Development Plan

A recent Conservation Council study estimated that Adelaide is losing about 75,000 trees a year. We submit that this is due to a range of factors including population growth, housing densification policy, life-style changes, a failure of the planning system to reserve space around built structures for vegetation and trees, weak legislative protection for existing trees, commercial development and powerline clearance. Government must encourage Council policies and tree species selection.

The submission is available as a PDF.

General Comments

General loss of detail in the Code compared to Development Plans

The Code has over-simplified policy requirements, which means that a planner assessing a development application has less options for negotiating good design outcomes.

The Council staff presented their proposed changes to the public at a public information session on 23rd September 2013. While some of residents concerns were addressed, there remain many troubling proposals, including 5 storey developments. Councillors will meet on the 14th October 2013 to consider the proposed changes. We urge concerned residents to keep in touch with their local councillors and discuss any concerns.

After initial reluctance, staff have published the information slides. These slides contain limited information. The changes outlined in the slides are extensive with development density decreasing in some areas and increasing in other areas. If you have questions, the following staff can be contacted. Please consider including SPRA (info@stpeters.asn.au) and your councillors in communications with council.

Our Council's Strategic Planning and Development Policy Committee has approved new planning rules to govern future development in Norwood and Kent Town. At a meeting on 22 July the Committee voted in these changes. Six councillors were absent from the meeting, which is surprising, given the extent of the planning changes proposed.

Our Council has now sent a letter to everyone who made a submission to the Residential Development (Zones and Policy Areas) Development Plan Amendment advising that a public information session will be held at 7pm on Monday 23rd of September in the Norwood Concert Hall.

Our Association does not know what changes to the proposed zoning changes Council staff have prepared for Council's consideration. We urge concerned residents to keep in touch with their local councillors to seek any information you can obtain. Council planning staff Carlos Buzzetti (telephone 8366 4562) and Eleanor Walters (telephone 8366 4521) are available to advise residents generally on the draft DPA and the processes leading up to the Council's final decision.

Why is there such strong community resistance to proposals for higher density housing in Adelaide’s suburbs? Australian social planner and ethicist, Dr. Wendy Sarkissian argues that we need a “more sensitive and emotionally intelligent” approach to city planning. This is a summary of her presentation on Wednesday 29th May. The presentation is available online.

Evonne, the SPRA spokeswoman, did ask Wendy how would she suggest that 10-storey flats proposed to be introduced into the inner suburbs close to single-storey residential areas be designed well and sensitively. There was a long silence before Wendy spoke. She said there needs to be guidelines and criteria to protect neighbourhoods in terms of ovderlooking, traffic etc. There are several volumes of guidelines for buildings on Wendy’s Website. You should not debate individual sites, she said, you need general criteria.

On Monday night 29th of April a forum on planning issues was held in the Norwood Town Hall. Sponsored by Community Alliance, residents from across Adelaide heard politicians, planners and conservationists talk about their vision for Adelaide and problems with the current planning system.

Speakers included Nick Xenophon federal MP, Vicky Chapman Liberal Party spokeswoman on planning, Mark Parnell Greens Party MLC and John Rau Minister for Planning. Nick Xenophon said new housing development should be focussed on the City Centre square mile, not on the inner suburbs. Vicky Chapman acknowledged that there is a problem with the current planning system with many people feeling angry, bewildered and disenfranchised. People want to be involved in the planning for their areas at the start, not at the end, she said.

Marking SA’s About Time history month

Two events with a focus on Adelaide and whether we can find a balance between development and heritage conservation, and between urban density and community aspirations.

Has South Australia given up on heritage?

Wednesday 8 May, 6pm Bradley Forum, UniSA City West campus

Not in my backyard: Community responses to higher density living - is it all in the mind?

Wednesday 29 May, 6pm, Allan Scott Auditorium, UniSA City West campus (recorded presentation)

Greens MP Mark Parnell has legislation before Parliament which aims to prevent planning rule changes coming into effect before public consultation about the changes has been completed. This was recently the case in the Adelaide City Council area where heights of multi-storey flats were hugely lifted by a Development Plan Amendment and developers came in and lodged their applications to which they gained approval before local residents had put their comments into the City Council about the changed rules.

A public forum on planning, titled The Great NIMBY or QUIMBY Forum is to be held on 29th April 2013 at 7.00 pm in the Norwood Town Hall.

What is the planning future of Greater Adelaide? Can QUALITY IN MY BACKYARD be expected? Or will it be a DEVELOPERS’ DREAM and promote a NOT IN MY BACKYARD attitude? A report on the forum has been published.

The event is sponsored by Community Alliance SA. Please promote this event using the twitter tag #QUIMBYSA.