After warning the government about overcrowding issues at Gungahlin College for years, residents say the construction of a second college in Gungahlin is coming far too late.
Construction work on the $124 million project will begin in September, with the college expected to open for term 1, 2029.
On Wednesday August 26, Deputy Chief Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith spoke at the work site in Nicholls next to Gold Creek School.
"Having this second Gungahlin college from 2029 will take some pressure off the existing Gungahlin College," she said.
Of Canberra's nine public colleges, Gungahlin College has the second highest number of enrolments behind The Canberra College, according to the 2026 school census.
With 1120 students across years 11 and 12, the college is over capacity.
Rachel Armstrong, a Gungahlin parent and former president of the Gungahlin College P&C Association, has been flagging the capacity issues for years.
"Even in 2022, it was often the case that classes had to be taught in open areas rather than a classroom, or a psychology class had to be taught in a science lab," she said. "Those same pressures are still on."
In February, the ACT government released census data that estimated Gungahlin College's true capacity to be 1270, suggesting that the college could fit up to 150 students more.
"There's a bit of creative thinking from the government as to how they calculate enrolment and space," Ms Armstrong said.
"They were always insistent that we were under capacity and really we were always over capacity."
After her two eldest children graduated from Gungahlin College, Ms Armstrong chose to send her youngest son into the Catholic school system instead. She blames Gungahlin College's overcrowding issues.
"In 2022 we were pushing for that second college," she said.
"We couldn't believe that we were told that we might have something by 2030 ... It should've been open a decade ago."
Gungahlin, already home to 88,000 residents, is a rapidly growing region.
"We know that the young families who have moved into some of the newer parts of Gungahlin have children who are getting older and moving into college age," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
The school will initially open to 800 students, though it will have capacity to expand in later years. It will also include a gymnasium, a theatre, and sports fields.
Henley Samuel, president of the Gungahlin Community Council, said the slow response to school overcrowding problems reflects a wider issue within the ACT government.
"It's a sad reality, but the ACT government is a reactive one," he said.
"They wait for something to break and then fix it."
Mr Samuel argued that the government is especially hesitant to support Gungahlin.
"Other regions have the infrastructure. The ACT government is planning for Gungahlin to be a sort of sacrificial dormitory suburb rather than a commercial hub."
At the site of the future college, Ms Stephen-Smith said the project was "designed so that the school community can grow into the future, and that will really be dependent on demand".
To Mr Samuel, the demand has been there for years.
"The population didn't just pop up in the middle of the night," he said. "The government was building these suburbs. They knew how many families were going to come."
"This should have been done ages ago, but it's a good starting point now."
