Bungendore Residents Group Community action for Bungendore Village

While we often criticise the council for what seems like secretive inactivity, the Thursday 6 November Council meeting sees a case where they’re being rabidly proactive. It’s hard to fathom why the tape recording of Council meetings (Item A.14 on the Agenda) that will allegedly give us, the ratepayers of Palerang, more transparency about the discussions at council meetings, have a suggested public exhibition for 28 days and then a consultation period of 42 days. Yet the plans for a major pedestrian and bike path through Frogs Hollow plus underpasses and refuge islands have only a 3 day exhibition in a online PDF document and have to be approved immediately by Council after languishing in an Engineer’s ‘to do’ tray for months.

And just as hasty, the Engineers want the decision about what material to use (concrete or asphalt),  to then be the automatic default for all the future footpaths built in the village outside the CBD!

This follows the equally hasty mish mash of kerbing and guttering that is already happening in Molonglo St. (against resident’s, and the Heritage Committee  and BRG’s wishes), adjacent to Frog’s Hollow, that could be the template for kerbing and guttering the WHOLE of Old Bungendore. This is estimated at costing $2,000 to $4,000 per frontage, personally payable by you, the resident of each block, as well as by ALL residents through their rates.

It’s no wonder why our rates are so high, because of unneeded, expensive, out of rural village character, not heritage-sensitive kerbing and guttering. Large sections of the village have swales that allow rain to soak gently into our soil instead of draining it away as waste. We must face the fact that the town’s water restrictions, like droughts and global warming are here to stay and continued infill development and new estates will only add to our water needs and the waste runoff.

This is all happening with no prior consultation of the Council’s Heritage Advisor. With no consultation with the Chamber of Commerce. With no input from the community, the Bungendore Residents Group and dismissing the wishes of the immediate residents.

The Councillors need to know that we don’t think this is acceptable and that they need to direct the Council staff to conduct these developments with proper, timely consultation.

If you can attend the meeting at the Bungendore Council Chambers at 12.00 noon on Thursday 6 November please come and lend your support. If you can’t make it, please consider joining the Bungendore Residents Group so we can have a group voice at times like this.

If you wish to discuss this or any other issue, please feel free to ring BRG Secretary Fred Harden 6238 0020 or email him.

This post is the opinons of members Fred Harden, Alix Burnet and Di and Peter Gill