New High School in Bungendore

This is an ill-conceived proposal which needs to be rejected outright.

This submission is to record my objection to SSD 14394209 on the ground that there has not been transparent, effective community consultation and to urge the rejection of the Urbis Consultation Report prepared for School Infrastructure NSW as failing to provide reliable information for the purpose of the SEARS.
Bungendore as a growing town is the victim of the failure by the Minister to exercise his powers to require at the appropriate time the reservation of land from development for the location of a high school in recognition of the rapid growth of the population of the Bungendore district. The electoral promises of the major parties of a high school and the loss of access to government schools in the ACT though recent do not excuse this ministerial failure since the population growth has been both predictable and patent over the past 20 years.
By proceeding with the proposal for a high school at Bungendore ( BHS) by way of SEPP the Minister has acted against the interest of the Bungendore and District community. Such action has failed to recognise or address the substantial community distress and disagreement resulting from the prospect of the loss of a vital, historical community asset namely the land dedicated “for public health or recreation convenience or enjoyment “ in 1886 under the then Crown Lands Act. As such the land was according to the Act protected for ever from alienation ( s104). That land now known has Mick Sherd Oval the site of the proposed school has served the community fully in accordance with its dedication.
SSD 14394209 as the product of clandestine action by agencies of the NSW government and the Queanbeyan – Palerang Regional Council (QPRC)will see the end to the Bungendore community’s use of the land, in the name of providing a high school.
EPA Act lists as its first objective” to promote the social and economic welfare of the community” s4.13. On any objective basis the history and processes of SSD 14394209 cannot meet that objective.
SSD 14394209 is the source of extensive community dissent in Bungendore. The community dissent stems not from the provision of a high school, but the loss of the Oval. It is dissent stirred by the fear on the one hand of missing out in those who see the need for such a school for their children such that the project presented must be supported for better or worse; contrasted with those who see the loss of the only readily accessible public park in the old town, the loss of open space around the war memorial along with the loss of the swimming pool built with the funds raised by the community, as a price too high to pay for the want of proper planning and failure to secure appropriate land elsewhere.
The Ubis report purports to presents a picture of informative consultation with the Bungendore Community and nominated agencies including QPRC as the outcome of the processes it undertook.
Such processes, inter alia:
​Fails to have differentiated the issue of the desire for a high school Bungendore from the ​high school as and as located according to SSD14394209;
​fails to identify the population affected; with over 11000 in the Bungendore region and ​nearly 5000 in Bungendore town, rather the report presents as ​reliable 710 respondents to ​a survey, 120 at the Primary School gate( the” Hub”) over 4 days,of whom 83 are cited ​as ​respondents to a later survey;
​ fail to reveal the nature and extent of community discord engendered by the siting of the ​BHS on the Oval and the loss of the use of the Oval by the community;
​ fails to identify the extent of the covert arrangements between QPRC and ISNSW focussing ​on the exchanging of the Oval by QPRC and the recently constructed Council Chambers for ​the former Palerang Council for financial support by ISNSW for the development of new ​playing fields and swimming pool on land identified by ISNSW as flood prone land;
​fails to reveal the actions by QPRC to prevent any community consultation by QPRC prior to ​endorsing the BHS proposal at the Oval;
​The community will have been cheated if the Ubis report is taken to satisfy the SEARS. Community consultation is the essence of the SEPP and SSD process. Comfortable, accommodating arrangements calculated to meet political aspirations are cancerous elements of public administration and failure to reveal such and their impact on the community will be to the discredit of the SEARS and its due evaluation of SSD 14394209.
My further objections to SSD 14394209 are the misleading representation of the planned population of the school as 400-450 whereas the number of 600 is recognised as likely within several years. This misrepresentation sounds in the misleading estimates of the need for parking for students as well as teaching and administration staff and visitors.
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Support for the new Bungendore high school. A great opportunity for the local shire for kids to continue their education close to home & minimising travel. Congratulations to everyone involved in the planning & development of the high school, it looks fantastic. The location adjacent to the primary school is an excellent idea to enable the sharing of state of the art facilities & siblings to continue schooling in the same vicinity. Greatly appreciate the hard work of everyone involved to get the high school ready for 2023, I have a child very excited to be one of the first to start.

Bruce Amey
Street Address Withheld
Bungendore NSW 2621

18th October 2021

Director – Social and Infrastructure Assessments
Planning and Assessment
Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Locked Bag 5022
Parramatta NSW 2124

Dear Sir/Madam

FORMAL OBJECTION to State Significant Development Application 14394209
NEW HIGH SCHOOL IN BUNGENDORE

I formally Object to the Heritage report of this SSDA

I am absolutely appalled at the lack of knowledge and understanding, shown in the reports attached to the Environment Impact Statement, of the heritage and social value of Bungendore Park to the community.

Bungendore Park and Majara Street form part of the original town grid, laid out by Colonial Surveyor James Larmer in 1837. There are very few public places in New South Wales, let alone Australia, with such a long European history. Its size and shape have not changed since. The Park existed long before but was formally gazetted in 1884 and “dedicated for the purpose of public recreation”. It has played a huge role in the culture and life of the town and has been home to the Tigers, Bungendore Rugby League, since 1908.
Department of Education which has a perfectly appropriate site for a high school in Bungendore selected in the EOI process by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, has instead decided that our heritage, much loved, and well used park is the right spot for their high school. They intend to build prefab multi-storey buildings in a heritage precinct on land that the high school is forecast to outgrow in three years after completion.
Then we have this below extract from a DPIE newsletter in regard to protecting Crown Land in Sydney. Our Park is Crown Land! Our Park is just as important!
“$16.5 million for more green space
Media release | 16 February 2021
More than $16 million from the NSW Government’s COVID-19 stimulus fund will help deliver more quality green public space on Crown land across Greater Sydney.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said the new Greater Sydney Crown Land Open Space Activation Program would fund upgrades to Crown land and community facilities.
“The last 12 months has taught us the importance of green open space and creating public places where people can safely meet, congregate and relax,” Mr Stokes said.
“It makes good sense that by improving Crown land and public infrastructure we can make better use of the assets we already have to create more open space for the community to enjoy.
“These projects will also support local jobs and economies with work for tradespeople and materials suppliers.”
In addition to the funding, Crown land will be reviewed to identify sites for future activation.”


Bungendore businesses rely on tourism to be viable, and the park is a major asset for tourism. The notion that people can just use other green space shows a lack of study by report writers on the importance of the park to Bungendore’s economy and health.

Public consultation was at best inadequate. Department of Education has been unable to produce any reports of consultation that they purportedly had with “Mick Sherd Oval” stakeholders. After the unexpected announcement of the proposed High School on Bungendore Park, consultation comprised an online survey about school design principles, an information hub, a second information hub where attendances weren’t recorded, no avenue of recording an opinion or objection and glossy pamphlets and newsletters that could apply to a high school anywhere in the state. There suggestion that this high school will boost the local economy etc is probably very true but that will be the result of a new high school no matter what land it is built on.

I request that Planning New South Wales rejects this development application.
Yours faithfully
Bruce Amey

Jenny Amey
Street Address Withheld
Bungendore NSW 2621

18th October 2021


Director – Social and Infrastructure Assessments
Planning and Assessment
Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Locked Bag 5022
Parramatta NSW 2124

FORMAL OBJECTION to SSDA-14394209
Dear Sir or Madam,

NEW HIGH SCHOOL IN BUNGENDORE
APPLICATION NO. SSD-14394209


I refer to the above state-significant development application.

I strongly object to the proposed High School being built on Bungendore Park

Although I agree with a high school in Bungendore, I strongly object to the site.

The Park has played a huge role in the culture and life of the town ever since it was dedicated in 1884. It is well placed for tourists and as most of the businesses in town rely on tourism to stay viable this confirms that the park is vitally important to the economy of the village.

The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment selected a site through the EOI process and were on the verge of getting a build licence. This site ticked all the selection criteria boxes, is flat and not in the flood zone. It is also adjacent to a major housing development which is being currently constructed with further housing developments being approved nearby.
A site in East Bungendore was offered to the department FREE of CHARGE and was excluded for no other reason than it was east of the railway line!
A suitable site on Trucking Yard Lane was considered by the Department of Education. According to an email from the Department, this site was excluded because of obscure reasons such as:
“having poor road infrastructure and will require additional roads, is in an area with unknown infrastructure capacity (power, water, communications, and sewerage), and has poor pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, wasn’t mapped for biodiversity constraints, required flood mapping and would need to be rezoned to permit a school.”
Did anyone actually go to this site? It is within 2.5klms of the centre of town and has housing estates on two boundaries. It is well serviced and has footpaths that will take you down Ellendon Street into the village or along Majara Street and meets up with the main footpaths which pass the Primary School on the way to Elmslea.
Why is the Department trying so hard to make the Park a suitable site for the High School?
Why are we, the taxpayers, paying approximately $9m more than a bigger high school proposed at nearby Jerrabomberra which will have an area of 4.5ha. The site for Bungendore high School scrapes in at 2.9ha and by the “School Site Selection and development Criteria Standards – October 2020”, should have a minimum site area of 4.0ha

Please reject this application outright and insist that the department of education return to the originally identified site on Tarago road.

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

Yours faithfully

Jenny Amey

Director - Social and Infrastructure Assessments
Planning and Assessment
Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Locked Bag 5022
Parramatta NSW 2124

Dear Sir or Madam

NEW HIGH SCHOOL IN BUNGENDORE APPLICATION NO. SSD-14394209

I refer to the above state-significant development application.

I object to the proposal, for the following reason(s):
• I believe the current site does not allow for future expansion of the school.
• There was insufficient consultation with the community especially surrounding the decision to select the proposed site.
• I am concerned about the loss of habitat and heritage trees in the centre of town.
• I am concerned about loosing community services such as the pool and Community Centre in the middle of Bungendore Township.
• The traffic flow studies are adequate.
• Has the lead contamination near the railway buildings been addressed and how will this impact on the site?

I am supportive of a school in Bungendore. We need a school in this district, however, we need a school that is an adequate size without loosing community spaces in the centre of the township.

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

I support the proposal for the Bungendore High School. We have three children of different ages. Our oldest child was not able to attend high school with any of their primary school friends as their parents chose
instead to send their children to private schools in Canberra - our child currently attends high
school in Queanbeyan - we have at times thought about moving to give them more
opportunities in the public school system. Our other two children are still at Bungendore public school which has been wonderful at looking after them as they have different needs for example our youngest has ASD. The community is very supportive. It will be really important for both of them that they continue to be supported by the community they know in a high school in Bungendore with less travel and support from near by family.

Overall I support the school project and it’s location within the town. However I am concerned with the amount of impermeable surface treatments (asphalt, concrete, synthetic turf) as well as the lack of tree canopy over the site. QPRC’s Surfacing Heat Mapping Report has indicated that the majority of Bungendore is a severe heat island and the school’s landscape proposal does not seem to provide any significant contribution to the QPRC’s Vegetation and Heat Adaptation Strategy. While I understand hard surface treatments are necessary in this development, I would like to see the inclusion of additional large mature tree canopies to provide shade over paths and especially the car park (utilising terrabond, stratavault systems, etc to give the tree good quality growing conditions while still providing pedestrian/vehicle friendly surfacing). I also believe the project would benefit from the inclusion of permeable pavement options (i.e. ecotrihex) again especially in the car park where the current design provides no shade or water retention. Too often landscape takes a back seat to the built form, which only increases the negative impact our cities have on our environment and climate. Given that this proposal is reducing Bungendore’s existing green space, I believe it is important to provide additional landscape amenity for the township.

I strongly support the High School proposal. A High School in Bungendore is badly needed with local children having to travel out of the area to receive their secondary education. Bungendore is continuing to grow and the High School will provide a valuable local educational asset for not only current but future generations of children.

Co-locating the High School besides the Primary School will allow cross utilisation of facilities and benefit the educational needs of children on both campuses.

Repurposing the Council building which is otherwise being vacated due to the construction of a new administration building in Queanbeyan to be part of High School is a functional and prudent use of a public asset.

As a parent of young children who live in Bungendore, I am in support of the plans for the new high school. The design is modern and makes the most of the outdoor space in the heart of our community. I like the situation next to the primary school. It will provide an education precinct that will allow young students to be inspired by their older peers. As well as the educational benefits this will provide, I think it will provide a hub for extra curricular activities for the children and wider community. I look forward to my children being able to play sport and participate in music and arts programs at the school. The bungendore community is full of talented people who I’m sure will fill the evenings with activities to develop the passions of our young people. We are ideally situated on the outskirts of Canberra to take advantage of links to opportunities that cities can provide, but we should take pride in educating our children here. By having a high school in bungendore we will maintain the connection for our children to their hometown, and we have the opportunity to nurture their passions. We will take pride in the sense of community in Bungendore that can be further enhanced by the presence of our own high school.

Dear Sir or Madam


NEW HIGH SCHOOL IN BUNGENDORE
APPLICATION NO. SSD-14394209


I refer to the above state-significant development application. I and my family are supportive of a high school for our children, who reside in Bungendore, but at the cost of green open space for us to spend time in. We support a high school being built, just not in its current location.

I object to the proposal, for the following reason(s):

- the social impact of loosing green, open, natural space.
I want a place that is dafe, free, family friendly for our children and I to play and excercise in, that we can walk or ride to. I want this, because as a nurse I know the high importance of daily exercise for physical and mental wellbeing. I know that it is good for both kids and parents to get out of the house. With young kids you need a space that you can use during the week, during business hours. Place to visit that are welcoming and easy.

It just would be so awful to loose what has been such a happy, healthy aspect of my children's life. Flights, permitting, I am looking forward to kicking the soccer ball around the park and oval soon.

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

I,Name Withheld, on behalf of my father (to whom I am Power of Attorney) wish to lodge a formal objection to the New High School in Bungendore. As you are aware, by looking at the architectural drawings, the proposed site runs along the property line of umber 63 Turallo Crescent (signalman’s cottage) which is my father’s property. The proposed ‘Outdoor Play Area’ is therefore adjacent to the property, further the proposed waste and recycling enclosure is also located in close vicinity of the property. Both of these proposals are problematic due to reasons outlined below.
That the proposal has been published with the property as close to the school as it is, and no formal consultation with me or my father is horrifying. I admit that the applicant did contact me directly and I had a vague conversation with them before the proposal became public. However, when I asked exactly where the site would be located I was directed to a website that contained no information, let alone drawings of where the site would be. This lack of consultation with a key stakeholder is a major oversight by the applicant and shows arrogance and disdain towards a long serving member of the Bungendore community and property owner.
Specific reasons for objection follow:
Peace and serenity of dwelling
63 Turallo Street has always been a peaceful and safe place to live. The development of a high school, on the doorstep, will see an increase in traffic, people and noise which will substantially decrease the peace and my right to the ‘quiet enjoyment’ of my home.
Proposed waste and recycling enclosure
The proposed position for this is located within meters of the property and has the potential to cause a health risk to occupants of 63 Turallo Street. This is due to the potential of hazardous materials build up and the sheer quantities of waste that will be generated. The enclosure also has the potential to smell, again interfering with the ‘quiet enjoyment’ of my home.
Loss of privacy/traffic generation
A high school will inevitably bring with it an increase in traffic, (including bikes and foot) past 63 Turallo Street. This increase will not only cause safety issues and access to road (the drawings show that the existing carpark will continue and extra roads are also included), but will seriously encroach upon the privacy previously enjoyed by occupants of the dwelling. Further to this, the proposal indicates road changes in front of the property which will again encroach on access to the property.

Visual amenity (but not loss of private view)
63 Turallo Street is a listed site of heritage importance. The proposed size and the encroaching nature of the school will not only affect the visual outlook of the property but also diminishes the cultural significance of the property.

Noise and disturbance resulting from use
Importantly, building a school on the fence line of 63 Turallo Street will cause occupants distress due to the noise increase and general level of disturbance created by the sheer numbers of people using the school. This is especially critical as the proposal has drawn the outside play area adjacent to the property.

I have substantial objections to the siting and scope of the project. I do not object to a secondary school in Bungendore. I have included enhancements and recommendations in my submission which can be read as endorsements for the project as it is proposed and which would make its siting more palatable to the community

Preservation of the War Memorial where it stands is a significant symbol of those who were responsible for its erection as much as it represents those named on its panels. It strongly represents the significant role of this site in the community and the role of this open space as the centre of our community, then and now.

I have a special reason to cherish this simple granite edifice. Engraved upon it is the name of my Mother's great uncle. He offered his service to the King in WW1 months before the popularly represented Men from Snowy River March passed through Bungendore. We lost him in the Battle of Dernancourt. His remains were never recovered leaving him without a recognised burial site. His name commemorated in the midst of his community provides some solace for his loss in service of his country.

Please find attached my submission objecting to this project.

The Bungendore High School project to date has been a litany of obfuscation and incompetence by the applicant. There is an opportunity to stem this madness and deliver a proper high school for one of New South Wales' fastest growing communities, but this is only possible if the current development proposal is scrapped and work commences immediately at the originally identified site on Tarago Road.

High school: Yes
Location: No

To fully elucidate the shortcomings of this project would take many pages but the following selection along with the legal consideration outlined in the attached correspondence from Brooks/Maher should be enough to halt this project at the proposed location and reinstate the sensible and achievable original plan on the Ashby Property on Tarago Road.
1) The site is too small. It is less than 3 hectares and NSW Education Department guidelines call for a minimum of 4 hectares.
2) The proposed student numbers used for the Department of Education's "Transport Assessment" are based on an assumption that excludes non-residents of Bungendore village and then further restricts proposed numbers to non-private school students notwithstanding that a proportion of these would likely attend a public school in Bungendore should one be an option for them. The surveyor's own assessment is that this is 'a major limitation to the assessment'.
3) The multi-storey design is in direct contravention of height restrictions for the village. This fact is compounded by the development being in a historically significant area of the village surrounded by the original post office and police station that date from the 1800s, the War Memorial cenotaph and other late 19th century buildings and infrastructure.
4) The process that led to the elimination of other potential sites around the village was completely opaque and, where given, relied on unsubstantiated claims about biodiversity constraints, flood mapping that does not exist and poor infrastructure where the infrastructure is both apparent and relatively new.
5) Claims that public amenity at the proposed site will not be compromised are patently indefensible. Should a high school be built at the proposed location it will be fenced and out of bounds for public use during school hours. This is in complete contradiction to claims made by the Department of Education during the 'consultation' process.
6) Public consultation during the process was contrived to restrict public comment to school design principles and failed to adequately address location issues and the loss of public amenity. The Department of Education has been unable to produce any reports of consultation with key stakeholders of the Mick Sherd Oval (which forms part of Bungendore Park). Public consultation is a requirement of the planning process.
7) The railway station precinct is listed as “state significant” and carries the highest level of protection. The school project will involve significant impingements to the station forecourt, as well as to the heritage listed guard’s and stationmaster’s cottages adjacent to the railway line.
8) Significant lead contamination has been discovered at or near the proposed high school site. This alone should be a red light issue for the development.

I implore Planning New South Wales to reject this application outright and insist that the Department of Education return to teh originally identified site on Tarago Road.

I have provided my comments in the PDF document attached -- please read them and use them to help inform the democratic process! I would like to make it clear that I object to the proposal -- appropriate information is included.

See Attachment

see attached file

Details of objection in attachment.

See attached PDF which outlines my objections to the aforementioned project.