Annie Cannon-Brookes’ paddock-to-plate precinct under investigation
Billionaire Annie Cannon-Brookes’ bid to more than double the capacity of her highly successful farm gate and restaurant precinct in the Southern Highlands has hit a major snag.
The tourist destination is already facing dozens of submissions from residents citing heavy traffic on country roads, parking problems and safety risks around the nearby rail line since it opened at Easter.
Locals have dubbed the traffic monitors and signage around the farm as Burradoo’s “Checkpoint Charlie”.
Now the venture is under investigation by the local council after using “farm gate” laws introduced in 2022 to obtain fast-tracked development consent.
Wingecarribee Shire Council confirmed the investigation into Burradoo Park Farm’s compliance in a statement to this masthead on Thursday, adding “no further comment will be provided”.
The 250-hectare property just outside Bowral is home to the award-winning Three Blue Ducks restaurant, plus a Three Blue Ducks bakery and cafe, an orchard, a market garden, and cattle and sheep grazing, making it arguably the premier tourist venue in the sleepy township.
The Three Blue Ducks restaurant won the New Restaurant of the Year award before a 500-strong crowd on Monday at the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide awards on Monday.
The site was consolidated from a handful of separate properties five years ago, and reimagined by Cannon-Brookes after she separated from her husband, Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, in 2023. Their divorce settlement is yet to be finalised.
Burradoo Park Farm took advantage of new planning laws passed by the NSW government that made it easier for commercial farmers to earn extra income through various forms of agritourism, by-passing the need for development approval from council.
Consent was granted to the farm-gate operation, which lies within 250 metres of both neighbouring homes and a rail line, raising questions as to whether it complied with the legislation.
“It’s such a joke to call this a farm-gate operation,” said local David Coulthard. “It’s so much bigger than that. This is a farm gate on an industrial scale.”
Local councillor Rachel Russell said: “Theoretically this fast-tracked farm-gate legislation was to help struggling farmers. How is it actually being used? Could we need just a couple more checks and balances to get it right for everyone?”
A private certifier granted Burradoo Park Farm complying development consent to become a farm gate in 2024, with a proposed gelato shop, market-garden cooking area, bakery and restaurant.
The precinct has proven to be an unmitigated success for its billionaire owner.
Since the day it opened in April, the crowds have exceeded expectations, prompting management to introduce a ticketing system to try to stagger visitors over the day, traffic control wardens on weekends, and additional parking.
Many locals stressed they were not against the existing farm-gate operation, but were taken by surprise by the impact it has had on the local area.
“We feel invaded every weekend,” resident Peter Morris said.
“It’s kind of cool to have this venue on your [back] step, and it’s certainly become a major destination for people across NSW, but there’s also been a fair amount of resentment from locals when they discovered it had already opened, and brought significantly increased traffic with it.”
For Morris, the “traffic nightmare” began in April. He logged 804 traffic movements from 8am to 10am one Sunday, whereas previously he would have registered 20 passing cars, he said.
Other objections raised the safety of accessing the venue via a railway crossing.
“At Burradoo Station there are barriers preventing direct pedestrian access across the railway lines with appropriate warning signs, as well as automatic gates preventing any crossings if a train is approaching,” resident Robert Johns said in his submission.
Johns said the number of pedestrians accessing the property on any given day would far exceed those at Burradoo Station.
A spokesperson for the Australian Rail Track Corporation said it was not consulted during the original approval process for Burradoo Park Farm.
success, but this quiet country town has turned into major tourism drawcard as well as a traffic nightmare.Sam Mooy
The original application argued that existing commercial premises were exempt from setback rules preventing farm gate approvals within 250 metres of neighbouring homes or rail lines.
Burradoo Park Farm and the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure did not answer detailed questions from this masthead about the setback rules.
The application said the nearest homes on neighbouring land were more than 600 metres away, although maps show there are others within a 250-metre radius.
The application calculated the distance to the rail line at 250.7 metres when using the “shortest walking distance” along a route through the farm, down a road and out to the rail line.
A Burradoo Park Farm spokesperson said: “When council raised concerns regarding the approval pathway, we responded constructively and moved into the development application process as quickly as possible.”
The spokesperson said since opening, the farm had worked to address concerns raised by council and the community.
“This has included implementing visitor management measures, traffic controls, shuttle bus services, parking arrangements, pedestrian safety initiatives and a range of specialist studies to support the assessment process.”
In submissions, locals said they feared conditions would worsen given the development application before council was hoping to expand the operation from 100 visitors at any one time to 250.
“The idea that hundreds more cars will be speeding down our street each day, putting people at risk and ruining the area is frightening,” stated one of the more than 50 objections on the council website.
“There are no footpaths to walk on so anyone trying to walk their dog, a baby in a pram or just themselves is taking their life in their hands, not to mention the school children walking to and from school.”
Of the more than 100 submissions before council, almost half are in support of the development application, citing the significant private investment in the local economy, employment opportunities and the kitchen garden facilities.
Among those vouching for the expansion are the head of Cannon-Brookes’ SMART Collective, which operates the park, Three Blue Ducks’ group executive chef Troy Crisante, as well as other chefs and support staff at the venue, contractors involved in the development of the operation, the director of the local traffic control company.
Another supporter is the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, a charity that has partnered with Cannon-Brookes’ philanthropic SMART Collective to create an immersive food education hub at the farm gate.
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