Proposed Works
The Stromlo Forest Anglican College is a visionary educational project that aims to offer a comprehensive 'through-school' education from infants to college level (ELC + K to 12), emphasizing community integration, sustainability, and First Nations involvement. The locale allows for a visible connection to the surrounding community and the natural environment, fostering a sense of harmony and engagement.
Once completed, the proposed development will comprise of 5 buildings that spreads across the 5-hectare site:
Single storey ELC
4-storey Junior school
5-storey Senior school
4-storey College building
Single storey Gymnasium
The proposal will also include an Oval, Cricket nets, hard courts and a variety of other community facilities for hire by various stakeholders for a wide range of activities including:
Gymnasium
Oval
Campus Commons
Music Room
Arts Rooms
Tech Rooms (timber, metal & design)
Vocational Education (food tech)
Community Bush Tucker Garden
Cricket Nets
Hard Courts
School Library
Early Learning Area
School Admin Facilities (i.e., meeting rooms)
Timeline
The development of Stromlo Forest Anglican College is planned in six stages. The first stage involves the site preparation, bulk earthworks, site infrastructure and the construction of the 116 place ELC. Subsequent stages include the construction of the remaining school buildings and additional facilities. The program aims to have the first Stage opening at the commencement of the 2026 academic year.
Proposed Staging is as follows:
The consideration of students, staff, and the broader community at each stage of development underscores the school's commitment to providing an inclusive and nurturing learning environment. The overall project showcases an innovative approach to education, sustainability, and community involvement, making Stromlo Forest Anglican College a promising institution for future students and the community it serves.
Key Design Elements
Planning
The site for the proposed Stromlo Forest Anglican College is Block 6 Section 51 Wright which is situated within the Molonglo Valley. The block was created and identified as a site for a future school when the estate planning was undertaken for North Wright in 2017. This block is zoned Community Facility in the Territory Plan, which permits the proposed use for educational establishment, childcare facility and ancillary use.
The provision of schools is a key function of the community facility zone objectives, and the proposal is considered to appropriately respond to the objectives of this zone, which include:
The provision of accessible sites for key government and non-government facilities and services for individuals, families, and communities.
To provide accessible sites for civic life and allow community organisations to meet the needs of the Territory’s various forms of community.
To protect social and community uses from competition from other uses.
To enable the efficient use of land through facilitating the co-location, and multi-use of community facilities, generally near public transport routes and convenience services appropriate to the use.
The proposal will develop the site as a new non-government school for early childhood education and care through to year 12. A key component of this proposal is that the school and facilities provide a partnership opportunity with the community to provide spaces and facilities to support a wide range of community groups. Many of the facilities included in the proposal will be available for hire by community groups outside school hours, including the gymnasium, oval, courts, cricket nets, music rooms etc. The proposal will play a key role in providing a multi-use facility that can be utilized by the broader community.
While the details of the design will continue to be finalised following consultation and prior to the development application being submitted to the planning authority, the design is considered to respond to the relevant requirements of the Territory Plan 2008. The applicable codes in the Territory Plan include the Wright Precinct Code, Community Facility Zone Development code and the General Codes where applicable.
The proposal complies with the one relevant mandatory rule in the Wright Precinct Code that no buildings are constructed within the Inner Asset Protection Zone along the western boundary of the site. The building heights vary and are considered appropriate for the uses proposed and the areas required, the ELC and gym are single level, the junior school and college are 4 storeys and the senior school is 5 storeys. These heights are consistent with building heights fronting John Gorton Drive. A variety of materials and finishes would be utilized with a consistent design and colour palette proposed across the campus.
The campus would comprise an upper and lower concourse to address the substantial elevation changes across the site and to facilitate good access and connectivity both to surrounding streets and open spaces and internally. The main school buildings radiate around the central oval, which is sited to address the challenging terrain, for an AFL sized oval. Each building and cohort is provided with appropriate indoor and outdoor spaces for play and recreation adjacent to the respective buildings.
Off-site works are also proposed within the surrounding Blocks 7, 8 and 9 Section 51 and road reserves to support the proposed Stromlo Forest Anglican College (SFAC). The adjacent blocks are zoned PRZ1 Urban Open Space and are currently underutilized open space providing for stormwater movement, and the old Uriarra Road provides an active travel route. The objectives of this zone include to provide parks and open spaces to contribute to the community, support recreation and leisure activities, active travel, protect flora and fauna, provide for stormwater drainage and protection of water quality and opportunities for the community to interact with the natural environment.
The proposal includes utilization of off-site areas to connect the SFAC with its surrounds through the development of an “environment garden” on Block 7 with ancillary parking which provides usable spaces for the community and school to utilize. A community garden is proposed on Block 8, which both students and the community can share. As part of the access strategy for the SFAC the proposal includes the re-opening of the old section of Uriarra Road to vehicles to improve access and circulation to the site and the surrounding roads. The proposed development within this zone is considered to meet the relevant requirements of the Parks and Recreation Zones Development Code.
Documentation
Conceptual Drawings of the Development with appropriate dimensions and measurements can be found in the links below:
Community Consultation
Please join the conversation on the Stromlo Anglican Forest College Development Plan.
The Pre-DA community consultation period will commence on Thursday 24 August 2023 and conclude on Friday 15 September 2023.
Additionally, please feel free to join us at a pop-up session:
Thursday 24th August 2023 at the Molonglo Valley Community Forum August Meeting. For details visit www.facebook.com/MVCommunityforum
Thursday 31st August 2023 at Cooleman Court from 3:00pm to 4:30pm
Wednesday 6th September 2023 at Denman Prospect Shops from 3:00pm to 4:30pm
Thursday 7th September 2023 from 5:00pm to 6:00pm via Teams. Please email belen.barcenillacoll@colliers.com to register for this session.
The Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn (ADCG) are preparing to submit a Development Application (DA) in September 2023.
Should you have any questions or require further information, please call Craig Dent on +61 455 956 431 or email us at craig.dent@colliers.com or belen.barcenillacoll@colliers.com