New High School in Bungendore

I believe that the chosen site/s for the BHS leaves no room for future expansion, will impact traffic flow and create parking and pedestrian congestion. The chosen site is currently a green community recreational/historical space that is invaluable to the heritage and connection of community.

Despite changes made to the first SSDA Bungendore High School, the new amended DA does little to alter the fact that the Bungendore Park/Majara St./Ag Plot precinct remains a hastily, ill considered, inadequate site proposed with little knowledge and awareness of the village history, grid layout, railway line, Crown Land, traffic flow, location of associated village population growth and the rapid development and growth in the surrounding catchment areas. Many of the proposed changes appear to be merely cosmetic and some at the expense of important school facilities. The untenable site is the issue.
The swimming pool may have received a "feel good" reprieve for the community, but a replacement pool on the Sports Hub by our cash strapped Council for the benefit of HS students is a long way off and should not absolve the DoE from responsibilities to provide sporting venues and facilities for HS students.
An Agricultural Plot with Crown Land issues, and no amenities or storage for equipment sounds puzzling but perhaps demountables that don't require a DA will be the next step. Or is the area to be retained simply to give the overall HS site a legitimate footprint.
From the design and area illustrations one would assume that the HS site is surrounded to the North, East,and West by open green spaces, whereas in reality there are new and established housing developments to the East, North and South and a railway line and heritage railway station along the eastern school perimeter; a railway line and surrounding land with possible lead and asbestos contamination.
Apart from Crown Land Legal issues, there are many other practical issues still to be resolved which have already become evident long before the first sod has been turned.
The first traffic survey was conducted by DoE in November 2020 during COVID lockdowns. The second traffic survey was conducted in January 2022 prior to the beginning of the new school year, before Majara St. between Turallo Tce and Gibraltar St was suddenly closed to through traffic to the primary school and Kings Highway, and before Elm Grove development was underway and the temporary HS opened.
Now traffic from Elmslea and Elm Grove along McCusker St over Turallo Creek low level crossing is directed past the kindergarten down Turallo Tce and onto Butmaroo St to Gibraltar St in order to access the Primary and temporary HS. The volume of this traffic has grown enormously and these traffic surveys have long been irrelevant.
There are 342 year 6 students in Bungendore and the surrounding catchment areas who will be eligible for HS in 2025. More than 200 of these students live outside Bungendore and will depend on cars and buses for transport. The DoE has now downgraded traffic numbers; 1.4 students will be assumed to travel in each car. This statistic comes from highly populated suburban areas which do not fit our local rural residential profile.
The addition of ninety degree angle parking on the northern side of the Park along both sides of Turallo Tce will present grave safety issues. It is already a busy access road especially since the closure of Majara St. The traffic along Turallo Tce turns into Butmaroo St which is the thoroughfare for all pedestrian, bicycle and scooter traffic along the pathways from Elms Lea and ElmGrove to the schools and commercial centre of town. It is an accident waiting to happen.
The area of the Ponds and Warren Little oval, across Turallo Creek, are green spaces well used by the community for recreation and as foot path access from ElmsLea to Butmaroo St when not boggy or inundated. This is an area of flood mitigation and it works well at those times.
The heritage area around Bungendore Park is the core of Bungendore village's history, a relic of colonial times and a tourist draw card; railway station, railway cottages, the original primary school, school of arts, old PO, "Menin Gate" ANZAC memorial, court house/police station, Cobb and Co. stables, St Phillips church, old Catholic convent school and heritage timber cottages. Add to this a recent state of the art playground, sports ammenities, a car park, tennis courts, Balladeers corner, cricket nets, Mick Sherd oval and swimming pool, all on the Park. This is not the site for a HS, even with the acquired Majara St land, and Mick Sherd oval is not available to accommodate further HS development. This is Crown Land dedicated for public recreation.
A kindergarten to year 12 "Educational Precinct" is now passe. Why, therefore would we continue with an outdated education policy, limited from the start, that would sacrifice trees and pleasant outdoor spaces that would lessen the impact that climate change is already having on our lives?
Bungendore is surrounded by green ways. The proposed site is not the only available site and obviously it hasn't been a quick fix.

Government policies are promoting the importance of a greener, cleaner environment to facilitate outdoor activities to improve the physical and mental health of communities young and old. Why should a community have to sacrifice a long established well used and well treed Park, today, to build a hastily planned HS on a small, costly, limited and possibly contaminated site away from the more easily accessible areas of current and future population growth? It makes no sense.
A HS, yes, but not on the proposed site.
I have no affiliation with any political party, Local ,State or Federal, nor have I ever made a donation to a political party.

Official Objection to SSDA 14394209 for Bungendore High School Site

I support the establishment of a high school in Bungendore but strongly object to the proposed site for the following reasons:
Swimming Pool and Sporting Areas: The replacement of the community swimming pool by the cash-strapped Council should not absolve the Department of Education (DoE) from providing adequate sporting facilities for high school students.

Agricultural Plot: The inclusion of an agricultural plot without amenities or storage raises concerns. Demountables might be used without proper planning approvals, and the plot seems retained to give the site legitimacy while ignoring Crown Land issues.

Misleading Design Illustrations: The site is depicted as surrounded by green spaces, but it is actually bordered by housing developments and a railway line with potential lead contamination.

Traffic Concerns: The first traffic survey during COVID-19 lockdowns and the second before significant changes in traffic patterns are not reflective of current conditions. Increased traffic from new developments and lack of footpaths on key roads pose serious safety risks.

Student Transport: With over 200 out of 342 eligible students living outside Bungendore, the reliance on cars and buses will significantly increase traffic. The DoE's downgraded traffic numbers (1.4 students per car) are unrealistic.

Parking and Safety: Additional angle parking on Turallo Tce will create safety hazards on an already busy road, especially as it serves as a main thoroughfare for pedestrians and cyclists.

Flood Mitigation Area: The Ponds and Warren Little oval are essential green spaces for flood mitigation and community access, unsuitable for development.

Heritage Precinct: The proposed site is part of Bungendore Village's heritage core, with significant historical and recreational facilities on Crown land designated for public use.

Outdated Educational Concept: The proposed K-12 "Educational Precinct" is outdated. The site is limited, wedged between a preschool and primary school, with a railway line running along its perimeter.

Alternative Sites: Bungendore is surrounded by greenways, and there are more suitable sites for the high school that are better aligned with current and future population growth.

Government Policies: Current policies emphasize the importance of greener, cleaner environments. Sacrificing a well-treed park for a high school on a limited, costly, and possibly contaminated site contradicts these policies.

The amended DA does not address the fundamental inadequacy of the proposed site. Many proposed changes are superficial, and the site remains unsuitable. This proposal demonstrates a lack of understanding of Bungendore's history, structure, and development needs.
I have no political affiliations and have never made a donation to a political party.

I support the high school in the current proposed location. It’s important with the growing population and the limited options for public schools in NSW and Canberra ( I have school age children- both primary and secondary)- and also there needs to be separation of the primary school and high school as soon as possible, so the high school has more space and the primary school Children are no longer impacted by some of what is happening at the high school and can get a functioning oval
Again.

My objection, like my earlier submissions is based on the obvious fact that the proposed site is too small, not fit for purpose and poses harm to the students. The Department of Edcation acknowledges this fact in internal correspondence provied under SO52 and and GIPA protocols.

Please see the attached file for my detailed submission.
To summarise, I object to this proposal for the following reasons:
1. Site size (too small)
2. Site location (relies on the use of Crown Land to deliver a complete and effective High School).
3. Agricultural plot location (proximity to Tiger Snake breeding ground).
4. Student capacity (based on analysis of current Year 6 data, a student capacity of 450 with options to expand to around 650 will not service the region. Thus the school will not be fit for purpose.)
5. Parking and traffic (I question the assumptions used in the Traffic Assessment and the fact that no analysis for the potential expanded student capacity was done.)
6. Spaces for sport and play (No oval or gym/hall means play space is VERY limited. The larger open spaces will likely be needed for future buildings as the school expands, reducing open space further.)
7. Site contamination (I question the added cost to construction and lack of a detailed and costed remediation plan. Surely it would be more cost-effective--and safer--to look into alternate sites away from fill and the railway line first?)
8. Incompleteness of the proposal (how and when will the rest of the school be delivered?)
9. Proposed life of the high school (I can't see any evidence beyond 10 years and this school should be designed for 30+ years minimum to service the community/region.)
10. Heritage *the facade remains too modern.)
11. Social impact (many of the promised community facilities with the school have been dropped from the project, resulting in a net loss for the community.)
12. Time for public review (too short for the amount of documentation provided.)

I believe this proposal should go ahead. There have been almost four years of consultation and arguments from a small, well funded group desperate to change the location of the school from the proposed site to a different location. Their motivation appears to be a mix of 'not in my backyard', 'no change please" and "let's redirect the $20million or so required to provide school infrastructure to assist a new development outside Bungendore". The facts are that while there is a lot of land around Bungendore it is a flood plain and land outside flood areas is at a premium. The proposed school locaation is central, close to the primary school so students of both schools interact, and close to community facilities such as the park, police station, service station and IGA and other shops. It is readily accessible from all areas of Bungendore in a safe manner, compared to areas out of town where there are no house frontages, no kerb and guttering and in most cases busy roadways. Most importantly the Department of Education has worked very hard to amend the planning documents to meet all objections from a number of community consultation processes - how long must this go on? Please just make a decision and get the high school built and operating for the sake of the children.

I object to the to site the new highschool on the proposed location
The site is unsuitable the area is too small, demand for parking and traffic arrangements are not feasible and the potential lead contamination carries an unacceptable risk to children
Other more suitable greenfield sites have been identified . Work should commence on an alternative site as soon as possible and avoid further wastes of public money .
It is always difficult to walk back from decisions which have proved expensive but impractical but to there are too many legitimate concerns and impacts. to continue

Thank you for the opportunity to object to the Amended Proposal for a New High School in Bungendore (SSD-14394209). I need to make it clear that I do not object to the proposal to build a high school in our town; I object to the site that has been chosen for the proposed school. I urge the Department of Education to get on with building a high school ON THE BEST POSSIBLE SITE. Majara Street is the worst possible site because it is already occupied by a range of valued town assets, none of which needs replacement. Amendments to the plan, such as the down-sizing of buildings and outdoor space, and the removal of buildings from the planned Ag Plot, do nothing to dispel the overwhelming truth that the wrong site was chosen, for political reasons, and the Department of Planning must not approve this planning proposal.
Other factors which make the site completely unsuitable include: the EPA has declared that the Railway Corridor, which is adjacent to the BHS site, is significantly contaminated with lead, and lead is deadly for children; there was never genuine consultation with the Bungendore community over the choice of site; serious traffic and parking issues have been ignored; the area surrounding Bungendore Park contains 14 heritage-listed buildings and features that will be damaged by placing modern buildings, swathes of concrete, fencing and signs there; many trees and shrubs, mostly planted by local volunteers, will be destroyed; Bungendore Park is deeply valued by our residents and we are fearful that the Department of Education has not been fully transparent regarding its future plans for our park but we are determined not to lose it; several far superior sites for a high school exist, indeed one had already been chosen by your department, and is still available; the school does not have the capacity for the projected number of students and the proposition that another new school will soon be built to replace it is outrageous; the school must have adequate outdoor space, and 2.5 hectares is manifestly inadequate; BHS should be classified as Regional/Rural because Bungendore is not part of a city, not part of a suburb, but a discrete settlement in a rural setting. Jerrabomberra High School, which is part of Queanbeyan City, is classified as Regional/Rural!

I would also like to refer to what I call the Knock-On effects of the current and previous plans for BHS.
This high school development proposal is not based on good planning - it is the proverbial "dog's breakfast" - and as a result there have been very insidious "unforeseen consequences" for our town. I do not believe that the Department of Planning is aware of these unforeseen consequences.

Frogs Hollow:
This is a small parcel of our creek-side common, prized for being open, green. undeveloped space, something that is now in short supply in our town. It is currently being ripped up by QPRC staff as part of their plan to turn it into a substitute for Bungendore Park. It is a very flood-prone area, it is noisy and dangerous due to its situation on Molonglo Street which is on the route of trucks carrying sand and gravel from Lake George to Canberra, it's unsuitable for outdoor play for these reasons, yet SINSW intends moving the Balladeers Corner there, because it is in the way of the high school development. This is town planning, or town dismantling, by stealth on the part of the DoE, aided and abetted by QPRC.

Closure of Majara Street and effects on Bungendore Public School:
The primary school has lost its playground to the Temporary Bungendore High School. This means students have to use Bungendore Park, across busy Gibraltar Street, for their outdoor activities. The Park is unfenced, surrounded on 3 sides by (increased) traffic which has been re-routed due to Majara St. being closed; this is an unsafe scenario for children and a stressful work environment for their teachers. Much of the childrens' play time is lost in just getting to the Park, then returning from the Park to classrooms. Wear and tear on the Park/oval is considerably more than in the past. The amended DA suggests that the Public School may never regain its own playground; the Temporary High School buildings may be needed into the future due to the removal of school hall and other HS buildings from the DA.

Turallo Terrace Parking and Traffic:
Because the Dept of Education acquired Council-owned land on Majara Street for the purposes of building the high school, the proposed Abbeyfield House had to be moved. Ever eager to please the Department of Education, QPRC managed to conjure up a new Abbeyfield site, on Turallo Terrace, on a Crown Road, between the very old, Heritage-listed Bungendore PreSchool and the newly built Bungendore Scout Hall. This means that the about -to -be -doubled -in -capacity PreSchool will lose its informal parking area to Abbeyfield, at a time when BHS will require dozens of parking spaces on Turallo Terrace. Meanwhile, the new bitumen carpark of the Scout Hall will have to be ripped up, because it is on the Abbeyfield site, and as a result the Scout Hall will lose most of its parking area. There is little space for parking on Turallo Terrace, which at this point becomes McCusker Drive, a major thoroughfare from the main village to the "Elmslea" development across Turallo Creek. Bungendore pre-schoolers, Bungendore seniors and Bungendore Scouts will all lose out to the high school that has been super-imposed on a well-planned and laid-out streetscape.
The park and surrounds include: the Public School, Bungendore Pool, Mick Sherd Oval, the playground, the Police Station, the Pre-school, the Community Centre, our Council Chambers, and the School of Arts, and is referred to as our Civic Square as well as being part of our Heritage Conservation Precinct. I cannot believe that NSW Planning approves of this kind of piecemeal development that is so destructive to our rural, historic, low-density, slow-paced little town.
Once again I would like to express my gratitude for being given a chance to attempt to influence the planning process and I hope that the NSW Government will take a common-sense approach to Bungendore's high school quest. The delays to the project have been heart-breaking for many.
Judith Turley
"Millpost"
312 Millpost Lane
Bungendore NSW 2621

The submission has been removed from publication due to potentially defamatory content, however the Department in assessing and making any recommendations in relation to this State significant development application will take into consideration such of the submission that is of relevance.

I support planning proposal SSD-14394209 regarding the new Bungendore HSSD-14394209 High School. The amended proposal meets the planning requirements and projected enrolment numbers for the school for the foreseeable future. There have been some wild accusations that enrolments may be more than 300 students from the surrounding area, but NAPLAN information about the student numbers and catchment schools Bungendore, Sutton and Gundaroo indicate that this is widely inaccurate and enrolments are more likely to be around 70-80 per year. The community will benefit hugely by progressing this planning proposal as soon as possible in consultation with the temporary high school and community.

The submission has been removed from publication due to potentially defamatory content, however the Department in assessing and making any recommendations in relation to this State significant development application will take into consideration such of the submission that is of relevance.

Thank you for providing a further opportunity to make a submission relating to the New High School in Bungendore. It is disappointing that the community is required to do this yet again, considering that the evidence against the proposed site for the high school, and its size, has been provided over and over again and is overwhelming.

The community of Bungendore and the surrounding catchment area for the Bungendore High School is deeply saddened by this process. We want, and very much need, a high school in Bungendore. However, the highly politicised process that was used during the eras of MPs Barilaro and Overall should be put behind us, and a new, appropriate site for the high school identified.

The reasons for cancelling the current project and using one of the excellent sites for the payment or High School have been provided over and over again, and are absolutely clear. They include the following:
- The proposed site is almost certainly contaminated by both lead and asbestos and is no place for our kids to be schooled.
- The proposed school is obviously far too small and as such, is not fit for purpose. Our community is disgusted that the Jerrabomberra high school ( very much needed there) is of a size that it accords with the regulations, but the proposed Bungendore one does not. I live in the rural area surrounding Bungendore village and can attest that the families in our area wish to send our kids to the Bungendore High School, but the size of the catchment area around the village in terms of the number of potential pupils has not been properly taken into account.
The proposal, if implemented, will trash the wonderful heritage values of Bungendore. It is so sad that Sydney-based bureaucrats either do not understand, or have ignored, this element of the proposal. I bet they would not let it happen in their own communities!
- Whilst I am not familiar with the finest details of the planning legislation and regulations, the current plan to have a "dual track" development application process looks like a crude, underhand method of concealing what the Department is actually doing. If it was honest, it would proceed like all other DAs, and have a single track so the community can see what is actually being proposed. And all information will be presented at once, not drip fed in such a way that we cannot understand what is happening.
- The Current proposal for the school in the heart of the village is nothing but a disaster in terms of traffic movements, parking and, especially, the movement of children, parents and school staff. What you are proposing constitutes road safety hazards of a terrible type. Again, this reflects the impossible to understand obsession with the public servants in trying to squeeze a school and its periphery into a space which is totally inadequate for the purpose.
- It seems that the new proposal excludes the school hall, gymnasium and oval. Have you ever heard before of a high school without these basic resources?

I could go on but there is no point because you already know all this.

Please, please stop this foolish, apparently political driven obsession with trying to squeeze the school into a totally inappropriate site, and reopen the process of acquiring one of the excellent, suitably sized and located sites close to the Bungendore village for what we all want, a Bungendore High School which we can be proud and that is fit for purpose.

Please see attached word document.

I am lodging my objection to the proposal to build Bungendore High School on the Dept of Education's preferred site ( PART OF OUR TOWN PARK) for the following reasons.
1. The revised plan has reduced the building floor space drastically, there is now no school hall, no canteen or amenities block. How on earth can a well planned and functioning high school have none of these necessities and still provide a balanced learning environment of our students?Is the DOE's plane to use the existing facilities at the primary school, if so this is simply a joke.
Apparently there is no agreement for the students to use the Mick Sherd Oval, if this is correct where do the students go to play and let off steam? The DOE claims that Bungendore residents access to our oval will be maintained. Considering that the primary school children have access to the oval, maybe the Bungendore residents can have their access after dark?
2. A revised traffic assessment needs to be undertaken as a matter if urgency.There has been no updated assessment done since the closure and acquisition of part of Majara Street. This has created a headache for teachers and parents alike, especially the congestion at school drop of and pick up times. The parking issue has not been resolved, creating a few token car spaces in residential streets is not a solution. At the moment the car park at our local train station is being used creating a problem for train users.They now have no where to park, many travelers leave their cars at the station over night. This a difficult when the train station car park is full of school users cars.
3. The area around the train station has now been declared contaminated with lead and asbestos. it would be naive ( or expedient) to think that this contamination has not spread further. A proper INDEPENDENT and thorough assessments needs to be undertaken. However a school should not be proposed to be built where there is a chance that any contamination exists, this is putting the health of our children at risk.
4. Bungendore residents, under this plan have still lost their community facilities, their community hall has gone, our large and well purposed council chambers is now in a very small house with limited space. The day care centre has been relocated to a small area and the after school care facility has folded.Our public pool hangs in limbo with both our local council and the Federal Government advising that they have no funding for a new pool.
5. The begrudgingly provided local catchment data for where the 2025 intake of year seven students will come from advises that there are 342 year six students out of Bungendore area that are eligible to enter the Bungendore high school next year. Even accounting for say 100 of these students going to private or other schools, with DOE advised total capacity of 450 students this high school will be grossly overcrowded from the start.It is a waste of tax payers money to continue with this delusional plan and not start to plan for a well funded and purpose built hign school to cater for the future needs of our childred.
6. finally this revised plane has reduced the area fir Bungendore High School to around 2.5ha. A recently advertised approval for a high school in Googong has an area of around 9 ha. The DOE has a minium standard of 4ha, you would have to ask the question how this miniscule Bungendore High School can cater for theexisting and future needs of it's students. One would not be surprised if the aim of the DOE it to steal the rest of Bungendore Park to extend the high school in the future.
7. This revised plan needs to be rethought, a new larger site needs to be found (there is no shortage of green field sites) and a proper plan needs to be put in place for a well built high school.

The current splitting of the approvals process to seperate the Crown Land comomnent is another cunning plan to confuse the community and prevent transparent holistic assessment. This is a disgrace

I object as the site is too small and in the wrong place and that lead and asbestos contamination may be present (this needs to be fully investigated).

See attached letter dated 22 July 2024

I object to the project as I have done from the beginning and cannot believe the arrogance of Government to continue with this site selection for a high school. I attach my previous submission in objection.

I fully support the Bungendore High School proposal. As a parent of high school and primary school students it is a significant and overdue facility to benefit the children of this community, saving hours of transportation time, enabling more valuable time for studying & more support into the community. This is a significant benefit of first class education facilities for the community moving forward & we need it built urgently. Well done on the commitment to the planning proposals. A great initiative and very convenient for the schools to be close. a big Thankyou to the high school teachers & support of the students. Disappointing some locals are not supportive of the development of the education facilities for our children. I look forward to the opening of the new Bungendore high school, let’s support our children, they are the future of this community.