The St Peters Residents Association has, in recent years, repeatedly expressed strong concerns at the financial position of the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, particularly in relation to decisions made regarding the Payneham Memorial Swimming Centre.

These concerns have mostly been the result of Council's decision in late 2023 to continue with the redevelopment of the Payneham Pool.

The first draft of the budget was based on this 8% and showed a modest surplus.
However, at the Council meeting earlier this month, an increase of 8.5% was decided upon.

This is significantly above the 3% CPI the budget is based on, and well above all other metropolitan Adelaide Councils.

The St Peters Residents Association (SPRA) has, in recent years, repeatedly expressed strong concerns at the financial position of the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, particularly in relation to decisions made regarding the Payneham Memorial Swimming Centre (PMSC).

We again wish to express our anger at Council’s resulting debt position and the significant impact this is having on ratepayers due to the unacceptable level of rates now required to fund Council borrowings, mostly for the Swimming Centre. We implore residents to provide feedback.

While the overall rate revenue increase proposed is 8.5%, this will equate to a substantial 9.49% residential rate increase well over the large 7.44% for the previous year. The Residential Rate increase is over three times the 3.0% CPI used in the LTFP. In many cases the rates will be higher and could reach the maximum cap of 17.0%. Some residents will face an effective rate rise of 36.89% over two years!

There are several changes that are proposed in the Draft Accommodation Diversity Code Amendment, and the St Peters Residents Association Inc (SPRA) would like the following comments to be taken into consideration.

SPRA considers that the scale of development envisaged in the policies proposed is significantly at odds with existing and desired character across much of our residential suburbs, particularly in Character Overlay, Historic Overlay and Heritage Place Overlay areas. SPRA submits that the maximum building height in the overlay be reduced to three storeys for sites between 10,0002 and 20,000m2 and four levels for sites exceeding 20,000m2.
We are told by the retirement development industry that older people wish to age in their own communities. This may be true. But we are sure that older people do not wish to bulldoze and trash their communities in the process.

This submission can be downloaded as a pdf for printing.

Introduction

Our Association views with concern the proposal to allow dwellings to be built in rear and side garden areas in six Council areas (Campbelltown, Walkerville, Unley, Prospect, Burnside and Alexandrina).

This submission can be downloaded as a pdf for printing.

The State Planning Commission have published a summary of feedback as a pdf.

Our comments on the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan (GARP) 2024 are as follows: -

SPRA have significant concerns about the rise in rate revenue and debt position of the council. SPRA would prefer to see council spending cut or deferred rather than rate rises at more than double the rate of inflation.

In our response to the draft of the 2023-2024 budget, SPRA noted concerns about the Payneham Memorial Swimming Pool and the significant increase in council debt represented by the Net Financial Liabilities Ratio (NFLR). Twelve months later the budget of the Payneham Memorial Swimming Pool has tripled to $60 million with the potential to increase further. The NFLR has increased from the previous peak of 117% to 162% and will still be above 130% in 2034.

SPRA have submitted a response to the Ultra Tune Advertising Sign Application recommending that approval for the proposed Advertising Hoarding should be refused by the Council Assessment Panel (CAP) as it fails to satisfy the important criteria in the Planning & Design Code, because the billboard:

• is not compatible nor integrated
• presents an unreasonable distraction
• impacts on adjoining residential uses
• advertising in third-party in nature

SPRA have responded to the 2023-2024 Annual Business Plan & Budget.

Concerns raised include:

• Assumptions in budget (CPI: 2%, Borrowing rate: 2.4%)
• Net Financial Liability Ratio exceeding 100%
• $32.6 millon cost of Payneham Memorial Swimming Centre Redevelopment