New High School in Bungendore

I am all for this project and hope that it goes ahead so my children do not need to commute hours per week to travel to a school in another location

I object to the location of the proposed high school. Building the high school on Bungendore’s park will restrict access to the park and therefore cause severe detriment to the towns people. Restricting access to the park will mean people will not have a park to recreate (even if access is granted after school hours it will limit the time people can use the park). Taking over the preschool, community nurse and pool will also cause significant detriment to the towns people who need easy access to these facilities. I have 2 children and will greatly benefit from a high school in the town, however everyone will benefit from keeping the park as a park / area for the community to use at their leisure! Bungendore has many greenfield sites for high school it does not need to be built in the centre of town. I urge you to consider the needs of all Bungendore residents and identify a new site for the high school.

I strongly support the placement of the Bungendore High School as proposed. The use of this part of Bungendore will enliven the location which is very inactive since the Council amalgamation occurred and the office has lost a lot of staff. The project will have little impact on Mick Sherd oval and the oval is being supplemented by new fields to the west of town. The site will be very accessible for students from all parts of town to safely walk or cycle and this mode of transport would not work for alternative sites well out of town. The extra staff in the town will add to the social fabric and be quite a change from the many residents that leave the town to travel elsewhere to work. I have read the EIS and see no issues raised that cannot be addressed.

I think the project of the high school is a much overdue one. It is wonderful to see such thoughtful planning that doesn't encroach on the outdoor spaces that most move out to the country for. The location is well planned and will be a great bridge for primary students moving to high school without the added stresses of learning new bus routes, travel times and then having to complete homework on top of that. I can see there being great local opportunities for work experience with many career paths catered for in our town.
My only concern is of access to the primary school from the Turallo creek foot bridge from Elmslea ponds. There is currently no path around the existing playground area towards the police station and I think this would need to be addresses before construction phase.
Overall this will be an asset to the town and I can't wait to send my three children to the highschool in the future.

A highschool in Bungendore is well overdue. The location is more than satisfactory and would create a valuable education hub for families with children across both primary and high school.

I have observed community use of the oval for many many months during school hours and have observed very little to no community use (between 9-3) that would be disrupted by the highschool being located adjacent to Mick Sheard oval and with the use of the oval by high school students.

I fully support a new highschool in Bungendore in the current proposed location.

I support the proposed Bungendore High School and believe it is a good design and in a good location. Further, I live locally in the Bungendore and believe a high school will benefit the community for many generations to come.

I recommend the footpath to the west of Mick Sherd oval is constructed prior to construction of the high school commencing (or early on in the process) to minimise the impact of those walking from the Elmslea area into the township.

The plans also show a reasonably large amount of space being taken up by a vehicle turning circle which would provide minimal utility each day/week. Other options could be explored to prevent the need for a turning circle (such as a through road).

Agree

Support the proposal

I live next to the primary school and have two primary school aged children. We are overjoyed with the proposal for the new high school and the location is ideal. The traffic flow looks great, the facilities proposed are excellent and we have absolutely no issues with the plans. Thank you to all those who have contributed to this proposal. We’ve tried to engage in the surveys as they come out and this is a great opportunity to confirm our support.

Susan Donnelly
Address Withheld Bungendore NSW 2621
New High School in Bungendore (SSD-14394209)
Objection to Proposal
We purchased our home here in Bungendore 9 years ago with our sons then aged 10 and 7. We chose Bungendore as our long term home in order to raise our sons in a safe community with small town values, that was also close enough to commute to Queanbeyan and Canberra for work and school each day. When purchasing our home we factored in that there was no high school, and decided that when the boys reached high school age, they would commute into St Edmunds in Canberra. With our boys now aged 19 and 16, one completed high school and the other in Year 10 we were excited to hear that Bungendore would finally be getting a High School. This would not come to fruition to assist our boys education, however would be fantastic for younger local kids in the community.
After years of being told that our town did not have the population to support a High School, the teenagers of our town would finally be able to be educated locally, and not spend an hour commuting each way. This would positively impact both the community and the students as they would able to participate in local after school employment and local sports rather than arriving back into town at 5pm each day.
Having moved here from Sydney where my sons attended a school set on 37 acres of land, and living in an area with so much green space, I was excited to view the proposed sites for our local Bungendore High School. However after very limited community consultation the current proposed site was chosen, I was appalled to understand how and why such a small site would be chosen for a rural community.
The school proposed is essentially being "squashed" in to the centre of town. The proposed 2 storey building are not in line with the current street scape of the centre of town, and Mick Sherd oval will become a shared space rather than a community space.
I absolutely whole heartedly believe Bungendore needs a High School, but the location site chosen is not what our children need or deserve, and does not allow for expansion of the school as the towns population grows bigger. Our kids deserve a school and amenities on plenty of land, that fit with the rural town landscape. An ag plot that will not take existing green space or Scout Hall away from the community. I believe this development and proposal has been rushed without further sites being explored.
We are not Sydney, so why are we trying to squeeze a school into a smaller space than it deserves?
I do not believe that all of the opinions and concerns of the community have been heard or validated. I do not believe you will find one person in this town that disagrees with the fact the High School is needed, however there are many people in our community including myself who do not believe the chosen site is the correct location.
Please take the time to explore more sites, we are surrounded by so much open land, we look farcical to outsides who use google earth to view our town and see that we are trying to squeeze a high school into a small space when there is so much open space around the town.
I object to the current location of the proposal and hope that the NSW Dept of Planning, Industry and Environment listen to the concerns of the community and provide our future children with a site that will allow for further expansion over time.

I think it is absolutely pointless to construct a highschool that caters to only 450 students, when there are over 4000 residents, 1156 families and 608 people aged between 10-19 years old in the Bungendore Community. Factoring in the other regional areas of Tarago, Bywong, Wamboin, Braidwood, Hoskinstown & Captains Flat etc. one would assume the requirement for a school that ACTUALLY caters to the capacity requirements to be constructed.

Also the fact the the NSW government has continuously ignored other sites proposed by residents is laughable. You literally are destroying the community pool, sporting complex and community centre, and have not even committed to replacing them.

This is a small community where the residents want their voices heard and will boycott if required. Need i remind you of the Woolworths that was constructed and locals supported the IGA and the woolworths was shutdown within 5 months of opening due to community backlash?

Listen to the community rather then your own agenda's and you will find people come to the party much more willingly.

This objection is to the proposed location of the school as this project unnecessarily sacrifices community facilities and amenity. This objection is not the to school, which will be an important community resource. However the school could be located any of a number of alternative sites that do not result in the loss of community owned land and facilities that cannot be replaced. There are also serious questions of the conflicts of interest held by project proponents.

The proposed site will encompass virtually all public space and community facilities in the growing town of Bungendore. This includes the town pool, community hall, sporting, health and child care facilities. This will leave no shared community space inside the town. The proposal to relocate these facilities outside the town significantly reduces access, is not funded and will not be available in a reasonable timeframe even if it is funded. This proposal seeks to eliminate community facilities that are fit for purpose, and act as a focal point for local social cohesion and public health benefits. Rather than demolish or restrict access to these facilities, the school could simply be built elsewhere on land that was previously identified for this purpose by NSW Education.

The Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council will financially benefit from the transfer of community land that is not owned by the council without the public consent to do so. The proposed site was deeded to the community - which is why it hosts virtually all shared facilities. The transfer of the land away from community control and use does not conform to the intention of the bequest, nor is it an ethical transaction. Indeed, the sale of property adjacent to the park that will be included in the future school site lacks transparency and raises serious conflicts of interest with the project proponents. These proponents have actively suppressed community dissatisfaction with the project by restricting access to consultation sessions, and deleting public commentary in open forums to skew the perceptions of public consultation. Furthermore, proponents have consistently vowed to ignore opposition, failed to provide any weight to the representations of local Councillors, and failed to offer a rationale for the loss of community facilities when other options for the location of the school were previously identified by NSW Education.

The proceeds of the sale of land adjacent to the park will not be used to benefit the local community, even though the land belongs to the community, rather than the council which will be the beneficiary. This situation, coupled with the intransigence of project proponents, efforts to suppress and skew consultation, and availability entirely viable alternatives that had preciously been identified as preferred sites by NSW Education, is indicative of potentially corrupt behaviour and vested interests that have not been disclosed.

The project needs to go back to where the Dept first was going to build the High School. Our Park isn’t the Councils to sell. The Park is crown land. Our pool yes it needs some work but it is still big enough for children to swim in learn to swim in and to hold Swim club.
My husband travelled by bus to High School and so does his children and it didn’t have any adverse effects on his Schooling. Two storey means that lifts will have to be put in to cater for the disabled children who may attend another cost. The School will be fit for purpose now but not in 10 years. The High School doesn’t meet the Education Standards on the size of land required to build a School. We have a Central School having major works done to it if people want that they send their child there. I don’t want our heritage area spoiled by a High School to be shoved where it isn’t big enough. Being built on a train line that is still active. We had a teenager commit suicide we don’t need the High School to be built on the line. We have many green fields that could accomodate this project better. It has come down to how much money the Council can gain now. Not sure how a perfect site was chosen and than a back door deal was had with John Barilaro. There’s an election soon time to make our votes count. When we stood alone we didn’t have these issues only after amalgamation have we had the said issues.

Look forward to hearing from you.

I formally OBJECT to the Bungendore Highschool being built on the site chosen by the Department of Education as per SSD-14394209 on the grounds that the site is far too small for a high school and that part of the land is crown land and does not belong to the QPRC or the Department of Education. This whole process has never had proper community consultation and it has only recently come to light that there was a approved site on Tarago Road that is far more suitable and was approved. The future high school students of Bungendore deserve a school that is not cramped onto a small area and one that has room to grow. Leave our beautiful park as it is, it belongs to the community not the Dept of Edu or the QPRC, neither represent what the majority of the community want for a highschool.
I strongly OBJECT to the high school being built on Part 6-14 Butmaroo Street and 2,4-6 & 10 Majara street, Butmaroo Street (part lot 701 DP 96240) and portion of Marjara street between Turallo Terrace and GibraltarStreet, Bungendore. Hans Rasker

27th September 2021
FORMAL OBJECTION TO SSD -14394209 - HIGH SCHOOL PROPOSAL

Derek Payne
1 Deniston Circuit
Bungendore NSW 2621

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

Dear Sir, Madam,
NEW HIGH SCHOOL IN BUNGENDORE APPLICATION NO. SSD - 14394209

FORMAL OBJECTION TO SSD -14394209 - HIGH SCHOOL PROPOSAL
I refer to the above state significant development application .
This is an objection to SSDA- 14394209

Object to this proposal for the following reasons

1. The site is not suitable due to size and does not allow for future growth
2. The site proposed is on Crown Land which was set aside for the town to use not the Department of Education, This is not aligned to the Current NSW Government policy wanting to create green space in towns and cities
3. The School Building will be 2 stories high and does not link with the heritage of the surrounding area
4. The proposal has not provided suitable traffic management plans and includes the closure of a major road to achieve the high school,
5. No Consideration has been given to the traffic as proposed child care center with in 500 m of the high school that will add an additional 170 people this means that over 1200 people in area
6. The NSW Department did not consult with the community and did not provided clear way of objecting to this proposal until now.
7. The Deputy Premier has stated that he will use all of his pollical capital to achieve the High School on this site
8. QPRC will receive the money for this site when others were not consider or changed at the last minute
9. The site will take over the War Memorial and likely change the look and feel to the memorial
10. The proposal not been thought out and does not consider effects to the community

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

Kind Regards

Derek Payne

I fully support the Bungendore High School plan and selected site. I believe a large proportion of the community supports the plan also.
The heritage report adequately sets out there will be no loss of heritage and the oval will remain useable by the community. The pool is to be relocated into the sports hub so the community will also benefit from a brand new heated pool to replace the aging inadequate currently facility.
Like the aesthetics of the current plan and like the idea of an education hub that will also be of benefit to the primary school. The location also provides a central safe location for kids from the town to make their way to School.
I am very excited about this project and look forward to seeing progress as it moves forward.

I object to SSDA 14394209, re the current proposal in regards to a High School in Bungendore. First, let me be clear in stating my support for a High School in Bungendore, just not one in the proposed location. I have concerns regarding town amenity, heritage, whether the site is fit for purpose and the poor quality of education that would be provided at this site. I also believe the Government will be find it challenging to develop the site (for the reasons below) and that the project would be less hindered by another site (E.g. the Ashby property on Tarago Road).

Town amenity: the proposed site sits upon Bungendore Park. Bungendore Park was first gazetted in the late 19th century (approximately 1880) and has been the jewel of Bungendore ever since. Along with the two remaining churches, the police station and the post office, it is one of the few remaining links to that era for Bungendore. Further, It has been home to the Bungendore Tigers (our Rugby League team) since 1908.

Today it hosts the town swimming pool (funded by the local community in the early 1990s), the town's tennis courts, cricket nets, adult exercise equipment, a children's playground, public toilets and a footpath that circumnavigates it. It is utilised by local families and exercise service providers every day. It is a well placed and highly utilised community asset with both tangible and intrinsic value.

Heritage: The Bungendore Park site is adorned by the war memorial (which will be impinged by the proposed school), poets corner (a site dedicated to musical art and poetry), stone pines from Lone Pine at Gallipoli (sent from Suvla Bay by a fallen digger to his mother), heritage horse railing (out the front of council offices), the grave of an Indigenous man, and is adjacent to the post office, train station and pre-school (formerly a Catholic school) and the old convent. It neighbours homes on Butmaroo St that have been heritage listed for their links to centuries gone. All of these items are in their proper location now and are protected from over development, and change, by the Crown Lands Act among other instruments of law including, but not limited to, heritage law, various environment laws, the ANZAC Memorial Act.

Fit for purpose: I find it difficult to understand why the Department of Education would want to place a greenfield high school on a site that is smaller (2.9Ha) than the published preferred area (4Ha) for a high school in regional NSW. What will the school miss out on in order to shoe horn it into this site? It appears, from the current design, that the high school will have no oval (thus nowhere for kids to run around) and limited other outdoor space. What's more there is no room for the school to grow with the town, which is slated to double in population, within the decade. The three other high schools in the local government area, Queanbeyan, Karabar and Braidwood, all have abundant green spaces and school ovals.

If the Department decides to utilise the oval, it will fast become over used and be rendered useless to the 400 odd users of the facility for winter sports (junior football, senior rugby, junior and senior rugby league). It is not enough to say that these sports will move to the new sports facility. There are only two fields there, so at least one code will need (indeed should) stay at Bungendore's home ground of more than 100 years.

Quality of education: In alignment with this, I have to question the quality of education that the school would be able to provide. I have to ask; how can such a small, grassless school provide the quality of education that the children of Bungendore deserve? In addition to the lack of oval, will the school also lack a gymnasium (we're led to believe this will be shared with the primary school (along with the school library), science labs or an arts complex. If even one of these is missing, the school will offer the poorest quality education in the Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council area.

I also suggest any sharing of resources between the high school and the primary school will lead to a poorer quality of educational service for the primary school too (a significant number of local teachers have privately raised this with me). The primary school already performs below average in Naplan, and other areas. It would be catastrophic for the students of Bungendore to be hindered further than they are now.

I urge the Department of Education and the NSW Government to go back to their drawing board and find a site that is more appropriate for our area and will offer the quality of education our children deserve.

I would like to express my support for the Bungendore High School. I think the idea of an education precinct in the proximity of the Primary School to be very beneficial to both the High School and the Primary School. The upgrades to the Primary School are much needed and appreciated.
There will be no loss to the community with this plan as a new pool will be provided in the new sports hub which will benefit the community for years to come. The oval will continue to be used for the community and the extra facilities that will be provided by the High School will be beneficial to the community.
The central location will also provide a safe position for teenagers to make their way to school. My family and I look forward to work commencing on this project.

Angie Angel
Street Address Withheld Bungendore NSW 2621
Phone Number Withheld
28 September 2021-09-28

OBJECTION SSD-14394209 New Bungendore High School


I object to SSD-14394209. I object to the site location of the new Bungendore High School.
. I have made no political donations in the last two years.
My reasons for a strong objection to this proposal are:
1. Cramming an undersized High School in the central park precinct of Bungendore displays a contempt for the amenity of Bungendore citizens and will immediately see many of their recreational, civic and community amenities demolished. The Council Chambers, Community Centre, and swimming pool will be devoured by this plan, the War Memorial will become a shadowed structure under two storey school buildings, and what’s left of the now vibrant park will be off limits to the public during school hours. The adjacent dog off leash area, which I personally use now and at which I have made many friends, will be consumed by the school’s agricultural plot. We don’t want a smaller alternative to the dog park either. Historic landmarks will be either moved (such as the poets corner) or gradually eroded as schoolchildren and school buses negotiate around those no longer relevant presences. Tourists who now stop at that park on a daily basis will abandon the town and the local shops in droves.
In short, this plan entails a social impact your DA was unable to foresee in its chapter on Social Impact Assessments. The spin in that report shows it was clearly written by someone who did not live in Bungendore. It even claims that Queanbeyan and Canberra are the only present options for high school students in Bungendore, and completely fails to notice that a significant number of students go to Braidwood High. The author(s) fail to notice how intensely used and loved that park section of the heart of the town is now. Furthermore, we want to keep all our amenities (including a high school) in a civilised setting, not in some cramped sardine tin.
2. The Department of Planning had settled on the ‘Ashby’ property on the Tarago Road for a High School before the local member and the local council intervened and made the dramatic switch to site it on Bungendore Park. Ashby is a spacious 100 acre property, it is open and central and beautiful and would have introduced great traffic calming measures to that section of town with bike paths and school crossings. What a sensible choice and with room for the school to grow. Bungendore’s population is expected to double in the next decade or so, so why not build a school on a greenfields site such as Ashby which can accommodate that growth? So was there some benefit to Council (with the tacit agreement of the local member) to suddenly choose to asset strip and sell off the heart of our town instead?
3. I could list all the historic landmarks that will be diminished by this project. It is too long a list. This proposal has a huge and unpleasant social impact, with 76 trees proposed to be removed, lighting happening on two storey buildings as cleaners work at night, and an arterial road demolished and built over and creating traffic chaos. You have provided traffic projections which do not match traffic counts locals have undertaken. My list of objections can go on and on but I want to keep this letter short. We want to keep our town’s charm to tourists intact and our town’s community uses and pride to ourselves. Please don’t destroy the heart of our town.
4. As an addendum, it does seem inappropriate that a high school will sit in the block adjacent to the town’s two pubs.
Angie Angel

Brilliant. Great use of the redundant Council space, underutilised road and neglected parking. Will activate the whole area 7 days a week all year rather than the current winter training nights and weekend sports.