Amended plans for Bungendore High School lodged for community feedback

The public can now have their say on amended plans for the new Bungendore High School.

The Department of Education submitted the amended State Significant Development (SSD) application to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (the DPHI) in June.

A December 2023 Land and Environment Court ruling found that the school had been planned around an invalid development consent.

Following the ruling, the plans were amended to remove portions of the development that were to be located on Crown land and any access points that ran through Crown land.

Changes include the removal of Block D, the removal of proposed vehicle access to the school from McCusker Drive, landscaping revisions and removal of buildings that were to be located on the agricultural plot.

Member for Monaro Steve Whan said he was pleased works were progressing on the long-awaited school.

“Families in the Bungendore community deserve to have a permanent high school to send their kids to, but legal battles around this project have caused too much uncertainty around when this school will be built,” he said.

“I recognise the huge frustration this gives to many people who want to see the school built and I recognise the division this project has caused in the community.”

The plans have the Majara/Gibraltar Streets Precinct as the NSW Government’s preferred location, though the June project update from School Infrastructure NSW said a review of alternate sites would be carried out “in parallel to the SSD application”.

An independent review commissioned by School Infrastructure NSW previously found the Gibraltar/Majara location was “significantly superior” to all others that had been considered.

“I have urged the Department to look at alternative sites to validate that the current site remains the fastest and most viable location, and I am pleased that this process is underway,” said Mr Whan.

“Given the time lost, it is imperative that further analysis on enrolment projections is underway to ensure the school is the right size for the community now and into the future.”

However, student capacity – an estimated 450 students – and the number of staff – 41 people – are set to remain the same.

According to the June project update, as medium- and long-term enrolment numbers may be higher than previously forecast, the Department of Education was “reviewing analysis of projected demand to ensure community needs can be met”.

Spokesperson for the Save Bungendore Park community group, Maureen Elgood, described the amended plans as “beyond bizarre”.

“The DoE [Department of Education] is trying to convince the planning authorities they can build a school without an oval,” she said.

“The amended DA they’ve lodged is for half a school. It’s a desperate, sneaky attempt to find a legal loophole.”

Ms Elgood called on the NSW Government to go back to the drawing board and consider different locations and designs.

“By far the quickest way to get a great high school for Bungendore is to tear up this plan and start again,” she said.

“We say stop wasting time on a plan that should never have seen the light of day.”

The plans also include other changes in addition to those driven by the removal of Crown land in the project, such as changes to planned landscaping, removal of a covered walkway to the school common, changes to the layout of the science lab and additional storage space in the music performance space.

An updated traffic assessment includes 21 ‘kiss and drop’ zones to be spread between Turallo Terrace (six spaces), Gibraltar Street (four spaces) and Majara Street (11 spaces), as well as 56 on-site parking spaces for staff, students and visitors.

Additionally, the amended plans look to keep the Bungendore Swimming Pool.

In February 2023, a Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) spokesperson said the pool would “close at the end of this summer swim season”. However, it was later announced the pool would stay open into 2024, and the removal of Block D from the plans means it is proposed to remain.

The amended plans are available via the NSW Planning Portal and are open for feedback until 22 July.