It took three council meetings, but plans for a new medical centre in Bungendore have been approved. Photo: Google Maps screenshot.
A regional council has given the green light for a medical centre, two months after first voting on it.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) had voted to give the plan conditional approval at a June meeting, before moving to relist it at an extraordinary meeting.
Councillors then deferred a decision on the development application (DA) in July, before voting for a third time over it.
A new medical centre had been proposed for 24 Gibraltar Street in Bungendore. The project initially included a proposal to knock down a single-storey Edwardian cottage and its outbuildings.
However, the buildings on the block were demolished in late July after being given the go-ahead by a private certifier.
At a recent meeting, Cr Mark Schweikert said the development fulfilled council policies and requirements, and came as several businesses were closing down in the town.
“Making up the rules as we go is not good for business,” he said. ”It doesn’t provide certainty – it provides quite the opposite.
“Bungendore is a town that is about to go into retail free-fall … Any way we can get more retail in town is a good thing.”
Cr Schweikert also said there had been a missed opportunity for the council to have more in-depth discussions with the developer before the demolition.
“This whole thing was absolutely, totally avoidable … With a bit of negotiation and a bit of thinking, we could have kept the old house [and] found a better solution to this,” he said.
According to council documents, the medical centre is expected to have six consulting rooms, reception and waiting areas, a treatment room and toilet facilities. There would also be a second tenant.
The centre would be open between 8 am and 6 pm, Monday to Friday.
Cr Katrina Willis’s attempt to have the DA pushed back to another meeting fell through after she failed to gain support for her motion to have a decision deferred until there were changes to the proposed landscaping.
Landscaping and earthworks were put forward for the site, including the removal of about 20 trees and shrubs.
Cr Willis said the building’s proposed design didn’t suit the area, and pointed to what she called a “large expanse of glass walls” that would face out onto the road.
“The staff have worked with the applicant to improve the design. It’s a lot better than it was … There’s nothing else in that part of the town centre, the business centre, that looks quite like that,” she said.
Cr Willis said a heritage assessment, carried out as the council considered applying for heritage protection, could only be made from the footpath as the assessor couldn’t access the site.
That preliminary heritage report described the cottage as a “significant” example of a late-Federation period commercial building.
“The building is largely intact to its original form and detailing and is a good example of a modest commercial premises with a residence attached,” the assessment said.
During discussions, several councillors also urged their colleagues to finalise the development, two months after first voting on it.
Cr Bryce Wilson said that while the situation had become “overall, a slightly disappointing process”, a decision needed to be made on the DA.
“That said, we are where we are and we have to consider [what is the] position being put by staff,” he said.
Cr Mareeta Grundy also raised her concern the process would give the impression QPRC was unwelcoming towards development if there were a further delay, saying the council “will be a joke, a laughing stock”.
“We can’t just cherry-pick our way through the planning process,” she said.
Ultimately, all present councillors voted to approve the DA (with the exception of Cr Willis). It will need to amend the landscaping plan to follow the council’s policies and preferred species.
Documents previously put before the council stated the centre would have eight staff members and involve the construction of 10 parking spaces, including one accessible bay.
The documents also state that while the second tenant hasn’t been confirmed, it is expected a similar business, such as a pharmacy or another medical centre, will move into the site.
