SPRA Verbal Submission

This is the text of the verbal submission to the public meeting on 5th March 2013 on Residential Development (Zones and Policy Areas) DPA. For further detail, please refer to the full submission.

Our Association welcomes the RESIDENTIAL CHARACTER ZONE. We are pleased Objective 5 states that development should maintain existing residential densities. However we are concerned that both the Maylands and St. Morris Traditional Character Policy Areas allow for hammerhead and battle-axe subdivisions which allow new units to be built in back-gardens. As these developments increase density, we question how they are consistent with Objective 5. We agree with Planning Minister John Rau who declared on Radio 891 on 18th of February that battleaxe and hammerhead subdivisions were “terrible”.

The Desired Character Statement for the RESIDENTIAL MIXED CHARACTER ZONE states that it is the underlying character of remnants of original built form or dwellings set in spacious gardens which this Zone seeks to protect. We welcome this aim. But we are alarmed that the Department of Planning Transport and Infrastructure, in its submission to council, objects to this protection.

We oppose the proposed 3-storey flats for the SANITARIUM SITE on Hackney Road. We believe these would be unacceptable in terms of character, bulk, scale, overlooking and overshadowing, with a strong potential to exacerbate the existing traffic congestion and parking problems in the narrow side streets around this site.

We submit that 1-2 storey apartments would be more in keeping with the character of this locality and the adjacent Historic Conservation Zone.

Parts of the proposed RESIDENTIAL ZONE are to experience the most radical reshaping of their housing.

We oppose allowing 6-storey flats to be built on the HACKNEY CARAVAN PARK SITE. This will create an unacceptable and out of character height, bulk and scale of solid structures in this locality as well as an unacceptable degree of over-shadowing and overlooking, or perception of being overlooked by neighbours. This site faces an Historic Conservation Zone and development must be sensitive to the historic character in this locality.

There are huge traffic congestion problems in Richmond Street which serves as a rat-run and 6-storey flats will exacerbate this.

If infill housing is to take place here, 3-4 storeys would be more fitting and less intrusive in this locality, and a minimum of single-storey would better integrate with the Richmond Street frontage.

In the River Torrens Linear Park Medium Density Policy Area replacing detached houses and gardens with multi-storey flats, against the wishes of existing residents, is a fundamentally flawed, authoritarian and regressive policy which ignores the aspirations of the majority of residents.

We are strongly opposed to the transformation of these highly sought after residential areas into medium density ones. We do not have time to set out the case for keeping these areas as low-density ones – many of the residents most affected are doing that better than we could.

We submit that these areas in St. Peters, Joslin and Royston Park next to a Character Zone should be placed in the Residential Character Zone. If this is not possible, they should be in the Contemporary Character Policy Area. And we submit that in the River Torrens Medium Density Policy Area measures should be implemented to prevent monocultures of 3-4-storey flats overtaking streets close to the Linear Park in Felixstow and Marden, perhaps by placing them in the Contemporary Character Policy Area with a maximum building height of 2-storeys.