New High School in Bungendore

28/09/21
Street Address Withheld
Bungendore NSW 2621
Email Withheld

https://mpweb.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/41186

I object to SSDA 14394209, re the current proposal in regards to a High School in Bungendore.
1) The ripping up of the town fabric by the bullying destruction of historic Bungendore Park is not my dream. It will be a stately and prized asset in 100 years as it is now.
2) A 2nd rate school on half the land it should be on, is not the dream I have for the children of Bungendore.
3) A corruption roundabout where Bungendore and the citizens of NSW pay the managers of Queanbeyan for their incompetence is a nightmare. The elected Councillors are only marginally included in this comment.
4) Forcing traffic down a suburban road past child facilities smacks of Developers gone rotten.
5) Blocking carparking at the Station while spending millions pork barrelling it elsewhere is crazy. The light rail in Canberra is going to link soon enough. Development to Goulburn is going to require this link.
6) You don’t put schools next to railway lines due to suicide risk.
7) Pools are essential to teach swimming and save lives. If the School was going in its originally selected spot away from this incredibly expensive option the cost savings would pay for a new pool and its running costs for many years.
8) The proposal is as make believe as its graphic’s. The agricultural plot has five cows on it. Not room for one. Does Barilaro, who is staking his political life on this, think of himself as Jesus Christ, or the inventor of Lilliput? Time to take him down a peg.
9) I do have a dream along with many of my fellow NSW citizens, tired out by constant corruption and venal greedy Alabama incompetence of our governments, that will see the unscrupulous, untouchable perpetrators investigated. And save the State and Council a heap of cash.

Bruce Pettit

I'll make this brief -
The public funded (the people) pool has every right to stay in the current location and the government has no right to remove it.
The road system can currently cope with the primary school (just), the addition of the high school will be unable to deal with increased traffic especially if some roads are closed, no civil planner that is not influenced would sign off on this.
The park is used and loved by the public, why would the NSW DET feel they have an ethical right (and it isn't) to take this from the rate payers of Bungendore.
There are better locations and is a high school required?

This is a formal objection to SSDA 14394209, the proposal to build a High School, on this extremely unsuitable site, in Bungendore. I am fully in favour of a high school in Bungendore, but there are other more suitable sites that need to be considered. My main objection is that Bungendore has a growing population. Already bulldozers are busy on the Tarago Road, making the area ready for the building of hundreds of houses, families whose children will be attending Bungendore High School in years to come. There is no way the proposed site for the high school can cope with expansion when the number of students do increase, which they are bound to do. No provision has been made for growth. Taking the primary school as an example, that grows by a new classroom every two years or so, it is certain that the same rate of growth will apply to the high school. We will be losing a heritage site, in the heart of Bungendore, for a facility that already is not fit for purpose. It is essential that a site with the option for growth be chosen.
Another objection to the proposed site is that it will mean the closure of Majara Street, one of the main access roads from Elmslea Estate, to the primary school. Already there is an enormous amount of traffic in this area at 3.10 when parents come to pick up primary children. As well as four buses lined up outside the school, all car parking spaces are taken within walking distance of the primary school. Add high school traffic to this and there will be chaos and I fear even an accident involving a primary school student.
Bungendore Park is a heritage site which includes the Bungendore War Memorial. Primary school children walk across the road on ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day to attend services here. The community also attend memorial services here. The possibility of this being lost, as the new high school grows, is unthinkable. The park is an area used by many local sporting groups, families and the primary school children for sports days and carnivals. People passing through Bungendore often stop at the park for refreshments and toilet facilities, also to walk around the area to see the many historic buildings nearby. This important area must be preserved.
I strongly urge the Dept of Education and the NSW Government to find a more suitable site. Those in charge of making this decision should visit Bungendore and see for themselves the impact of having this unfit for purpose facility in such an inappropriate location!

I fully support the project. Given the surrounds I do hope that the landscaping includes planting many mature trees.

There are many families in Bungendore region who would benefit from a High School. Sending kids into Canberra on the bus is a waste of resources and time pushing the issues onto another school system.

Bungendore is always growing as a community. A High School will make it any even more attractive place to live. Any suggestions of losing amenities and facilities is being dealt with by the new sports hub being developed. When my children reach highschool my reasons to continue to live in Bungendore (and NSW) will be reduced.

The proposed high school and the proposed location are supported. The town of Bungendore is in need of a high school to meet the educational needs of its students. Currently, Bungendore Public School has roughly 500 students who are required to travel at least 30 minutes to attend a high school. The number of students enrolled at Bungendore Public School alone are large enough to support the construction of a high school, let alone once the students at nearby public schools such as Sutton, Gundaroo, Captains Flat and Tarago are also factored in. These numbers also do not account for the growing population in Bungendore, which will only continue to grow with the additional development that is continuously occurring.

The construction of a high school in Bungendore will also assist in building a greater sense of community for the youth of Bungendore, and will provide opportunities for the youth of Bungendore to become more active and constructive members of the Bungendore community. The construction of a high school can offer numerous opportunities for the students to give back to the community and become involved with the community in a positive way. This will in turn create a more positive interactions within the community and give the students a greater sense of belonging to their community.

The choice of site for the high school is supported, as well as the creation of an education precinct. The site provides for greater opportunity to have interactions between the primary school and the high school. This will provide better opportunities to support students in their transition from primary school to high school. It will allow for students at high school who are struggling with literacy the opportunity to improve their literacy skills by, for example, being buddy readers to younger children so that they can continue to build their skills in a non-threatening environment. In the senior years, the location allows for those year 11 and 12 students who are studying early child care the opportunity to obtain hands on experience by collaborating with the preschool which will be located next to the site.

The choice of site being in the centre of town further supports those students who have after school jobs in the town due to the close proximity. It also provides ease of access for students to after school activities that they participate in within the town.

The creation of Mick Sherd oval as a joint Department-community asset is supported and it is anticipated that this partnership will result in a better maintained oval which will benefit the community as a whole. This is also the case with the upgraded facilities at the primary school which allow for greater sporting opportunities for the community. The community has the example of the current Bungendore Public School hall as an example of how a shared community-school asset can successfully work.

However, it is suggested that the project should include an improved pedestrian crossing across the Kings Highway near the corner of the Kings Highway and Majara Street to facilitate the safe travel to and from school of both the high school and primary school students. Currently there is just a pedestrian island in the middle of the road, and it is not appropriate for primary school students to cross that road by themselves. As a result, walking or riding to school for students is not an option for those who do not have a parent or carer to travel with them.

It is also suggested that the pedestrian path at Mick Sherd oval should be replaced at the first task of the project to ensure uninterrupted access between the preschool and the primary school for those families who have students at both the preschool and the primary school.

I am 100% in favour of this high school. My children attend the primary school and I don’t want to have to move out of my beautiful community just so they can attend a good high school. I live within walking distance and it is not only continent but safer for them to be so close to town. I think the education hub will benefit all the children as it’s not such a big leap forward when they start year 7. They will already be familiar with the high school. The town needs this as we are seeing so many young families moving to this beautiful little town. We should all be excited about the growth.

I would really like to know if this will be able to take students from day 1 2023 as I will have a son starting year 7. I fully support the high school plans and location.

This high school is desperately needed, the site location is perfect for so many reasons. There are so many parents waiting and hoping this is built by the promised date. Please don’t let hundreds of local Bungendore and surrounds children down.
Please don’t let the small minority who are complaining about the sight hold this up.

This project has been poorly thought through. There has been negligible commitment to community consultation and their concerns. There are several other locations for a new High School in Bungendore that does not remove access to community space and detract from the local precinct with large multistory buildings. In 2004 several other locations for a High School were considered by the Dept of Education that did not include the current site proposed.

I am writing this submission to object to the new High School in Bungendore - SSD 14394209.
Edward Pettit
Street Address Withheld, Bungendore, NSW 2621.

The reasons I object include the following:
I have lived at this property all my life and have had access to Bungendore Part and The Common for recreational purposes throughout my childhood for play and sport. There is little green space in Bungendore and I have been lucky to live near the spaces that are available.
The High School will be taking up a very large portion of Bungendore Park, Majara Street and part of Turallo Terrace as well as a large fenced area on The Common.
Bungendore Park is in the central historic area of the village and should be preserved and continue to be made available to all of the community rather than have further buildings and fenced off areas which are dedicated to a High School.
The community will lose access to Mick Sherd oval during school hours and have been informed that this will not matter as we will have access to another oval at Warren Little Oval during school hours. The community should not be told to go elsewhere away from what has always been the Central Park.
No other town/village in QPRC have had to have a High School put on their town centre park and it is unacceptable that Bungendore has been told this is what is happening here.
We live in a rural location, there is land all around and plenty of other space which could be used. This includes Ashby which I believe is still up for offer.

I object to our historic town losing its central park area being decimated by a small High School, which in the future will not be large enough anyway. This park has been so important for all of our town.

Although Bungendore will benefit greatly from the inclusion of a High School the proposed positioning of same is entirely inadequate and detrimental to the amenity of the population. Closing off a major access road to/from the northern community and removal of public parkland is just not on the cards. The entire project should be re-designed with the whole of the community in mind, not just whatever is convenient to council/school directorate.

I have lived in Bungendore for 20 years and lived at three different addresses. I have children and grandchildren who also live in Bungendore and attend the local Primary school. I have spoken to many people who live in this area over a wide age group range and they all absolutely support the building of a New High School in Bungendore. No one who has been made aware of the circumstances surrounding the selection of the current location support the announcements made by John Barilaro. I know you are well aware of all the issues that have been raised by the Bungendore community so it seems pointless to list them all again in my objection.
What disappoints me is to learn that not only are there other location options available to the Department of Education but last year a site on the Tarago Road was in the advanced stages of planning but the owners of the suitable land were advised without any explanation that they were no longer proceeding with the purchase and another site had been choosen without regard to all the objections that you are aware of.
My wife and I use the Bungendore Park on a daily basis sometimes with our local grandchildren and sometimes with visiting grandchildren.
We strongly object to losing any part of Bungendore Park.

I formally object to the high school being built on the park because I believe that it will negatively impact on the community. The current site does not allow for growth and I have major concerns about Majara St being closed as I feel this will create traffic issues. I grew up in Bungendore, and attended the preschool and primary school before going to high school in Canberra. I would love to see a high school built in Bungendore and would gladly send my children there, who currently attend the preschool and primary school. It would be devastating to lose the oval for community use and be heartbreaking to lose what is the heart of our town and a significant heritage site. Please don’t give us a high school at the sacrifice of the heart of our community, pick a site with room for growth that builds on our community amenities, not limits them.

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):
- this high school design does not met the minimum requirements for physical space according to the Department of Education’s own guidelines.
- the design does not cater to the growing population in this region and will be soon outgrown. Students will also be limited to subjects due to the size of the school on offer.
- the design (opposite both primary and pre-school and shutting off streets) will add to the congestion and risk to pedestrians morning and afternoons during school times.
- the design will remove a valuable and beautiful public green space for residents and visitors to Bungendore.
- the design will irretrievably alter the heritage of Bungendore by destroying this old town Park.
- Surely town planning is about using land wisely and planning for the future? Why are we dissecting the very limited land available in Town when we live in a rural area with plenty of other excellent sites for the school?
- Questions need to be asked why this site was selected and rushed through in the secretive manner undertaken.

Regards

Kerel Pearce

I object to the site selected for the development of the high school in Bungendore. I object to the restriction of access it will cause to the public park and sports field via fencing off the site. This site is used by locals and visitors to the town alike and should be maintained. I object to the closing of the roads to allow for the school as this will create traffic issues in the town. I also object to the design of the school which is not in keeping with the heritage area of the town. Selecting a new site for the school would eliminate the issues above.

I object to the proposal based on the selected site for the new high school in Bungendore. The current site is a public area (park, sports field, pool and community buildings) that are used by Bungendore residents and visitors to the town. The proposal seeks to restrict access to the area and subsequently remove the only park / green space in the centre of town. This will have a negative impact on residents and visitors to the town who will be confronted with a double story building and large fenced off area as opposed to a welcoming park, war memorial and play area. I also object to the design of the school which is not in keeping with the single story and heritage buildings in the proposed area and the proposal to close roads / create a traffic hazard in the town.

LAUREN WOODS
Street Address Withheld
Bungendore
2621 NSW


1st October 2021
Director - Social and infrastructure Assessments
Planning and Assessment
Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Locked bag 5022
PARRAMATTA NSW 2124

Dear Sir/Madam

BUNGENDORE HIGH SCHOOL PROPOSAL - OBJECTION
I object to SSDA 14394209 re the current proposal regarding the High School in Bungendore.

Firstly I support a High School in Bungendore as Higher Education is vital for our growing population, BUT NOT ON THIS SITE.

• Bungendore Park is Crown land gazetted in 1884 and dedicated for public recreation and belongs to the community of Bungendore.
• Many of our Heritage buildings and War Memorial encompass this site and could be undermined.
• Bungendore Park is our only green space in the heart of our village, our hub.
• A well utilised community building will be demolished and our pool which was hard fought for by locals, demolished, Bush Balladeers memorial rotunda, relocated.
• Traffic flow and parking will be horrendous.
• The planning of the High School ultimately will not be big enough, due to population growth.
• The park has a reported indigenous grave site.
• There is another site still available which is more appropriate.

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


Regards
Lauren Woods

I object to the proposed location for the Bungendore High School project, although I support the need for a High School in Bungendore. My opposition is based on two major factors.
First, loss of village amenity and heritage value - the proposed site will destroy Bungendore Park – a public amenity first gazetted in the late 19th century – including the town swimming pool (funded by the local community in the early 1990s), and other exercise and recreation facilities. The proposed sports centre (outside the village proper) will not replace the amenity of the current recreation facilities located in the middle of the village and adjacent to the Primary School and Pre-schol. The proposed High School will impact access to the war memorial and the impressive historic stone pines descended from the Lone Pine at Gallipoli.
Secondly, the proposed High School site is not suitable for a school in a rapidly-growing area. There is no room for it to expand as the population of Bungendore and its feeder areas grows. Traffic generated by the school will be dangerous for those accessing the Primary School and Pre-school – especially once the High School reaches Years 11 and 12, where students may drive themselves to school. If the High School is not able to expand to meet the population growth of the area, and the aspirations of students and their families, those who want more choices and can afford to access other schools will go elsewhere, leaving the Bungendore High School a second-best option. I believe the Bungendore Primary School already performs below average in Naplan, and other areas. Do we want to create an educational underclass in our beautiful village?
Please, re-think the proposed location for the High School, so we can have the school our children deserve, and retain the beautiful characteristic of our village. The proposed location is the worst of both worlds – good planning could offer a much better solution.

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):
Bungendore is a small town that continues to grow and needs to expand. A high school would be of great value for the increasing number of families that have moved to this area. The heritage of this small town is what draws people and families to become residents here. The planned construction of a new high school on the current council and park/oval sites proves that the current government has not appreciated the historical, heritage and importance of these areas to the residents of this town.


The Park

• The site selected is a park in the heritage centre of Bungendore and it is culturally significant to the community of Bungendore.
• The park itself was laid out when the town was first surveyed in 1837.
• Bungendore Park and Majara Street form part of the original town grid, laid out be preeminent Colonial Surveyor James Larmer in 1837. There are very few public places in New South Wales, let alone the rest of Australia, with such a long European history. The Park’s size and shape have not changed.
• The park was dedicated 1884 and proclaimed 1886.
• The park hosts the community-built swimming pool, the community-built tennis courts, cricket nets, Community Bank sponsored adult exercise equipment, children’s playground, community-built public toilets and canteen and, sport change rooms.
• The park is untilised by local families and exercise service providers every day. It is a well placed for tourists. Tourism supports most of the businesses in the village.
• The park has played a huge role in the culture and life of the town ever since it was dedicated in 1884
• The park has hosted the Tigers since 1908


Heritage

On or surrounding the Park, we have:
▪ Magnificent, mature trees descended from Gallipoli’s Lone Pine, which the state plans to chop down;
▪ The Soldier’s Memorial (erected 1922). Its arched design is one of the least common memorial forms in Australia;
▪ The 1847 Old Stables on Butmaroo Street – the oldest building in Bungendore and currently being restored;
▪ Byrne’s Inn, Turallo terrace, from 1848;
▪ The Headmasters cottage in Gibraltar Street from 1860, in Primary School grounds. Now the school office;
▪ The original 1864 Court House in Gibraltar Street, still in use as Police Station;
▪ St Phillips Anglican Church in Gibraltar Street, from 1864, with its original Victorian Free Gothic architecture and mature gardens;
▪ The Bungendore Railway Precinct from 1885. Which is recognized as having State-significant heritage importance, along with the original Stationmaster’s and signalmans’ cottages. The entire precinct will be dramatically compromised by the State Government’s development plans;
▪ The School of Arts, 1888;
▪ The convent, 1891, with its strong connections to Saint Mary McKillop;
▪ Preschool, formally Catholic school;
▪ The Post Office, 1896;
▪ Unmarked grave;
▪ Historic cottages dotted around the park.
▪ In 1982 David Scobie, a heritage architect, was asked to prepare the definitive heritage assessment of Bungendore by the then Yarrowlumla Shire Council. He recognized the importance of the town’s “traditional town park” as a significant precinct” and a “major area of visual importance”. He saw the need to “maintain the town park character with its formal setting opposite town institutional buildings”. Scobie also recognized the consistency of the buildings in the town centre, the importance of the open backdrop along Gibraltar Street to the hills beyond and stressed the need to preserve this. This vista and the view to Gibraltar Hill will be obscured by the multistorey, prefabricated school building.

Please reconsider the site of the proposed high school, we need to save our heritage in this beautiful small town. A high school is welcomed but not at the destruction of the heritage of Bungendore.
I have not, and no associate of mine, has made any political donation to any person in the last 2 years
Yours faithfully,
Chanel Sullivan