Initial plans detailed the new Bungendore High School being built on part of the oval, before major changes were made. Photo: Google Maps.
A regional council is taking over management of two reserves that were previously to be included in a new school.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) has been appointed as Crown land manager for two reserves in Bungendore.
The NSW Department of Education had pushed to build the town’s new high school at the Majara and Gibraltar streets precinct, but it backed down in September 2024.
It will now be built on a four-hectare site on Birchfield Drive, but questions remained about the future of reserves in the heart of town.
This decision means the council will now manage a section along the edge of Majara Street (between Gibraltar Street and Turallo Terrace) and a section within the Turallo Terrace reserve (the area that was flagged as the new school’s agricultural plot).
The Governor of NSW has also signed a rescission of the acquisition of the land that was to form part of the high school.
“I’m pleased we can finally bring certainty to these Crown land reserves,” said Member for Monaro Steve Whan.
“With the high school proposal behind us, council can focus on what matters most – making sure local facilities are well cared for and ready for the Bungendore community to enjoy. It’s a good step forward for everyone within the community.”
Mayor Kenrick Winchester said that while this was a bureaucratic step, he hoped it would help bring some conclusion to a long period of disruption for the Bungendore community.
“This is really one of the final steps in ending the former proposal for the high school to be located at Majara Street,” he said.
“Council is glad that this has been finalised, and these sections of Crown land can be managed in conjunction with the rest of the reserves at Bungendore Park and Turallo Terrace.”
Then-Monaro MP John Barilaro announced the Bungendore High School site in August 2020, triggering community and legal campaigns against it. Photo: Michael Weaver.
The previously prepared plans for the Bungendore High School project were withdrawn after the NSW Government switched its focus to the Birchfield Drive site.
However, the Majura Street site was flagged as part of planning to manage students until the new school was built, with some students to learn there in 2026.
The proposal included a plan for some kids to learn at the Majara Street site, and others at the existing Bungendore Public School (where students have already been studying in demountables).
“The proposal utilises a currently vacant [and] underutilised public administration building and temporary demountable buildings requiring minimal construction works and disruption to the community,” the proposal documents state.
Once the site is no longer needed as a temporary school, it will be returned to its owners (Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council and Crown Land).
Mayor Winchester said staff would return to the council’s previous office (located on Majara Street) in 2027.
He also said restoration work for the Bungendore Community Centre was progressing.
“We’ve received the community centre back into council ownership, and the building is being repaired and brought back to today’s standards, so it is ready for community use.
“We had our first use of the centre briefly again when we held our council meeting there in August.”
According to the council’s webpage for the project, repair to alleged vandalism damage and other rectification works were needed.
A council spokesperson said this work had included replacing broken windows, carpets and blinds.
The centre has also been painted, while the disabled toilet will be refurbished to comply with the latest accessibility standards.
“Our qualified senior horticulturist staff planned landscaping improvements at the facility, and the team have carried out works to the front and rear of the building, including establishing a new irrigation system, planting trees and shrubs, and laying turf,” the spokesperson said.
About $789,700 has been budgeted for the works, which is being funded by the compensation agreement with the NSW Department of Education.
That work is expected to be finished by December.
The new Bungendore High School is scheduled to open in term one, 2027, with a capacity for 600 students.
