Peter Fairlie-Jones has permitted SPRA to reproduce his budget consultation submission. He currently serves on the Audit Committees of 5 Councils and has this to say about the budget:

I remain very concerned not only about the proposed future rate increases and high debt levels, but also the resulting long term constraints on Council’s ability to respond to other community priorities and its capacity to respond to adverse events without even further pressure on rates and debt levels.

The St Peters Residents Association (SPRA) has been contacted by a number of residents regarding the proposed removal of all parking controls on First Avenue, Second Avenue and Harrow Road, including Residential Parking permits.

These controls were implemented at the request of residents over a number of years.

SPRA’s opinion is that if the Council took the foolish step of removing the parking controls, then soon we would find ourselves having a conversation about reintroducing them.

Update:'investigation and Recommendations' report by PA Consultancy added.

For several years SPRA have had concerns about encroachments and stability of the north-eastern bank of the billabong in the St Peters River Park. We are particularly concerned at the lack of any effective action by Council to address these concerns. This petition highlights some of those concerns and suggests some of the actions we would like to see taken. Council should proceed with the quantitative geotechnical survey to select an engineering solution that preserves the native flora and fauna.

Re: Development Application 23020223 (PlanSA)
Construction of a four-storey mixed use development comprising shops and offices at ground level, eighteen (18) dwellings across levels 2, 3 and 4 and basement car parking, together with associated landscaping and rooftop plant.

The St Peters Residents Association requests that the Council Assessment Panel refuse the application in its current form.

The history provides a wealth of information from prior to European settlement through to the current day.

Denise Schumann, who was previously the Cultural Heritage Advisor, City of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters prepared a history of St Peters River Park in 2021. The St Peters Residents Association are pleased to reproduce this content for a wider audience to appreciate.

The document was obtained from council as the result of a Freedom of Information Request. The document has been split into six sections and is also available for download as a PDF

This deputation is made as a result of the decision made by Council in December 2023 to proceed with the Payneham Memorial Swimming Centre in spite of the cost being three times what was expected in 2022, and the effect this will have on the future Council finances.

In 2022 & earlier the pool cost was expected to be about $20m.

In the 2023/4 budget a figure of $24m was used although it was expected that tenders would be in the order of $30m.

We spoke to this when we addressed Council prior to last year’s budget.

The $60m cost is double that of the similar facilities currently being built at Salisbury.

SPRA responded to the Local Government Participation and Elections Review with a detailed response that covered many topics including:

• Council engagement with community
• Council meeting
• Nominating for council
• Elections including compulstory voting

SPRA nominated this tree for the 20 Metre Trees 2024 Competition.

Great news. This tree made it to the list of ten finalists. Please vote.

Dunstan By-Election Forum

The Dunstan By-Election has exposed a weakness in our political system whereby the major political parties Labor, Liberals, and Greens, take for granted that people are happy with the level of political discussion and the strategy adopted by the candidates in this electorate.

A quick perusal of social media in Dunstan sees lots of smiling on The Parade, token red dresses, or bopping with the former premier and gym workouts. Many of us despair at such orchestrated snapshots.

The March 2024 newsletter contains the following items:

• Town Hall Candidate Forum – Dunstan By-Election
• SPRA Annual General Meeting
• St Peters Heroes Memorial WW2 Plaque Grant Application
• Marden & Royston Park Traffic Management Plan
• Dunstan Adventure Playground
• Former Transport SA Carpark
• SA Tree Of The Year Competition 2024
• Proposed 40km/h Speed Limit in Residential Streets
• Stolen Waterbird Sculpture - Linde Reserve
• Council Tree Incentive Program
• Power Outages Due to Bats