New High School in Bungendore

I object to this project on multiple grounds which include the following -
• The split DA process is very difficult to follow and appears to be an attempt to circumvent Crown land law
• The Minister for Crown Land refused consent to this development because it would breach Crown land law. How can DoE the Department of Planning and QPRC ignore that?
• Why has the DoE never been asked to assess the consistency of its plans with the State Strategic Plan for Crown Land? Given that the project involves stealing a large chunk of Crown land and using another chunk of it in breach of the law, why has DoE decided that the State Strategic Plan for Crown Land is not relevant?
• The materials posted on the Major Projects website are voluminous and contradictory. It is not clear what the “separate planning pathway” for the Crown land works will involve. It’s impossible to understand what’s going on.
• We now know that the compensation payable to Council (which is still being argued over in Court!) for compulsory acquisition of Crown land cannot lawfully be spent on proposed replacement facilities in Bungendore, as these are not situated on Crown land. No one knows how replacement community facilities can be funded.
• No one knows what’s happening in the long term with Bungendore Pool. Why isn’t this set out in the DA? How are we supposed to understand what is planned?
• Closing Majara Street was never approved by Council. There’s now a complete traffic and parking nightmare around the railway station and the Primary School. That’s only going to get worse if the High School is built. But the DoE is relying on traffic studies which are ALMOST FOUR YEARS OLD and pre-date the closure of Majara Street or the opening of the temporary school. Why aren’t they using up-to-date information?
• There’s not just lead contamination, but also asbestos. How will this impact children?
• Major expansion is proposed for Bungendore Preschool, just across the road from the high school. The DA doesn’t consider this at all. Ensuring safe vehicle and pedestrian access to the preschool will be impossible given the likely mix of very young children attending the preschool, and young and inexperienced drivers attending the proposed high school. This is a recipe for disaster.
• How is the school supposed to function without an Oval? The new DA states that “the amended proposal does not include any proposed shared use agreement over Mick Sherd Oval”.

The building being proposed is taking Crown Land, which was given to the people and the split DA is trying to circumvent Crown Land law.
The site is contaminated with lead. Despite assurances that the lead contamination is within limits, the Station Master's Cottage (which is adjacent to the proposed site) has been requisitioned for eighteen months in order that remediation of lead contamination may be effected. With the amount of digging required for the proposed new building it surely is a strong likelihood that similar contamination will be discovered.
A short term 'fix' for the Bungendore Pool has been secured (following objections to its removal) However there are no concrete plans for its replacement and the community MUST have firm assurance as the community paid for the existing pool.
We need an up to date traffic report and not one that is four years old.
The plan has removed access to the ag plot as well as toilets and storage facilities. Where will students go to the loo? Teachers wont be too happy about allowing students to cross the road in order to go to the bathroom. They will disappear - hardly likely to return to class! Is this an attempt to get around Crown Land law?
There is a major expansion for Bungendore PreSchool proposed just across the road from the high school.
The DA does not consider this at all. Ensuring safe vehicle and pedestrian access to the preschool is extremely important.
The amended DA does not include an Oval...how will the school function without an Oval?
The revised plans are much smaller than the original proposal with a large reduction in both gross floor area and total open space. However, the estimated 450 students and 41 teachers has not changed.
There is no school hall and no gym, and no oval (it would seem) How can this be allowed?
The Transport Assessment states that 342 Year 6 students currently attend NSW public schools and live within the Bungendore High School catchment. All these students are zoned for Bungendore High School and this suggests a likely student intake at he proposed school which dramatically exceeds capacity and traffic for this very snall site. Surely this will not work?
This is a rural area. Years 11 and 12 students who live outside walking/cycling area will drive themselves and create yet more chaos traffic wise. There is inadequate parking.
With no school hall where are students expected to spend their leisure time when its wet?
What planning for future expansion - current planning would indicate that the only option would be going to another storey. Is this appropriate in the context of its situation?
It is time for the current plan to be abandoned. Why try to 'make the best of a bad plan' when it will only be a short term 'fix'. This is tax payers' money being spent and we need a long term solution.
What were the alternative sites considered and why were they discounted? There is ample green space which would give current and future high school students a great environment to study and learn.

Dear Sir / Madam,

Ref: SSD 14394209 BUNGENDORE HIGH SCHOOL

Thank you for the opportunity to again raise my objection to the siting of the proposed High School in Bungendore. Consistent with my earlier objections sent on 10 August 2023 and 17 April 2024 to Minister Car, please note that I fully support the proposal to build the school but STRONGLY OPPOSE its construction on the selected site for a range of reasons, including the following.

From the outset, the proposal for the high school was found unviable on the basis of a student population already in excess of the school’s capacity and likely to double in the immediate short term. And all of that before new subdivisions come on stream! Already construction is years over schedule due to the stubborn intransigence of a bumbling planning process and likely to worsen as the push for more housing responds to a national shortage.

It is generally acknowledged now that the site selected came out of a collusive meeting of the former administrations, hatched in secrecy to avoid public scrutiny and designed to occupy the whole of Bungendore Park. Odd that the new administration should adopt such a tainted scheme. Given that no space is left available for future growth, it is apparent that the original plan to occupy the whole park remains DofE’s future intention.

Bungendore has grown from a small village and retains, at its core, the irreplaceable heritage assets of a bygone era. For almost 190 years these have been nurtured by the town’s minders and today offer a peaceful ambience for its residents. These assets only come once and should not to be subjected to loss at the hands of a distant, out-of-touch bureaucracy.

The building of a “modern world-class” teaching facility, be it of multi-level construction or a sprawling conglomerate in the location proposed, would be totally out of character in the Bungendore precinct, little better than the current mess so far created by this disastrous proposal. Already transport movement and car parking has overburdened the town centre and that’s before the first sod is turned. Overlay the demands of a mature high school five years hence and the expertise of a planning professional is not needed to visualise the disastrous outcome of this short-sighted proposal.

The above are but a few of the dozens of reasons opposing the use of the Majara/Gibraltar Street site for the high school. I submit that it is incumbent on your government to protect Bungendore’s heritage assets, to support the retention of its civic, community and recreational places, and encourage development complimentary with its rural ambience.

To conclude, I submit that the new high school be built on a Greenfields site with space for future expansion, transport and parking services, and student sporting and recreational facilities. It would be appropriate also to return the Abbeyfield development to its original site and include the now defunct Majara Street as part of that development for aged-persons pedestrian use and light mobility traffic.

Sincerely,
Neville Gallagher

(My request that you particularly note my support of the construction of the school arises from a letter from the local Member circulating in the village, claiming that the current legal action is due to an “attempt to prevent construction of the school”, an incomplete statement structured to mislead. As an aside, I voted Labor federally at the last election on the grounds of integrity, anticipating a national platform based on the core principles of openness, honesty, respect and transparency. Regrettably, it seems these values are yet to emerge in my state).

I have no affiliation with any political party, Local State or Federal, and have never donated in any way to any of them.
(Neville J. Gallagher) Phone: 0475 41 8282
Villa 122 Banksia Village, 69 Heath Street, BROULEE NSW 2537

My comments remain the same as in my original submission.
Nothing in the revised submission has altered these.
The proposed site is:
1. Too small for the anticipated (and current, given the level of housing development in Bungendore and surrounds) growth in population of high school age children
2. Removes precious green space from the historic centre of Bungendore. Once this is gone , it will never be returned..
3. Removes community assets such as the swimming pool (given the parlous state of QPRC- Queanbeyan and Palerang Regional Council- finances, it is unlikely it will be rebuilt), Community Centre, and Council Offices (resulting in a much reduced level of services provided in Bungendore).
4. Parking limitations and traffic congestion will impact greatly on the Pre School and Scout Facility Building on Turallo St, and nearby residents
5.The proposed relocation of the Abbeyfield Aged Care Facility from the proposed site close to the former QPRC Bungendore Offices to a site below the Facility Building is madness. This area is prone to flooding, and would require substantial works to build a levee to prevent flooding. Which it is extremely unlikely that QPRC would have the funds or inclination to do so.
6. My understanding is that there are still unresolved questions regarding soil contamination with lead residues from ore carried from the Captains Flat mine on the branch line from Bungendore- which runs adjacent to the proposed school site. Developing brains and lead contamination do not mix well!
In summary, I believe that the proposal represents a fine example of BAD PLANNING. The Department of Education wishes to overrule the wishes of a significant number of local residents to adhere to this plan, which seems to have been a thought bubble of the previous local member to gain short term political advantage.

I strongly object to the siting of the proposed Bungendore High School. The site is too small, falling far short of the DoE's minimum standard for a high school. Even considering DoE's underestimated enrolment projections this proposal is seriously inadequate. The removal of the school hall/gym and canteen from the updated proposal, while delaying the demolition of the community's swimming pool, makes for a very sub-standard high school. A school of this size is unlikely to provide the range of curriculum expected of a modern secondary education, in terms of both academic and physical education.
Removal of the section of Majara Street has already caused huge traffic, pedestrian safety and parking problems in the surrounding areas and this will be completely chaotic if a high school is sited here.
The proposed site has been tested and found to be contaminated with lead and asbestos. This alone should preclude high school use.
The Department has no right to taking over Crown Land and the Community will continue to defend it.
The Department's claim of any benefit in co-locating the high school with a primary school and preschool has no merit.
Prospective students, families, teachers and the general community expect to have access to a facility which can provide a sound secondary education to a modern standard. The Majara/Gibraltar Street site is much too small to allow for this now and in future decades.

Dear Sir/Madam
I TOTALLY OBJECT TO THIS PROJECT BEING BUILT ON THIS SITE

Nobody is really listening to the main objections to the High School being built on this site. And does Planning and Department of Education really care about our concerns.
I DO NOT OBJECT TO A HIGH SCHOOL I OBJECT TO THE SITE THAT HAS BEEN CHOSEN.
There are so many reasons why this is not the best site. There is so much information stating why this site is not suitable .
I cannot believe that in the whole of Bungendore there wouldn't be a more suitable site where the High School could be an amazing asset to our town and giving education to students in and around our area of the highest quality.

Please, someone come and look at where this school is supposed to be built. It looks so different than looking at it purely on paper.
I personally feel that the Education Department really don't care about the impact this school will have on our town if built on this site. They would gain so much more respect if they found a better site and gave our students the school they really deserve .

Regards lauren Woods, Bungendore.

I object to the new amended SSDA for the proposed Bungendore HS for the following reasons:
A kindergarten to year 12 "Educational Precinct" is no longer NSW Educational policy. Co location between the kindergarten and primary school therefore is no longer a valid reason for using the Park /Majara St site.
Community consultation regarding the inadequate and ill considered Bungendore Park/Majara St site has not been addressed despite the identification of at least two other sites that were deemed better. The site is the issue.
This is a proposal for 75% of a school with no clarity as to how the remaining 25% essential elements of a school will be built and how they will be funded.
There has been no assessment of traffic flow and density since the sudden closure of Majara St. The impact of this has created great safety issues already around Bungendore Park, the primary school, the temporary HS and the Railway station parking area. The station parking area, along with the proposed Ag plot, has already been identified with lead and asbestos contamination.
The effect of these contaminants on young and developing minds has been long recognised in the community.
Proposed angle parking of both sides of Turallo Tce between Majara and Butmaroo Sts poses further traffic and safety issues around the preschool and for pedestrian and bicycle access from Elmslea and ElmGrove across Turallo creek to both primary school and temporary HS and the proposed new HS. Current parking at the railway station is on DoTransport property.
The school is planned to accommodate 450 students, however there are 342 yr 6 students in Bungendore and the surrounding catchment areas are eligible for HS in 2025. More than 200 of these students live outside Bungendore where there is much development and rapid population growth. These students, in particular, will depend on cars and buses for transport. The new high school on such a limited site will soon reach capacity with no area to expand, and traffic and parking problems will be exacerbated.
The retention of the community built swimming pool is a minor reprieve after losing the multi purpose Community Centre and Abbeyfield site.
Bungendore Park and surrounding buildings is the core of Bungendore's history. It is a tourist draw card. The Park is a very well used community asset , attracting many sports people and visitors to the unique village atmosphere in a rural/residential environment. it is not the site for a HS.

Sadly this project has been delayed over and over due to the DOE’s incompetence. Crown Land is set aside for recreational use. They cannot now or ever will be able to use it for their proposed purpose.
The current submission for half a school is simply an insultto the intelligence of the local residents and the dept of planning NSW. How could anyone possibly approve half a school, that is just silly.
I urge the dept of planning to see through this half baked application and reject it without hesitation.
Thanks in advance as I have no doubt you guys find this as embarrassing as the Bungendore Community does.

I don't believe the new school DA is to the benefit of the school.
Making the school smaller to fit on the smaller site is not fixing the problem and will be to the detriment on the future students.

Put it in a different spot where we don’t have to close so many great places like the pool and the oval

This proposed high school will be too small from the outset, let alone projected growth of the town of Bungendore with vast housing estates currently under construction. The town oval is a community asset which should not be taken away. There is lead contamination in the soil all around the site. The shutting down of community Centre has left massive gaps in essential services for young families in our region which is deplorable. This fiasco must end now.

I object to the development of the high school in the proposed location due to the loss of amenity and access to green space that will occur as a result of the proposed development. The location of the proposed development is used by members of the town and visitors for recreation. Building a school on that location will restrict access and will have a negative impact on the wellbeing of the people in Bungendore.

I am concerned about the acquisition of Crown Land – even the Minister for Crown Land refused consent for the development as it breached Crown Land Law. The DoE seems intent on “acquiring” Crown land that belongs to the people of Bungendore.
Parking will always be an issue in this area. Currently Majara Street is closed to through traffic – this was never approved by the QPRC. The Bungendore Preschool is hoping for expansion in the area across the road from the proposed high school site. Small children and much traffic, including possibly L and P plate drivers, is another tick against the proposed site. And there is minimal parking onsite - this will force teachers, students and visitors to park in streets surrounding this tiny high school. The DoE assumes it can use the Railway Station parking area for the school, but this is not DoE land and Transport for NSW have opposed any such use. The railway precinct is listed on the State Heritage Register - it is not a parking lot.
Lead and asbestos have been found in the area. The EPA has warned that use of the site for a school may increase the risk of harm arising from the lead contamination. And the Department of Planning has confirmed there are significant levels of asbestos contamination in the soil in and around the proposed high school site. Is our children’s health not considered in the DoE’s plans?
The DoE had stated that the site, even following expansion, will reach capacity by 2036 meaning that within 12 years the school will be forced to move (where to?) or restrict enrolments (hardly an incentive for new families to move to Bungendore). This is hardly a good example of sustainability and not at all fair to children living in Bungendore in the future. And for this the heart of Bungendore is ripped out. Internal DoE records obtained under GIPA state that the site is “unworkable”, unsafe and “not suitable”. Why is it even being considered?
I feel the culture and community of Bungendore have been ignored by public servants based in Sydney. No regard for the importance of the Pool, the War Memorial (all of Bungendore Park is listed under the Palerang Local Environmental Plan because of the War Memorial) or Bush Balladeers Place has been observed. Plans for “Abbeyfield”, proposed seniors accommodation, by a non-profit provider, were abandoned.
The only criteria to build the school seems to be “speed” – the sooner we have a high school, the better, regardless of the quality of that school. I am not opposed to a high school – Bungendore certainly needs one. But it needs one that is fit for purpose, sustainable and future proofed, built to the highest standards with all the infrastructure to give our children the best possible education. Please revisit the alternate sites offered – those that are large enough to house a High School of the future.

The revised plans appear to be smaller than the original proposal. However the estimated capacity of 450 student and 41 teachers hasn’t changed. The school appears to be far from being future proofed – it sits on a total area of 2.5 ha when minimum standards require 4ha. Yet Googong High School is situated on a 9ha site – why are the children of Bungendore short-changed?
Apparently there are over 300 Year 6 students currently attending NSW public schools that live within the Bungendore High School catchment area. Even assuming half these children may attend other high schools this leaves a yearly cohort of 150 children. So by the time the school is full to Year 12, there may well be approximately 750 children at the school. How does this fit with the 450 student estimated capacity?
The new plan doesn’t appear to have a hall or a gym – how is this proposal even considered to be that for a fully functioning high school? And does the high school have an oval or not? Or will the DoE plan to use Mick Sherd Oval later on once the school has been built? Use of Mick Sherd Oval (or any other part of Bungendore Park) for educational purposes is a breach of the Crown Land Management Act – does the DoE hope to circumvent this? The current “new” plan includes thorough ways and pathways that are described as “play spaces” – more minimal space only offered for Bungendore children. And what will happen to these “play spaces” when the school inevitably has to expand?
I just don’t understand why the children of Bungendore are being forced into accepting a small second rate high school. The site is below minimum size standards – surely this is all that it needs to be disqualified from even being considered? The school will end up with a reputation as one that can only offer minimal subject choices leading those who can afford it to go elsewhere leaving the local Bungendore children to suffer an inadequate education.
I believe there are a few suitable alternative sites and internal DoE records confirm this. Please look at these sites, independently of any political ideals or persuasions, and consider the future education of our children. Make the new Bungendore High School a school that our children will be proud to attend.

see attachment

We live in a historic house on Turallo Terrace and when we bought this house we did not expect it to be downgraded with parking for a high school. There are lots of alternative sites to place a school.

How can the Community support the “dual track” split DA process which is a clear attempt to circumvent Crown land law?
The Minister for Crown Land refused consent to this development because it would breach Crown land law.
Why does DoE think the Department of Planning and QPRC should ignore that?
The revised plans are much smaller than the original proposal, with a large reduction in both gross floor area and total open space. But the estimated capacity of 450 students and 41 teachers hasn’t changed. How does that work? Why does Bungendore High get a total of 2.5ha when minimum standards require 4ha and Googong gets 9ha?
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. This suggests a likely student cohort at the proposed school which dramatically exceeds capacity and traffic estimates for this very small site. How on earth is that going to work?
The Department of Planning and Environment requested DoE to provide proper catchment data in the “Key Issues List” dated 26 October 2022 but this was not provided. Why has DoE refused to provide this information? How can a development be approved when the Department has tried to conceal this most basic information?
There is no proper parking.
There are better options available for a new High School in Bungendore. Why are the NSW government trying so hard to make the community accept this B grade undersized School?

My objection is solely about the location. Choose a location where expansion will be available - not at the cost of losing our limited green space - our Park.
Building a high school at the proposed location is going to cause traffic chaos IMO too.
My biggest concern is also that if this happens in Bungendore on dedicated crown land, what will it open up? These very special dedicated crown land parcels should be protected from any building of infrastructure unless it is for what the land was intended.
We need our Park. We have no area of green space or another Park within the original village that is safe for our children to spread their wings and enjoy some free space.
The new developments have not built facilitated areas sadly - the Bungendore Park should be left as it is.

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.

I strongly object to this submission (again)
Space is to small for the growth of Bungendore
We loose and have lost our community facilities and green space
The traffic in this area is dangerous and hasn’t even been built
We don’t know what’s happening with the Bungendore pool
All reports relating to traffic were done 4 years ago
Lead and asbestos along rail corridor and surrounds
Crown land issues

This plan was a mess 4 years ago and a new site needs to be picked instead of trying to fix this mess. It stands to reason that with the rapid growth of Bungendore that the present site selection is far to small for expansion