Le Cornu Site

Friends of the City of Unley Society, FOCUS, is a group of Unley residents working to preserve and enhance the heritage and the amenity in the city of Unley.  FOCUS aims to influence local and state governments when decisions are made concerning the built heritage and the liveability of Unley.  Some of our members live in the Forestville area adjacent to the Le Cornu site.

The Le Cornu site abuts an area where some of the housing is over 100 years old.  The site offers a wonderful opportunity to achieve best practice outcomes for the interface between older single storey housing and medium and high rise development.  Graded development is the cornerstone of sympathetic high rise development in developed suburbs.  It is not clear this will occur along Leader Street with higher buildings located in the centre of the site.  Buildings of up to 8 storeys are noted in that plan and it is critical they are not on the Leader Street perimeter where buildings of 2 storeys only will protect the liveability of the many residents in the surrounding singe storey houses.

Traffic flows in and out of the site are of great concern to local people.  The recent plan does not indicate how the multiple cars which the site will bring will move through the development and where they will enter and exit.  Leader Street and the streets running off are small local streets not designed to cope with the hundreds of cars.  The statement in the plan that no driveway access off Leader and Maple Streets is confusing.

Tree canopy appears to be only partially addressed.  There is considerable reference to the laudable Urban Forest project and to some mature trees in the green spaces but no reference to spaces for large deep rooted trees which would provide important cooling in the multiple cement structures which will dominate the site.  Adelaide’s tree canopy is rapidly declining and this site could be a gold standard site for planting deep rooted trees managed with efficient water collection from the surrounding buildings.

FOCUS hopes the needs of the residents in the many streets surrounding the Le Cornu site are given more careful attention and their valuable insights are considered when final decisions are made.  This renewal project is more than the Le Cornu site, it is also about how it can seamlessly grow into a valuable older area of Adelaide.

Authorised by Mary Rumbold President of FOCUS

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National Trust SA: Keep the People in the planning system!

Please find attached an email from the National Trust regarding the proposed changes to planning laws

Keep the People in the planning system! This week, the State Government is rushing to push its new planning legislation through the Parliament, despite extensive public and industry concerns about the proposed changes. While planning laws aren’t the most exciting of reads, this 200 page document will shape the future of our cities, towns and suburbs for decades to come. The changes include the exclusion of local council representatives from all decision making, while imposing significant costs on Councils and concentrating too many powers in the hands of a single Minister. Future protection for local heritage places and significant trees is also at risk. The Local Government of South Australia has roundly condemned the legislation, arguing that it will leave communities with no voice and no choice about issues which directly affect them. Even the Property Council and other industry groups have criticised the Bill and sought major amendments. The Community Alliance, a group of community organisations concerned about the impacts of open slather development, says the Bill is aimed at winding back community rights to comment on and challenge development assessment decisions. In the rush to get these laws through the upper house, a range of important issues and principles are being brushed aside. If the laws are passed, individuals and local communities will have even less say in the types of developments that are permitted in their streets and neighbourhoods. The right to review of decisions will be significantly curtailed. In both houses of Parliament, the Opposition has spoken out against the haste with which this legislation has been pushed through. Sam Duluk MP and David Ridgway MLC have explained the deficiencies of the Bill and the dangers of passing this flawed legislation. In the Upper House, Greens MLC Mark Parnell and Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent, have argued for the need for a more considered approach. Upper House MPs need your support and encouragement to resist the Government’s bid to push these laws through without proper consultation and negotiation. Please email the following MPs and encourage them to keep making a stand for better planning laws and to resist the Government’s push to force this legislation through in haste: Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House David Ridgway Greens MLC Mark Parnell Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent Alternatively, contact the Deputy Premier and Planning Minister John Rau and ask him to listen to the people and to address their concerns. What’s the rush Mr Rau? Surely nothing will be lost by giving the Parliament more time to consider and discuss these important reforms. Act now before it’s too late!

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