New High School in Bungendore

I object to the permanent Bungendore Highschool being built on Majara Street for many many reasons including that the proposed site is incredibly small for the number of students that are expected to want to enrol. With all of the time and money wasted on this stupid fight, a bigger and better location should be used so that it does not become obsolete in a few short years. Importantly, the premature closure of Majara Street has caused an absolute nightmare for parents at school drop off and pick up time - currently those parents are only going to the preschool and the primary school grounds, imagine what a nightmare it will be if the highschool is built there too!
Secondly, the use of community amenities and assets will deny general use by the public "during school days/hours" but the reality is that our community stands to lose A LOT if the school is built in the proposed location. We fought hard for that pool when I was a kid, we raised money and we campaigned and, whilst it certainly needs some upkeep, it would be incredibly detrimental to lose such a facility. What happens to the kids of families who can't get to Queanbeyan to teach their children water safety for example. Losing the use of the oval is another massive blow to so many parts of this community, as well as the wider public. It is a home for all of our football teams - from tiny little kids right up to seniors; it is a vital resource for those of us who need some open space for private exercise, away from busy roads and where we can make use of the whole field; the toilet block and new playground is vital for people travelling through our town at any time and no doubt brings in a little bit of income for the local shops too. Even if the oval remains available for the community to use, there is no way it will be in good enough condition for it to be approved as a home ground for any of our competing football teams after being trampled and abused by highschool kids all day, every day.
This entire project is baffling. Why does the school have to be built on Majara Street!? It was supposed to have been the quickest and easiest option but four years down the track, millions of dollars spent and one court case lost already, why are we still flogging this dead horse?! Pick a new site, get approved and get building - the students of our town and surrounds deserve the best possible school.

Like many of my fellow members of the Bungendore community objecting to the Application mine is not to be interpreted as opposition to the provision of a high school for the students of Bungendore and surrounds. The need for such a school has been of long standing and acknowledged by most. The role a school plays in the development of a stronger community is a fundamental fact.
This Submission addresses the further Application.
My objections address two aspects of the Appliction; first that the site is inappropriate and second therefore, there are objectionable impacts on the community and the Bungendore Park. These impacts stem from the failure of local and state planners and educators to recognise, at the material time in the past, the need for a high school and in exercise their legislated authority, mandate the provision of an appropriate location for a school that will serve the long- term future needs of our community. That failure is manifested in the latter- day political decision to expropriate from the community much of Bungendore Park/Mick Sherd Oval and other assets, in the name of providing a site for the high school, regardless of its inappropriateness as a location now and in the future.



A) I object to the Application for being deceptive by the omission from the Application of substantive buildings including the school hall and canteen, on the basis that these will be provided under other approval processes. “Some of the elements which were originally proposed, as detailed within the EIS or subsequent Amendment Report/SRtS (including the agricultural plot building and associated works, school hall and school canteen) that have been removed as part of the amendment will be proposed in future as part of alternative planning pathways. These elements are not essential to the function of the school”. Report para. 3.6 . ( Underlining supplied)

Further: “Exclusion from Crown Land” Report para. 3.6 “The SSD Application as amended excludes all structures and works within Crown Land. “ Block D (previously proposed in the vicinity of the pool) has been removed. DoE and Queanbeyan- Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) have reached in-principle agreement to continue the operations of Bungendore pool until QPRC complete its planned new aquatic facility as part of the Bungendore sports hub.” ( Underlining supplied )

It is my submission that the assessment of the Application should be made with reference to the future presence of such buildings, particularly Building D (school hall and canteen), in view of the absence of available site space and consequently, the clear prospect that the Bungendore Park will be resorted to as the sole available site for meeting that need, as it was for Building D in the Plan at lodgment. Refer to FIGURE 3 – PROPOSED SITE PLAN AT LODGEMENT (DRAWING FIGURE 4 – PROPOSED SITE PLAN (DRAWING NO. AR DA HS-1010, REVISION I) NO. AR DA HS-1010, REVISION A) The community is entitled to expect that the Application will be assessed on the basis of the certainty that Building D will be required and that upon access to the pool site occurring, its construction will be sought. Absent any explanation as to why Building D was included in the Plan at lodgment, but is now not essential, but will be required in the future, the assessment should presume its presence and assess the Application on that basis and across all relevant elements of the Application.



B) I object to the Application for its failure to provide appropriate recreation space for students without the School resorting to the Bungendore Park

There is a plain absence of any material area of open space within the identified school boundary, for student recreation, i.e. for at least 450 students. The Application provides only for “outdoor learning and play areas that include two games courts”, Architect’s Report Part A, Table 1 SEARS and relevant reference; description of any proposed building works. Reference to the proposed plans make clear the limited extent of these facilities. No assurance has been offered in the Application by the applicant or from any authority that resort to the Park will not occur to meet that obvious need. On the contrary, per the Built Form Diagram at Part F Context Built Form and Landscape of Architect’s Report, “OPEN SPACE AND CIRCULATION ROUTES CONNECT TO OVAL” it is plain that access to the Park will be an essential resource for the operation of the school and is so solely by reason of the inappropriate location of the school.

Access to the Park by the school, either by way of agreement with Queanbeyan –Palerang Regional Council, or by the blunt instrument of ministerial decision to resume more of the Park, will result in exclusion of the public from the playing field in its role as a school facility under laws prohibiting public entry to school occupied areas.

Further, note the likelihood of the Oval being integrated into the school’s functions, as indicated in the “Summary of Opportunities” Architects Report Par. 24 “ Potential for access to Mick Sherd Oval for curriculum activities”, which points to the inevitability of that outcome.

That such statements appear in these fundamental planning documents makes clear the inadequacy of the site for the orthodox operation of the school within the currently identified boundary.

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C) I object to the Application for its failure to provide adequate on-site carparking for students and staff of the School. This again points to the inadequacy of the site for the school and is an imposition on the community and completely disregards the standard for the provision of onsite carparking the community is required to meet under the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council Development Control Plan standards.

Having regard to the estimated 225 inward trips to the school per day according to the Transport study, there is no basis for confidence in the Applicant’s contention that 45 carparking spaces will be adequate.

The Applicant’s Application Report, Section 6.3 Transport Traffic and Parking misrepresents the number of sites to be provided by including the 19 spaces in front of the nearby Pre-school as part of that available to the high school.

The inconsistency between the numbers of students expected to drive themselves as shown in the Updated Transport Assessment Appendix 6.1, i.e. 23, for which 23 spaces are provided on site, and the provision of 22 parallel car parking spaces in Turallo Terrace is unexplained. The provision of a near 100%“contingency “quantity of spaces should be treated as indicative of the unreliability of the overall statistic.

A clear outcome of the absence of adequate on-site parking will be the loss to the community of parking in the Bungendore Park car park. This car park is inexplicably omitted from the various presentations of the relevant area other than as a faint outline in the aforementioned “Summary of Site Opportunities” where it appears on the corner of Butmaroo and Gibralta streets for users of the Park facilities. There is nothing offered in the Application to assure the community that this carpark will not become the de facto carpark for the high school at the expense of community users. Since this carpark is located nearest the commercial element of Bungendore but the same distance to the school as would many of the Turallo Terrace carparks, assessment of the Application with respect to the parking provision proposed in the application must have regard to these considerations.

Richard Miller

Bywong via Bungendore

I object to the current proposed location of the new BHS on Majara Street because it is far too small for our growing community. At 2.08 ha, the proposed site is half the minimum 4 ha listed, in the DoE site selection criteria. This situation has been brought about by an unilateral decision by Mr Carlo Bellinato (SINSW) to classify Bungendore as a suburban/mid-density township, when it is clearly a rural regional village.

I wish to object to the selection of the Majara Street site for the proposed new BHS on the basis that it fails to satisfy the DoE site selection criteria. The heavy reliance on the independent review of the site selection process by Ms Leeson is misplaced because her document is profoundly flawed. Attached is an alternative comparative assessment of the Majara Street site versus the Ashby site. This comparison shows Ashby to be the far superior site and Majara Street to fail on two key points. Firstly, the site is half that to which Bungendore is entitled as a rural village, and secondly, the site has not been cleared of the lead contamination that borders it in the Bungendore Rail corridor.

I am writing to object to the Department of Education’s revised Development Application for Bungendore High School.

The selected site is 2.5 hectares which is well below the minimum site size of 4 hectares required by the NSW Department of Education. The children of Bungendore, including generations to come, deserve a world class education. The current “half a school” proposal limits their educational opportunities, as essential buildings including the hall and gym have been omitted. As a teacher, I can attest to the importance of these buildings as places where students gather for assemblies, partake in physical education lessons and creative arts performances, showcase artistic talents through art shows or seek shelter during inclement weather. The proposal does not include a green space or oval, or any guaranteed agreement with council for the utilisation of an existing green space, which means that the children will miss out on outdoor educational opportunities including compulsory physical and outdoor education lessons; essential elements of the Australian Curriculum. The lack of outdoor green space, is also very concerning given the high rates of mental illhealth amongst our youth.

The agricultural plot has been stripped of any buildings, including storage sheds. Bungendore is a rural community with sheep and cattle farms on our doorstep. There is an opportunity to teach the next generation of farmers, but it appears that not a lot of thought has gone into this aspect of the proposal. A real agricultural plot needs space for animals, permanent structures such as storage sheds for tools and feed, undercover animal wash bays and pens, and undercover learning spaces for students to gather for lessons. The current proposal is literally a grass space with no amenities which sets the teacher and students up for failure.

The Transport Assessment states that 342 Year 6 students currently attend NSW public schools and live within the Bungendore High School catchment area. All these kids are zoned to Bungendore High School next year. With an estimated capacity of 450 students, it would appear that the high school will exceed its forecast capacity after one year. On such a small site, there is simply no room for expansion.

Major expansion is planned for the Bungendore Pre School, located adjacent to the proposed site. This poses serious additional traffic issues that have not been considered in the development application. Anyone who has navigated drop off and pick up at a school will understand the catastrophic mess that ensues at these times.

Bungendore should not be considered the poor cousins to Googong, who will have a world class, master planned school on a 9 hectare site. I implore the government to abandon this site and select a suitable site for the current and future children of Bungendore.

Its about time the Council and Department of Education accept that they made a huge mistake with the original plans for the Bungendore High School.Grow up and move on!!!!!
Stop the back and forwards of who said this and that and get on with a new site for the school that will bring longevity for the current students and teachers and for the young people following and leave the community with their oval and put the school with the new sports hub which makes obvious sense.
One staff member from the Department commented to me that the sports hub area is a flood zone!!
Most of Bungendore is a flood zone. Build a school on stilts like the beautiful school at Murrumbateman.
Such a shame that the Education department feel that Bungendore students are not worthy of a schmick modern permanent school.
time to get your act together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I OBJECT to this proposal for a new Bungendore High School (BHS) on this site.
The site is too small for a new BHS - it is proposed for an area of land that is smaller than the proposed minimum standard area of land designated by the Department for new schools. This fact alone should cause the Dept and NSW Govt to reassess this project. Why are Bungendore students and the community being undersold and compromised - when alternative sites exist which would immediately fit the size/hectare ratio required by new schools (ie 4ha minimum).
The proposed site only caters for about 450 enrolments. This planning seems to wilfully ignore the reality of the impact of significant development in Bungendore now - of Elm Grove estate - which is proposed for 300 new dwellings. Houses are going up very quickly - which means within a short time there will be likely 500+ additional students who will be eligible to enrol in BHS.
The Government knows of this development and the projected population growth, and the projected future enrolment need for high school students. It appears there is wilful ignorance about the capacity of the proposed BHS on this site, taking into account Bungendore's future population growth - let alone the population grown in the wider high school catchment. The effect of this is that in a short timeframe, the BHS on that proposed site will be Full! .. with no additional capacity to grow. This proposal is short sighted, narrow and wilfully blind of the truth - that the site and this proposal is not Fit for Purpose.
The limited site size (2.5ha) has resulted in a second rate facility - before it's even built - with no school/assembly hall, no gym and no oval / play area .. However I understand that the students play areas include hallways and stairwells as a substitute for any other suitable play or assembly areas.

I do not consider this proposal has any merit - and merely attempts to justify a bad unilaterial decision by Mr Barilaro.

I ask the NSW Government to please step back, reassess, stop the BHS on this site, treat all the Bungendore community and particularly students with respect, and rise to the challenge of selecting a site that is Fit for Purpose, and start a new process for building a truly great 21st century high school that reflects Bungendore as an important town in a rich agricultural and renewable energy precinct on the edge of the nations capital.
Thankyou

The process for lodging a submission for this project is too difficult for the average person to navigate. It is not accessible enough for an average community member and 1 month does not allow for those who may be working full time to read, comprehend and comment on concerns of the 38 amendment documents as well as the full application is completely unreasonable.
The new documentation seems to dismiss a very important and serious concern the community has regarding the submission.
It is also suggested that there is no heritage items in the building area but has neglected to investigate the large radiata on the corner of Gibraltar and Majara street that has been wanted to be confirmed as heritage planting by the war memorial but has never been properly discussed within council and therefore neglected. There was once up to 28 radiatas planted around the oval by the diggers that returned from the war and there is evidence of the trees being easily over 100 years old. Council has removed so many of the trees claiming disease or age without considering their heritage and the community has had no choice but to watch the trees be removed with no heritage consideration, even though they need to be listed.

There are other inaccuracies to information that is local knowledge but indicate the applicant has not researched the area by talking to families that have lived in the region since settlement including the Presbyterian church that was built on the railway line was not demolished but was moved brick by brick to Butmaroo Street.

I am more than shocked that the applicant could dismiss local knowledge of the grave on the corner of Majara and Gibraltar St and even more so that there could be so much disrespect to the possibility of remains truly horrifies me. It suggests that there is no proof of the existence of the grave when evidence is still being searched for and local memory and declarations are equal to evidence and as I am one who played on the picket fence when I was young, it is undeniable that the grave and contents actually exist. To suggest that burying someone in a place other than a cemetery indicates ignorance on the part of the applicant as there is an Australia wide effort to get all unmarked graves registered. To suggest it is not serious enough to find the information that is available and accessible, even to the community, is beyond disrespectful to the community and the idea of taking action if remains are found is simply not acceptable when a body is confirmed by ground radar and the likelihood of it being indigenous due to a land claim. Evidence can be hard to locate when it is removed from access to the public and though I have seen the map of the land claim on the exact within the last 12 months as part of an unrelated planning document, I am now unable to find it again. The location assumed in the documentation of the grave being near the rotunda is also inaccurate as that was checked by locals and council was made aware of the issue and nothing has yet interfered with the grave site. I consider the grave as the greatest and most important issue relating to this development but the development an insult to the community that was never actually asked where they may want a high school built in their town. This project has been forced on the community, takes away precious crown land that is meant to be for the benefit of the community gifted by the English monarchy, removes a much needed community centre without replacement, threatens to leave the town without a community pool, forces council to build a new council office when we were told the existing ones were essential and custom built for the long term, takes away land from the off leash area that the development claims as empty space stuffs up traffic on a dangerous level and adds children to the mix, has no remedy for lead contamination in the soils anywhere in the school precinct, has already taken away vital space from the current primary school to accommodate a 'temporary' high school which has no future plan if the development proceeds and generally is a substandard idea that is not future proofed for population expansion and does not provide adequate facilities for quality education our community deserves for its youth. This development needs to be rejected and an alternative site needs be found which can then have a high school that is worthy of Bungendore instead of a politically motivated half school that was created to shuffle assets rather than consider the future educational outcomes of future generations.

I am objecting to this development proposal for the following reasons
The site chosen was too small before and has been reduced further in this proposal .The amount of room for children to actively play is woeful. In the current situation where mental health is so common amongst teenagers it appears to be gross negligence to put them in a concrete jungle.

Traffic studies do not appear to have been carried out. The parking situation is terrible and inadequate planning will only make it worse. The road to Elmslea is totally inadequate to cater for the traffic using it now. With increased street parking this already dangerous road around a Preschool and Highschool will be unacceptable.

A school catering for 450 in this rapidly developing town is clearly inadequate. I wonder if anyone in the planning department has been to Bungendore in the last two or three years. Did they visit Elm Grove? You say there is room for expansion on the proposed sight but the only place to go is our Park. A larger site must be found. It is not that Bungendore lacks space. Go look at El m Grove. The new school at Jerrabomberra has been built on the outskirts why not Bungendore.

Lead contamination. It is there. How can it not be when the length of the line to at least Tarago has been. Lead is harmful to children. Is it fair to endanger the health of our children. Perhaps you need to look at moving the Primary school as well.

Loss of Community services. We didn't have many and now some long standing services will be lost as space is almost impossible to access. Your development will not provide any community space as was promised in your first plans. We will be without a community centre for at least 5 years. One has already gone when it could have remained open.

The swimming pool.

How can you own half a swimming pool? This is a necessity which was built by the community This is something the town cannot do without.

State Significant Development - Amended proposal for New High School in Bungendore (SSD-14394209) - 20 July 2024

While I support the building of a High school in Bungendore I strongly object to the new amended SSDA 14394209 on the following basis:

Inappropriate and substandard site - area / facilities:

This current site on Major St Bungendore is too small for the proposed new High School and does not meet the minimum standard land size for a high school.

The Bungendore High School (BHS) site is 2.5ha when the minimum standard size area is 4ha. As such, the are for the site is almost 50% smaller than the minimum requisite standard area.
By comparison, other ‘new’ high school sites in the Queanbyean-Palerang region (ie Googong) - is proposed to be sited over 9ha.

The NSW Government has itself expressed concerns about the suitability of the proposed site:

The Department of Education and the Department of Planning own documents (2020) described the site of the proposed BHS as “not suitable due to insufficient land area and student safety concerns’.
the Department of Education’s Expert Review Group as “unworkable” due to traffic and issues (records released under Standing Order 52).

The amended plans do not include a school hall or gym and no Oval. These are basic amenities that should be included with all high schools - a school hall (for gathering, assemblies), a gym (exercise, indoor sport, amenities), oval/playing fields.

The site is so crammed and small that the proposed outdoor play areas which only meet current minimum standards have included thoroughfares and pathways as “play spaces”. So - children are expected to ‘play’ in hallways because there’s not enough space.

It is inappropriate for the proposed BHS to sit directly on the boundary of an inter-city railway and near and which has been exposed as having lead contamination.

The supposed ‘agricultural plot’ - plan has no proposal for amenities / facilities. Perhaps it’s proposed that a ‘temporary’ demountable might be sufficient.

Inappropriate and substandard site for student volume

The proposal states that the enrolment will be 450 students. The proposal has no capacity to expand to accommodate long-term forecast demand.

In 2024 there are 342 year 6 students in Bungendore and surrounding catchment areas who will be eligible to attend the high school in 2025.
The catchment area for Bungendore has a significant number of housing developments - which will lead to a hugh increase in the number of students likely attending BHS.

The Elm Grove Estate in Bungendore is currently being developed, with 300 houses to be built. This development is almost as large as the existing Elmslea development - which represented a significant jump in Bungendore’s population. With 300 houses, the Elm Grove Estate could result in an additional 500+ students wanting to attend BHS.

These figures result in close to 1000 students wanting to attend BHS. So - already the current site is forecast to be completely unsuitable and too small for the proposed enrolments - and demonstrates that the proposal will be incapable of meeting demand for the number of students attending BHS.

The new BHS should be built on a much larger site - which is at least consistent with the minimum standard area (4ha) - but which provides the opportunity for the known and forecast population growth of the area.

The Department of Education has stated that the site (even following expansion)
can only accommodate projected demand through to 2036, meaning the BHS will be viable for enrolments for only a maximum of 10 years before it is forced to restrict enrolments - or require a ‘new’ high school.

Why is the BHS project being planned with such a limited life-cycle - and at such an enormous cost? How can this be justified?

Use of Bungendore Park / Mick Sherd Oval for any BHS activity

The Mick Sherd Oval is public space for use by all Bungendore community of all ages - and not for a selection of the public - being high school students.

Any use of Bungendore Park (including the Mick Shed Oval) for educational purposes is a breach of the Crown Land Management Act. The current proposal is in breach of this legislation.

This matter has already been considered in the Land & Environment Court - as a loss to the Government.

Lost opportunity for great 21st century BHS

The proposed site is shortsighted and already compromises the opportunities that could and should be available to school students. The proposed site is too small to provide for learning facilities sufficient to meet vocational or tertiary pathways - which have been so successful in other regional areas - and which might provide an opportunity to complement the current Federal Labor Government’s proposal for fee-free TAFE enrolments.

Bungendore has alternative sites within 2-3km of its centre which would be much more suitable for a high school, and would enable the building of long-term school infrastructure for a 21st century high school.

Another site would have room for a school hall, gym, oval, vast teaching areas, music facilities, industrial & technology learning facilities, agricultural plots - to take advantage of of the key and significant ‘green energy/renewable projects’ - which surround Bungendore (wind farms, massive solar farm being developed (Blind Creek Solar).

Loss of existing facilities / loss of amenity / loss social connection

Bungendore Park and the Common are at the heart of Bungendore’s social fabric - and was gazetted in the 1850’s for public recreation. No part of this area should be used for the benefit of only a few members of the community. Bungendore is surrounded by privately owned pastoral land and small acreages - as such, the Park and Common are so important.

This project has resulted and will result in the loss of so many important community facilities (swimming pool & community centre) - which are at risk of never being replaced/rebuilt elsewhere owing to the significant costs associated and no current/clear plan for their replacement.

There is no current finalised plan for the relocation / rebuilding of the swimming pool - which is core to wellbeing, socialisation, education, health and wellbeing and saving lives (through Learn to Swim) - of all members of the community.

Where is the site for Bungendore Community Aid which was previously housed in the Community Centre.

Traffic / parking

There is no significant and realistic provision for parking - without causing significant disruption to residential areas. It’s essential that proper carpeting facilities are provided - to avoid congestion which is seen near so many school zones in Sydney. It is completely unreasonable that existing residents in a key heritage part of Bungendore (Butmaroo St) must suffer a complete loss of amenity, in addition to financial loss as a result of the proposed parking arrangements to accommodate parking for the proposed BHS. It is a significant detriment to a quiet heritage neighbourhood.

It is unreasonable to turn Turallo Terrace into a massive car park and transport hub for buses. This is a quiet residential street in a heritage part of Bungendore.

A new site would accommodate sufficient facilities for parking and for a transport hub.

Abbeyfield house

The impact of Mr Barilaro’s decision has had a devastating impact on the Abbeyfield house proposal - as a result of the loss of the land set aside for the project, for the proposed BHS.

The compromised proposal for ‘new Abbeyfield’ in the small strip between the Pre school and (new) Scout Hall is absurd - and demonstrates a terrible clumsy compromise, as a result of very poor planning.


Please stop this proposed BHS site - please select another more appropriate site - for all Bungendore’s future.

From: Bungendore resident

'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.'

The high school footprint is only 2.5h when the DOE own guidelines state a high school should be no less than 4.5h. The negative impact on the Bungendore Park and surroundings i.e., pre-school, traffic congestion, the heritage precinct will be affected, Majura street will be closed, preventing access from Elmslea. Link contamination in the Railway Corridor. There is no room for expansion other than into the oval and without having a negative impact on other surroundings. There are many other reasons that I stated before. The school will be too small for the growth of Bungendore, it will be a second-rate high school as the footprint is too small to be equipped the needed resources for a high school. There are many other opportunities to place the school in Bungendore.

1/there has been no traffic assessment of the closing of Majara ST.
2/ It has removed parking used by the primary school and has caused concerning traffic congestion.
3/It has no capacity to expand.
4/It has no arrangements for outdoor recreation space, hall or gym
5/People move to Bungendore for space and the school proposal takes away our central park.
6/There is no parking planned because there is no room.
7/The Department of Education is ignoring the Minister for Crown Land ruling.
*/ No one knows whats happening in the long term with our community funded swimming Pool. It should be set out in the D.A.

I object to the new BHS being built on a site that has yet to be assessed as being free of lead and asbestos contamination, and adjoins the contaminated Bungendore Rail Corridor (BRC). The rail tracks are within 13 m of the proposed BHS eastern boundary. This will make remediation of the known contamination within the BRC hazardous and expose the children and staff in the school to unnecessary health risks.

I fully support the construction and operation of a New High School for Bungendore as described in the amended planning documentation. The location, in close proximity to the established primary school, will create an educational precinct within this regional/ rural community to provide a focus for learning and interaction with children. The revised development proposal, eliminating Crown Land, provides clarity to the community as to the clear educational objectives of the Department.

Now that the LGA is amalgamated, using the previous Council chambers as part of the School is an appropriate reuse of the facility.
Amendments to traffic and parking enable easy access to the school for children and their parents.

Of note are the findings of the amended Social Impact Assessment regarding the effect of delays on the current high school students. I approve of the timely manner with which the Department has responded to the findings of the Land and Environment Court in seeking to proceed ASAP to commence construction on the main school facilities to ensure the earliest availability of permanent appropriate school facilities for the children of Bungendore and surrounding rural villages.

Although not a resident of Bungendore I have family residing in Bungendore, and as a whole we are all opposed to the proposal to build the high school on the proposed site. The reasons for this are many, including the following
a) propsoed site is too small being considerably less than the size nominated by the DoE
b) the school will be too small to service the area, and will not offer sufficient curriculum
c) loss of public amenity, council offices were used for baby health clinic, community aid etc, residents no longer have access to these facilities and have to travel to Queanbeyan.
d) future loss of community owned and built pool, this was going to be replaced by a pool built by council, which would have required locals to travel by car, rather than walk which we can currently do, and we now hear that council can't afford to replace the pool anyway.
e) the school as proposed had no oval, no library, no assembly hall, surely a substandard arrangement, not satisfactory to anyone, and yet so much anxiety and division has been caused to the community.
f) traffic is already terrible in the school precinct, and will only get worse if this goes ahead.
g) the primary school students have already lost their playground, and the high school won't really have a playground either. This is the sort of arrangement I would expect in the middle of a city NOT in a regional area, it is a disgrace.
h) lead contamination is surely not a great idea when deciding on a site for the school, and any disturbance of the land will result in surrounding properties being further affected.
A new site needs to be found for this school, saying students need to be able to walk to school is ridiculous, car pooling is impracticable, buses will be needed and shouldn't be travelling into the heart of the village, the school should be sited on the outlying area. This whole thing has been a shambles, and a community has been badly let down by the department and the local member. The Minister for Education needs to take control of her department which currently shows it is not fit for purpose.

I support design and construction of a high school for Bungendore but I object to the current proposal for the following reasons.

Site
The site is too small with insufficient space for the usual high school physical activities even for a small school of 450 students. There is no oval, hall or gym. The grassed areas where students could engage in free choice active play outdoors are too small and divided by paths and other interruptions. Much of the outdoor space is occupied by mass planting for no obvious reason or benefit. The turf embankment to sports field shown on the Landscape Detail Plan – Southern Campus is much too small to be a sports field unless the unstated intention is to encroach onto the existing Mick Sherd Oval.

The site analysis does not consider surrounding uses, the activities generated by these and the impact of adding a high school. There is lack of recognition of the impact of the proposal on the existing primary school, preschool, railway station and residents in Turallo Terrace. This whole precinct is already heavily used without the addition of a high school.

The ag plot is almost entirely in a flood zone, has no vehicular access and has no storage or animal shelters. It is unlikely to meet animal welfare standards or curriculum requirements.

There is no room on this site for future expansion of the high school even though it is likely that expansion will be needed given the number of students living in the school catchment area.

The parking provided onsite for staff and students assumes that a large proportion of staff will walk or cycle to school. There is no evidence provided to support this assumption. The number of parking places provided appears inadequate given the often uncomfortable climate and the amount of materials that teachers and senior students cart between school and home. The site is too small to allow for expansion of parking on site.

The shape of the site forces the buildings to have their long sides facing east and west. As a result, there is a huge expanse of glazing facing west which is difficult to shade effectively while still allowing natural light into the classrooms. This orientation is a poor outcome for energy efficiency and sustainability.

The visual impact of the proposed development viewed from the War Memorial, Mick Sherd Oval and childrens’ playground is significant with the buildings adding increased height and bulk and an unsympathetic architectural style. The western elevation in the architectural drawings (p18) conveniently hides the unsightly appearance of Block A behind vegetation but this building would be seen from much of Bungendore Park.

The obvious solution is to build a high school on a different site that meets the NSW Department of Education standards for minimum area for a high school and has lower impact on surrounding areas.

Traffic congestion
The traffic assessment uses baseline data for intersections collected in November 2020 when normal work and traffic patterns were strongly affected by the COVID epidemic. Current usage is likely to be considerably higher. The conclusions about the impact of the proposal on these intersections are not valid when the base data does not reflect the current usage.

In addition, the section of Majara Street between Gibraltar Street and Turallo Terrace has been closed since 2020 and the impact of this closure has not been considered in the traffic assessment.

Turallo Terrace is a quiet residential street and not suited to becoming the high use thoroughfare and parking area shown in the traffic assessment.

Given the traffic congestion now happening in the vicinity of the small temporary high school, which adversely impacts access and parking around the railway station, primary school and park, it is most unlikely that the traffic assessment is realistic in relation to adding a larger high school close by.

Social impacts
As a result of implementation of this proposal to date (without a valid planning approval), the people of Bungendore and the surrounding area have already lost the following community resources
- Community centre including community based district nursing services, playgroup space, meeting rooms, after school care
- Abbeyfield House, the design for which was at final approval stage with design work provided pro bono by design professionals
- Use of the former Council offices where well-equipped meeting rooms were available for hire
- The section of Majara Road between Gibraltar Street and Turallo Terrace, interrupting the most logical vehicle access route between Bungendore CBD, the primary school and Elmslea.

Further social impacts of this proposed development include:
- Loss of Balladeers Place with no plan for where it would go. This resource was funded and constructed by the local community and celebrates musicians from all over Australia.
- Loss of access to the Mick Sherd Oval (including parking) from the eastern edge of the oval
- Loss of a much loved and used green space in Bungendore village with heritage values

In addition, the process of developing the proposal has involved poor community consultation processes with surveys designed to only collect preferred responses. Projects updates and flyers have contained untruthful and misleading content. Many of the stakeholder consultation and information actions appeared designed to cause community division, hurt and distrust.

In summary, the project purports to be helping the community but has been conceived and executed in ways that have hurt the community. The design fails to deliver a high school fit for purpose.

I wish to submit that I agree with the building of a High School in Bungendore, however STRONGLY OBJECT to it being situated on Majara Street for the following reasons:
• Developments which are currently in progress will mean a large increase to the number of students to attend the high school, which will quickly expand the school to beyond the capacity that it is being built for, to which there is no allowance for expansion.
• The current DA will mean a smaller classroom foot print and does not include a school hall.
• It appears that students will not be able to park within the school grounds as the area does not have capacity for this.
○ Meaning students will need to park on Turallo Tce encroaching on residential nature strips, etc
○ With no footpaths in Turallo Tce or Butmaroo St, council may be forced to install these to allow for the safe passage of pedestrians and cyclists. As has been the practice in the past this cost is usually passed onto the land owner, causing additional financial hardship to the cost of living
• Student activities which will be limited mainly to the oval, will in all likelihood destroy its surface rendering it useless for use during the limited times that it has been stated it can be used by the public.
○ Team sports and activities are important to the development of student growth and wellbeing. They also teach them some of the important rules for later years, but why put the school in a place which causes so much upheaval and loss of facilities for the community.
• The site of the school and its proximity to the rail line raises the question of safety and also goes against the DoE's own guidelines.
• It is a well-known fact that the soil within close proximity to the school contains lead and asbestos and possibly other by-products which are harmful to people. A fact which appears to have been ignored. Building activities will disturb these contaminants and spread them further (possibly to the residents who reside in Powell St).
• Every school day afternoon sees a traffic and parking nightmare of buses and cars and kids and parents around the railway station and primary school. Add in a high school with all the traffic it will entail and it all becomes one huge safety hazard.
In conclusion - There must be a better, and more viable solution found for the location of the high school.

I wish to lodge an objection to the proposal as currently constituted. I would like to start by stressing that I do NOT object to the proposal to build a high school for Bungendore – I strongly SUPPORT that proposal, but I also believe the current proposed site in Majara Street is the wrong site. It is too small for the current demand and will not see the demand for the future.
A outdate traffic study has been used and does not properly show the traffic congestion that is going to be caused around both the primary school and the high school.
The new D.A. shows that the size and number of buildings have both been reduced. Yet school capacity remains 450 students!
There are New housing developments in Bungendore already underway, and more proposed for the near future, and this high school with spots for 450 students will be outgrown before it has even opened.
This has been BAD PLANNING from the very start and these Amendments are solving nothing and the end result is totally without merit.
New site. New D.A and let's get on with building a High school that Bungendore deserves, and we can all be proud of today and into the future.

I strongly OBJECT to the proposal as currently constituted. However I would like to stress that I do NOT object to the proposal to build a high school for Bungendore – I strongly SUPPORT that proposal, but I STRONGLY believe the current proposed site in Majara Street is the wrong site, for a number of reasons. The site size on Majara Street site is too small even for the current likely demand. The proposal states that the enrolment will be 450 students. There are currently over 800 students enrolled at Government primary schools in the BHS catchment area according to reports.
Why should the community support a Split D.A . The Minister for Crown Land has already refused the consent to this development as it breaches Crown Land Law.
The closing of Majara Street (over 1 year now) was never approved by QPRC and has and still is causing the community problems. This is causing a dangerous parking and traffic nightmare and we are sick of it.
The Lead contamination has still not been properly identified in the area.
And why does Bungendore get 2.5ha when the minimum standard is 4ha and Googong just up the road got 9ha. What are we some low life country hick town that doesn't deserve the best.
Why oh why are we going through all of this again. This school could have been built by now and had a full complement of year 7-12 in it, if only the DOE was not so stubborn and would listen to the community and what is best for the children of the area and the future of this town.
Can you please send someone down here with a bit of sense to see what the DOE are trying to achieve, I can promise you, you will get a laugh.
This proposal needs to stop now and a new site and D.A. started immediately on a new fit for purpose site as a matter of urgently. BUNGENDORE deserves this after 4 years of DOE/ political bullshit.