The Centre of the City of Unley – What Could it Look Like in 2020?

A special presentation by the Friends of the City of Unley Society featuring –

• David Brown CPP RPIA, Principal Policy Planner, The City of Unley
• Kevin O’Leary, Urban Planner, Columnist – Adelaide Advertiser

To facilitate the State Government’s 30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, the Inner Metropolitan Growth Project has been devised for implementation by Councils.

David will outline the impact this growth requirement will have on the core of The City of Unley and the forthcoming amendment to the City’s Development Plan.

Kevin will put forward some ideas on both good and inappropriate developments in high streets such as Unley Road and the core of our City

Question and answer session to follow the two presentations.

A free presentation not to be missed!

All welcome.

Following the presentation and discussion a light supper will be provided concluding with the Annual General Meeting for FOCUS.

When: Tuesday 20 September 2016

Where: Unley Community Centre, 18 Arthur St Unley

Time: 7:30pm

Please download the flyer from the link below:

• FOCUS Flyer Sept 2016 -1.pdf (PDF, 340 kb)

Heritage Watch: Government blueprint for demolishing local heritage protection

Courtesy of Heritage Watch 

The State Government has released a discussion paper on local heritage protection without so much as a news release to explain its intention or the process for public consultation on the radical and damaging ‘reforms’ to our State’s heritage protection system it proposes.  As reported in the media, the Government’s paper and rushed approach to public consultation, has already raised great concern.  The National Trust is calling for an open and comprehensive public debate on the future of local heritage protection.

Indaily report 28 August: Government proposal to demolish local heritage system

Advertiser 23 August

After repeatedly promising to consult the community about proposed changes to heritage protection under the Government’s new planning laws, the discussion paper appeared without warning in late August, with those who received it given just a few weeks to respond to the many far reaching proposals contained within.

The paper was published on the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure website.  Posing as the result of the earlier consultation on the Government’s planning reforms, the paper is full of assertions and arguments unsupported by evidence and  includes a number ideas which would destroy the heritage protections developed over 40 years.

Our system of local heritage protection, designed to give communities a say in what is protected, has generally served South Australia well despite the Government’s failure to implement its provisions effectively or in line with community expectations.  The Government is using its own administrative failures as an argument to dismantle our local heritage protection system and to centralise all decision making under the Department and Minister who have repeatedly failed to act on hundreds of recommendations for local heritage protection from local councils and communities.

South Australia has generally had an effective heritage protection system since the late 1970s, which has saved many of our most unique and treasured places from neglect or destruction. A few narrow vested interests have persistently sought to diminish our local heritage protection and it is these voices who speak loudest in the Government’s paper.

What the Government is proposing will:

• Make it harder to list local heritage places
• Exclude the community and local councils from decision making
• Make it easier to demolish places that are listed
• Remove heritage protection from thousands of properties listed as contributory items or in heritage conservation zones
• Centralise all heritage protection in the State Government planning department.

You can download the Government’s Discussion Paper here and see for yourself

Local Heritage Discussion Paper final consultation version Aug 2016

The National Trust has prepared an initial response entitled Heritage Under Threat which you can download here  Heritage Under Threat

Please take the time to read Heritage Under Threat and find out what is at risk if the government proceeds with these dangerous and unnecessary changes.

Take our survey to share your views about the Government’s proposals here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/localheritageprotection

Share this page with others and speak to people in your community.  Dozens of community organisations are already questioning the Government’s approach and its failure to set up a proper public consultation on the radical proposals it now advocates.

We need to ensure that the Government and Planning Minister John Rau listen to communities when we say we want our local heritage protected.

You can also share your thoughts and favorite local heritage places on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/loveyourlocalheritage or in the comments section below.

A message from the Community Alliance SA

As talked about for some time now, the Community Alliance with planning expert Kevin O’Leary has produced a blueprint on preserving and enhancing Adelaide’s traditional high streets, as many of them become increasingly threatened by growth and development through planning rule changes.  

Please download the Blueprint from the homepage of our website here.

We would like you to distribute and publicise the Blueprint as widely as possible, including to your local council and by lobbying them and the State Government for the outcomes you want in your own local high streets.

A media release is attached.

FOCUS meeting with project manager of the proposed St Margaret’s development on the corner of George Street & Greenhill Road.

This is a 10 storey development with 53 apartments & 5 2 storey town houses on the southern side near the existing houses, 93 parking spaces & 80 bicycle parks.  The developer plans to restore the old house St Margaret’s & the garden, retain the old Ombu tree & have some green space surrounding the new development. Rubbish will be removed by a private contractor. There are many green energy components in the development.

The development sets many precedents.

The developer must be commended for attempting to negotiate with the community before applying for final approval. There was an open day on the 18^th of June for everyone to meet with all the professionals involved on the project & FOCUS were invited to a further meeting last Wednesday. We understand neighbours have been visited by the project manager to attempt to deal with some the difficulties & losses which will arise with such a large building in an inner city suburb.

The restoration of St. Margaret’s arising from significant historical research, means this important building in the history of Unley may be accessible to a limited extent by the public, as the plan is to turn it into offices.

The developer has adhered to the 30 degree envelope with the adjoining houses so the bulk of the building is in the centre of the site, the front is much lower than the back & there are plans to have high balustrades on each balcony to minimise looking into adjoining back yards.  We understand the developer initially wanted the podium to be higher to compensate for the generous setbacks from the boundaries but has settled for the 10 storeys.

The height of the apartments will dominate Parkside & erode the view of the foothills.  The neighbour on the southern side will have overlooking issues & some restriction on sunlight in the winter & the neighbours on the Eastern & Western sides will experience both overlooking & overshadowing.

Traffic management will be an issue given the narrowness of George Street which will require ongoing negotiations between Council & the Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure.

  

May 2016 Unley Development Register

The May 2016 Unley Development Register is now available.

 

St. Margarets Open House 18 June 2016

FOCUS has received notice of an OPEN HOUSE at 179 Greenhill Rd/1 George St, Parkside,  St Margarets (previously Carramar) to view and discuss the Draft Plans for the proposed development.

DATE SATURDAY 18th June between 10 and 2pm.

Enter from Greenhill Rd and follow signs to school house.

Car parking is available at rear of site off George Street.

The new owners Aestus Pty Ltd have invited residents to view their proposed development which includes restoring the house and school room and for “mixed uses”.

The mixed uses includes professional offices, residential apartments and a small coffee shop. The Council has only limited involvement in this application, ie traffic,parking and street trees.

I urge you all to have a look and tell the developers what you think and want.

Proposed development on the corner of Greenhill Rd and George St