A group of Bungendore residents and businesses are fighting to stop green space in the centre of the business district from being razed to make way for a car park.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council has planned to build a car park this financial year after more than a decade of planning.
There are 131 spaces planned for a car park to be built over two stages, 68 in the first stage and 63 in the second, however, council does not own the land where stage two is proposed.
Residents and businesses, who call themselves "friends of the secret garden", have called for a review of the plan. They are objected to development on the first stage.
It came after the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council voted against a motion for a review on the need for more car parking in Bungendore.
A battle-axe block behind 10 and 12 Malbon Street, is the site of contention. It's a vacant green space with some rundown buildings and the group would like to see it repurposed as a community garden.
The second stage, on Gibraltar Street, is located behind an old supermarket site and is a gravel lot - the "friends of the secret garden group" have called for only this site to be developed. Bungendore resident and the group's spokeswoman Pauline McGuire said the second stage was already half way to a car park.
"We are going to have this enormous area in the centre of our village which is really just going to be ugly... it's a terribly wasted opportunity. We'd just like council to show some imagination and see the potential in this area," she said.
When asked about a plan to develop only the second stage, a council spokesman said an acquisition of land for stage two would be dependent on available funding or adjacent private development in the future.
"Council does not yet own the land for stage two. The proposal would add to the cost to provide equivalent car spaces," he said.
The Canberra Times understands the owners of the proposed stage two block are willing to sell.
Members of the group also said consultation on the project was not comprehensive. A consultation process was held in mid -2019. But a QPRC spokesman rejected the claims.
"This project has been in planning for many years by the former Palerang Council and then continued with QPRC," he said. "There have been numerous opportunities provided to the community to be involved and provide input."
The former Palerang Council purchased land in 2007 and 2012 to allow for stage one of the project. In 2014, the land was zoned to allow for a car park.
Following consultation in mid-2019, the council spokesman said the council had decided at its November 2019 meeting to proceed with a car park that had an amended concept design.
At its June 2020 meeting, council agreed to a 2020/21 budget that included the car park.
But at last month's council meeting, a motion put forward by councillors Peter Marshall and Kenrick Winchester that called for a review of elements of the car park was voted down.
Ms McGuire said prior to the meeting the group had sought the views of some businesses in Bungendore and the respondents overwhelmingly wanted a review of the plan. She said 44 businesses were approached and 70 per cent had responded. Of those 70 per cent, 93 per cent said there should be a review of the plan.
"We were encouraged by certain councillors to canvas the opinion of businesses in the area, which we duly did," she said.
"We presented those to council [and] it was discounted... we feel we got a good representative sample and we feel that peoples opinions are being ignored."
About 400 people had also signed a petition to call for a review of the plan.
Wild Rose Organics owner Louise Sailer said a repurposed garden would be a draw card for Bungendore and subsequently her business.
"I do accept we need extra car parking at times in Bungendore but my prime objection is what a beautiful space this is and there are plenty of other areas to do a car park," she said.
"People always come to me and ask what else is there to do in Bungendore and to be able to say there's a secret garden, it would be magical.
"As a business owner from a purely selfish point of view it's such a really good draw card."
The council spokesman said construction of the car park will commence after a contractor had been engaged. He said construction tenders would be called at the end of October 2020.
