key to the new development, is an essential element in Bungendore’s Georgian period town plan. It is surrounded on three sides by community and institutional buildings including the Public School, the Police Station, the former Court House, the School of Arts, a Pre-school (formerly a Catholic Primary School), the Community Centre, Scouts Hall and the former Palerang Council’s administration building. The Recreation Ground itself contains playing fields (with an amenities block), tennis courts and a swimming pool.

This proposal will destroy the character of this essential element, and the integrity of the community and institutional precinct. It will remove the Swimming Pool and creekside park and restrict the use of the playing fields, all of which are greatly valued public assets.

What should have been a win-win situation has now become a lose-lose, with a layout limited by site constraints and the loss of a very important part of Bungendore’s character. Worse still, the school is sized for the current population, with 450 places. The town is bound to increase in size, as are the surrounding rural residential areas which the town serves, yet the new school will have no room for expansion.

[Declaration. I have not made political donations in the last two years]

Signed




John Mitchell

This high school is vital for the growth of our town

The town needs a high school. Co locating it with the primary school makes sense to me

The proposed new high school for Bungendore will be a valuable asset to the town, offering local education opportunities not just to Bungendore children, but also the surrounding villages. I also support the employment opportunities from construction through to operation. Having a high school in Bungendore will see less people leave the region when their children reach high school.

The proposed location for the high school is a sensible choice. Integration of all levels of learning will provide an environment that will support learning from pre-school through to year 12. Being central to the village, the high school location will ensure easy access from all surrounding areas, offering convenience for parents who need to drop off children. The proposed location will also allow bus services to operate effectively from the high school. The location is also ideal for children travelling independently to and from school.

The shared usage of Mick Sherd oval is a fabulous opportunity to ensure the facility is maintained and that it has greater utilisation throughout the day.

I look forward to seeing work begin on the construction of the high school in the proposed location.

Can’t wait!

Dont believe the site has been thought through very well given a number of factors:
- Continued town growth and needs - Fairly short sighted in my opinion
- Loss of Exisitng Park and Facilities is pretty unacceptable even given the relocation of some of these facilities to Frogs hollow (which will regularily flood, as it has in the past) creating an increased cost to asset management for QPRC and the community
- Increased pedestrian and vehicular access in and around and existing train line - some problems with fencing and access and continued maintenance. Not to mention the recent discovery of lead contaminated lands near-by (Majara St) - one would hope the extent and location of the cantamination doesnt end up something similar to areas around the train lines in Captains Flat
- What an opportunity we are missing out on not trying to create a larger more future proof high school. Building on potential relationships with internationally recognised agricultural groups like the Mulloon Institute and other landcare groups in the area and create a more 'rural' focussed high school
- I grew up in Bungendore attending the local primary school and was one of the kids getting on the bus at around 6:45am to make the trip in to Lyneham to attend high school and then Dickson to attend college so I understand why some parents and their children may want a high school in Bungendore urgently. However I belive the mix that could be created by having a agricultural or environmentally focussed high school along with other high shool and college opportunities in Canberra, youth in the region would have many more options in terms of career paths and the opportunities and jounrneys that get them there

I strongly object to the current proposal for a high school in Bungendore for the following reasons:

The proposed development takes over a large percentage of an irreplaceable community asset that is the park in there centre of the town. The high school will permanently occupy 25% of the park and 57% of the park during school hours. While sporting facilities can be rebuilt in other locations, these cannot replace the open space in the centre of the town that the park has always provided. The whole park must remain an open area that is freely available to the whole community all the time.

The closure of part of Majara St will cause major disruption of traffic flows through the town. It will divert traffic through residential streets causing increased danger and loss of amenity to those residents. It will increase traffic and risk around the existing preschool and primary school. It destroys part of the historic grid layout that is typical of Bungendore. In addition, it appears that the traffic study that has been done for this proposal was based on an extremely limited and inadequate survey of existing traffic and does not make realistic assumptions about the amount of traffic that will be generated by students and staff attending the school from outside the Bungendore township.

Community consultation on this project has been inadequate.

I support the need for a high school in Bungendore, but not on this site.