What Next for Page Park?

An example only

You may remember that Don and I secured some $50,000 to spend on fitness equipment in Page Park this financial year. Many years ago fitness equipment was installed in Page Park and it was the most up to date available at the time. Since then as various bits have rotted and/or become unsafe they have been removed by staff. One of the long term issues for Council is that every new asset created adds to the total maintenance bill for the city if the asset is to be kept in good repair. All the equipment has now been removed. Many options have been discussed in recent months including making the park a 'dog park', not just one that they can run around in but one where they have their own dedicated play equipment (Council decided to partially fund one in the South Parklands). In the near future residents will be invited to say what type of equipment they would like to see in the park and where it would best be located. My preference would be equipment with fewer moving parts that you would find at Forestville. I've been told that even since that equipment was installed the design of the equipment has changes so as to have a longer life.What do you think? Fencing will also be replaced soon.

Forestville Reserve Funding Gone

$91,000 promised by the Labor federal government to upgrade Forestville Reserve  will now not be forth coming. This is disappointing as this money was to be used to make good the mess made by DPTI and improve the amenity after they moved out after completion of the creek works. There has been no news from Council on this only what I have read in the press.

An update on the development of the Unley Oval precinct

We are aware that there is a high level of community interest about the future of the Unley Oval Precinct and there has been a variety of ideas put forward over the last few years. To ensure that Unley Oval continues to meet the future needs of the community and the sporting clubs, the Council has decided to prepare a redevelopment plan of the precinct. This plan will guide any future redevelopment to ensure that any present decisions do not compromise future opportunities.This update is to advise the community of decisions taken by Council concerning the redevelopment of the Unley Oval precinct.

The Precinct is bounded by Trimmer Terrace (west), Frederick Street (north), Langham Terrace (east) and Edmund Avenue (south). It is approximately 4 hectares in size and is a significant area for both structured sport (including football, cricket, tennis and bowls) as well as unstructured recreation (personal exercise, informal ball sports, dog exercise). It includes playgrounds and public toilets and is used to host events such as the finish of the ‘Ride like Crazy’ cycling event.

Unley Oval is one of 3 sporting hubs within the City of Unley and is considered to be a regional sporting facility. The Precinct also consists of six grass tennis courts, two bowling greens, associated clubroom facilities and two grandstands which have substandard change facilities, storage and training rooms.
After extensive consultation with user groups earlier this year, Council has begun detailed investigations into possible redevelopment options. This includes potential refurbishment of the existing facilities and resurfacing of the oval.
At its meeting on 28 October 2013, Council resolved that:
“1. The Administration proceed without delay in:
a) investigating opportunities to create additional public open space on the Unley Oval precinct.
b) investigating and preparing concept designs to improve the current substandard facilities on Unley Oval, to bring them up to SANFL compliant standards.
2. The Administration report back to Council in January 2014, seeking further direction.”
At this stage, Council has not made any decisions about what any potential redevelopment will include.
The January 2014 report referred to in the October 2013 resolution will address some of the issues raised during the information gathering process: in particular, better facilities for sport, and improved open space for general community and recreation purposes.
Once this report is presented, Council can determine the next steps in delivering an upgrade of this significant community asset.
It is, of course, the intention of Council to continue to engage with the whole community in relation to the redevelopment of the Unley Oval Precinct.  Community consultation will be carried out on any and all proposed redevelopment concepts.
Further updates will be provided via letterbox drops to selected areas and will be accessible on the City of Unley website. We anticipate the next update will be in February following the Council meeting in January.

Peter Tsokas

Regular updates will now be posted on the City of Unley website.
The Eastern Courier has described this as stalled.
I would describe it as having trouble getting off the ground.

Full Council: 25th November 2013

This month's meeting had some interesting matters to debate. We will listened to two deputations from  Tom Hester (Save Our Streets) in opposition to potential culverts in Unley streets  and David Hudson and Graham Davies on Brown Hill Creek flood modelling.

• Goodwood Oval and Millswood Sporting Complex Improvement Plan-Project Brief ; This item discussed the project brief prior to hiring a consultant to do the main works. They will be using information collected during the Community Assets Review and re-engaging with the community. PASSED
• Community Engagement and Public Consultation Policy Review; As a result of often perceived poor consultation with our community the policy has been reviewed. The policy itself will now go through a consultation phase. I like the new concept that consultation can inform, consult and/or involve the community. One of the difficulties Council often has is weighting the value of a petition. I think they're great if a group of people think there is an issue that they want to tell us about, however, instead of a representation to an issue I believe they muddy the waters and their value can be confused. Council also has difficulty in reconciling the value of input from the silent majority. If 100 people are consulted about change and 10 reply positively for the change and 15 negatively is the vote 10:15 against or 85: 15 for?PASSED
• Free Fridays at the Pool;This will continue this arrangement for 2014 from Feb 7th- PASSED.
• General Development plan Amendment; This will ask the Minister to allow Unley to further develop policy regarding laneway housing, public notification, complying development, off street parking, and heritage building adaptability. It does not address on site detention of water (an issue that has the potential to reduce flooding)and I will ask if this can be included. I was told this has already been included in the recent DPA3 amendment. PASSED
• Review of Access Requirements for Heavy Vehicles into and out of King William Rd at Arthur St; This matter arose again in the process of trying to get pedestrian refuges installed in King William Rd  near Arthur St to allow for safer pedestrian crossing of KWR at that location. Woolworths truck using the Arthur St, KWR intersection often add to the danger for pedestrians at that location. The report suggests that only allowing the truck to make a right hand turn out of Authur Street at KWR would improve the situation; all other truck movements would be via Unley Rd. It seems sensible to trial this and will allow for the construction of the approved refuges. APPROVED as a trial.
• Brown Hill Keswick Creek Project Update; An interim report is now available in the Agenda. To me it seems to still speak of many options whereas I would prefer if it was starting to eliminate options. However, for the fist time there is discussion around channel clearance especially north of Malcolm St. Take a look at the creek channel when on the Malcolm St bridge  looking south; this gives a pretty good indication of the problem. Take time to read it.  http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Att%201%20Item%20972%20FCM%20Nov%202013-1.pdf  This passed after much debate and a motion that included support for progress that does not involve culverts in Unley. It was good to have the gallery full of concerned residents.
• Confidential  Item-Land Encroachment;

Additionally  to this my questions on Brown Hill Creek have been answered. 

My questions on 2 for 1 tree replacements resulting from Development Applications is yet to be answered. I
have met with staff on this one but still the question goes unanswered.
The full agenda can be found at;
http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Council%20Agenda%20Nov%202013.pdf

These Events Worth Going To!

French Christmas Market

The French Christmas Market was brought to the City of Unley through our place activation (event attraction) program. The event features a robust entertainment program and a large market with an astounding number of stall holders which looks sure to bring the Soldiers Memorial Garden to life. Visit their website for full details  http://www.af.org.au/french-christmas-marketsat-dec-7th/. The event will be held from 5-10 pm Friday 6 December and from 10am – 8pm on Saturday 7 December.

Goodwood Groove

With the success from 2012, the Goodwood Groove is back! Hosted by the Goodwood Traders Association, the picnic festival includes gypsie swing, acoustic music, food/drink stalls, and children’s entertainment. From listening to an array of fantastic live music, to enjoying tantalising food and wine from local traders, the Goodwood Grove provides the ideal opportunity to relax and unwind with family and friends. The event will be held from 4-10.30pm Friday 6 December at the Green Lawn Space and Goodwood Community Centre, Florence Street, Goodwood

Small Sponsorship and Donations Scheme

The Small Sponsorship and Donations Scheme assists eligible organisations and individuals with projects, programs or activities that benefit the residents of the City of Unley.

Donations of up to $250 are available to residents of Unley to participate in specific cultural, sporting, or recreational activities and events. Only one application will be considered each financial year.

Sponsorships of up to $500 per financial year are available for activities or purposes that:

• Clearly demonstrate direct benefits to the residents of Unley; and
• Meet a social, environmental or economic development need of some urgency.

Applications will be accepted throughout the year and processed as they are received.

Click here for an application form.

Click here for the guidelines.

For further information please phone 8372 5108.

Westbourne Park Primary School Centenary

1914 - 2014

Westbourne Park Primary School is calling out to all old scholars and the local community to contact the school in preparation for some exciting centenary events planned for 2014.
Subscribe to email updates via the website or phone the school.
www.wpps100.com.au
Ph. 8271 7430

November Update 3013

Sorry this is a little late

• The arbor in the Princess Margaret Playground is now fully repaired and ready for use.
• The promised bird boxes have now been attached to trees in the train corridor, they are evident along Chromer Pde in particular.
• New line marking is evident in most areas. There should be no new lines only going over the existing
• More fences have now been replaced along the Greenways path, this has taken an exceptional amount of work by some people.
• 54 trees need to be replaced by DPTI as replacement for those removed along the corridor during the grade separation and electrification. The location of these trees is yet to be decided and all should have the potential to become significant if possible.
• The final version of the Black Forest Local Area Traffic Management Plan will go to Council for endorsement on December 10th. I will send it on to those I have email addresses for and put a link in my blog. I have been told that there has not been any changes of significance made.
• Residents will be letter boxed next week regarding the options for treatment in Canterbury Tce. I will upload these when I get an electronic copy. There are 4 proposals, only one of which is one way, residents will be asked to preference the options.
• Don and I will be briefed on Monday on the options for consultation regarding some work in Page Park, this should include fitness equipment.
  
  .

Government May Have To Take Over Stormwater Management Plan

Ian Hunter, the Minister for the Environment has indicated that the state government may have to take over the proposed stormwater management plan if the 5 Councils (Unley, Burnside, Mitcham, Adelaide and West Torrens) can't come to an agreement in the near future. Unley will discuss an interim report at this Monday's Full Council Meeting. While the CEO reminded me the other day that we didn't want to rush our decision making I did remind him that it had the potential to be well and truly finished by now if it were not for Mitcham's reluctance (some others would use stronger words) to consider a dam in Brown Hill Creek. Seems that the government has committed $4million a year for the next 30 years to get the works done. This was welcome news to me! (information from ABC radio)

   

Council and Credit Cards

Given that none of the elected members in Unley have a Council funded credit card their spending should be of little concern to ratepayers. It also seems Unley has far less approved approved credit cards given to staff than other Councils (5 presumably for the CEO and 4 General Managers). At this time I have never had any concerns about the use of these or any complaints made to me for investigation. However, the following makes interesting reading. The LGA report should also be interesting when it is available. Silence on card usage
Eastern Courier Messenger, Adelaide  by John Stokes Meagan Dillon
RATEPAYERS remain in the dark on council credit card use as Unley, Burnside and Norwood, Payneham & St Peters refuse to release their spending statements. The State Government began publishing credit card statements, travel summaries and other office expenses for ministers and department chief executives last month. Councils, however, will not be following suit. "At this stage there are no plans to introduce credit card reporting, largely due to the administrative burden in compiling reports," an Unley Council spokeswoman said. None of Unley’s 13 elected members have council credit cards. Five staff have cards with $10,000 limits, including the chief executive and two high-level managers. Unley Council has a corporate credit card procedure which all staff with cards are expected to abide by. A Burnside Council spokeswoman said that $203,047.78 was charged to 14 credit cards during the 2012- 13 financial year. Councillors do not have council cards, but some employees have access to credit cards with limits up to $15,000 to fund travel, cater for functions and register councilowned cars. Burnside Council said the Local Government Association was developing a policy in relation to the public release of credit card details. "Once the information is received from the LGA a report will be presented to council to adopt our approach," the spokeswoman said. NP&SP Council said it had three credit cards but did not provide any more information.

News from the Unley Library

Unley Libraries were all a buzz on the weekend of 2 – 4 November 2013 with our second festival –
Cook it. Grow it. Make it. involving all things gardening, cooking and creating happening in every
corner of the library.
Quick Facts; A two‐day Festival held at Unley Library during library opening hours.
 Total of 3,088 people visited the Unley Library during this time.
o This is an increase of over 2,350 people compared to the previous weekend.
o This is also an increase of nearly 900 people compared to the previous Festival in
2012.
 A total of 1,344 people registered and participated in specific festival events and activities,
530 more than the 2012 Festival.
Why a Library Festival?
 The libraries in Unley have become powerful places for enabling an informed society where
individuals have opportunities to learn new knowledge and skills throughout life to enable
them to lead healthy and productive lives.
 The library festival is creating opportunities for social connectedness and engagement and is
contributing directly to the wellbeing of the Unley communities.
 It provides plenty of opportunities for people to connect, learn, participate and grow their
skills and knowledge while having fun and enjoying a true community event.
Highlights
Special guest presenters, Poh Ling Yeow (Poh’s Kitchen), ABC Radio personalities, Malcolm
Campbell and Rose Squire, and returning master of ceremonies, Cosi (Andrew Costello, Channel 9
series host South Aussie with Cosi) kept our community entertained and enthralled.
We introduced our very own Creatorspace, and
hosted a range of activities for community members
to come and try something completely unexpected in
the library. From cake decorating, learning how to
spin a pottery wheel with Adelaide Potters Club,
creating wall decals with Walls That Talk, learning to
play the guitar with Cal Williams Jr from local band,
The Hushes.
Activities also included planting vegetables and
making true homemade pizzas, and children learning
how to make pasta at home – there was something for everyone.
Unley’s Men’s Shed group showcased how to make beautifully‐crafted wooden toys. A special
Babytime under the ‘Dad’s Read’ initiative, and special guest storytellers Janeen Brian and Amanda
Graham, had families getting crafty on Saturday.
Cook it. Grow it. Make it. ended with Stig Weymss who entertained children from local schools and
the public. Stig’s work will be familiar to fans of Andy Griffiths’ books as he is the infamous voice on
many audiobooks.
I’m sure you will agree this year’s event was a great success.
Libraries provide for the independent learning needs of people of all
ages – making us an essential component of the learning ecosystem.

Sugar Gums Pruned

 You may have noticed that the sugar gums in Chromer Pde are being pruned today and tomorrow. As usual DPTI were late in notifying people, letter boxing occurred late yesterday when the contractors had already been booked for this morning. Residents were upset and found the personnel difficult to communicate with. It seems there was a stand off between the arborist (who had to be present) and DPTI over the size of the exclusion zone. Eventually a new arborist was found and the exclusion zone agreed at 3.5 m, unfortunately, this has now been measured form the poles and not the wires!! when I checked this afternoon the mulcher seemed busier than any thing else; let's hope the trees survive and flourish. DPTI also intended to remove a tree from the Princess Margaret playground even though it was at least 7 m from wires or gantry. this tree has been saved for the time being.If you are looking for it, it is the one someone placed the light post in!! 

Mitcham is getting annoyed

http://brownhillck.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Newsletter-Article-Unley-and-Mitcham-Communities-Working-Together.pdf

Please take the time to click on the above link to see just how close the Save Our Streets group are becoming to be an annoyance to the No Dam debate. It is worth reading because in the paper  disruption in Unley is diminished and the disruption to Mitcham maximized. You wouldn't call it a balanced argument! There are currently 3 proposals that have been developed that allow for adequate flood protection and No Dam. All of the current options have culverts in Unley Streets. While the size of the culvert in Malcolm St varies in each option the size of the culverts in Arundel Ave get larger. Putting the culvert in the rail reserve is a proposed but unpriced option.
While the Worley Parson's report at.
http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/WP%20report%20-%20Bypass%20Culvert%20Assessment%2026-4-12%20(no%20appendices).pdf  says that there may be little tree damage; the evidence that we have all seen in Devon St suggests otherwise. The other bit left out is that the hole that needs to be dug to put in a culvert needs to be 2m wider than the culvert and over 1m deeper. So if the culvert in Arundel Ave is 3.3m wide the hole dug would need to be 5.3 m x 3m. The residents in Unley have already had trucks running through their streets for almost a year with the railworks, they have had enough and should not be subjected to unnecessary and expensive works if the Ellison's Gully dam is viable. At this time there is no option on the table that has a do dam and no culvert option.

Meeting Procedures; How to get the vote right?

This system doesn't work

Many times I have complained at Council about the method we use to elect our fellow members to various committees when more than the allocated number have nominated. In most recent times I personally was not elected to the Development Assessment Panel even though 8 Councillors had expressed publicly their desire to see change in the people on the committee. Despite this the same 3 members were reappointed after a vote. How did this happen? It happened because we use a flawed voting system, one where you simply tick a box next to all preferred candidates, 3 in the above case. Using the Council's current internal voting system it would have been possible for me to have lost the last election with one vote short of 50% plus 1 of the vote!! Hopefully, change will happen.

Unley Councillor wants the speed of ARTC freight trains limited to reduce noise and increase safety

The following article is currently on the Adelaide Now website. While I support Bob's view I would like to see the figures when the noise is measured at various speeds. It would, however, be true that the majority of comments are not supportive. The articles and  and comments can be found at
 http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/east-hills/unley-councillor-wants-the-speed-of-artc-freight-trains-limited-to-reduce-noise-and-increase-safety/story-fni9lkyu-1226758814322
The article was written by John Stokes
FREIGHT trains travelling through Goodwood and surrounding suburbs should be limited to 40km/h for residents' safety and to reduce rail noise, an Unley councillor says.

But the company that manages the line has rejected the calls and the council is refusing to enter the debate.
Councillor Bob Schnell has urged the council to lobby for the speed restriction after correspondence between ratepayers and Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) revealed freight trains could travel at 90km/h between Goodwood and Mile End.
Cr Schnell labelled the speed "totally outrageous" and said the trains should travel at the same speed as cars on nearby roads.
"ARTC must respect the regions through which they travel," Cr Schnell told the Eastern Courier Messenger.
"We are not talking about a couple of trains a day.
"There are 12-20 freight trains per day that rumble and squeak their way way through the suburbs."
The speed of freight trains has been limited during the $110 million Goodwood Junction rail project to separate the Noarlunga and Belair lines.
The project started last October and is due to finish by the end of this year, when the trains are expected to return to speeds of about 70km/h. 
Cr Schnell said the track was littered with pedestrian and level crossings.
Commuter trains travelled at between 40km/h and 50km/h.
"I ask that ARTC review their speed limits in suburban areas," Cr Schnell said.
"Common sense and decency must prevail."
An ARTC spokesman said the railway line was designed to handle speeds of up to 90km/h and faster trains reduced traffic waiting times at level crossings.
"Reinstating speeds for freight services is in line with the intent of the (SA Transport Department) project to improve freight efficiency and transit times through South Australia as the Goodwood Junction section of track serves part of the main interstate freight corridor between Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth," the spokesman said.
"The track in this location is safe and fit for purpose."
He said the track was inspected at least once every four days and level crossings were set up for trains travelling up to 90km/h.
He said ARTC would be checking sight lines at all affected pedestrian crossings.
Unley Council would not comment on the matter.

"(The) administration is not currently in a position to make comment regarding the speed of train travel in the City of Unley," a spokeswoman said in an emailed statement.

Signalling Troubles at East Ave?

Seems that the recent use of the signals at East Ave is not caused from signalling problems but rather an overwhelming desire of DPTI to protect people from all foreseeable risks and hazards. If traffic control staff are not available to manually stop traffic at East Ave (and I imagine other crossings when it suits) then the signals are switched on and the boom gates left down if workers are nearby.As many of you are aware the signals rang continually early on Tuesday morning and again yesterday. Once again not good enough!!

Goodwood Patch Open Day; Saturday 16th Novemmber

The Goodwood Primary School will hold an Open Day this weekend at the Community Garden. You can attend a propagation, buy seeds or a sausage at the Rotary Club barbecue. The recent expansion has been enabled by a grant from Unley Council. The garden is open from noon until 2pm , it is on the corner of Surrey and Essex St South.

Dam v No Dam: the debate continues

While Council will receive an update report in  the Council Agenda for the 25^th November it is not anticipated the final report from the detailed investigation currently being undertaken by Michael Salkeld will be available until late January or early February 2014. When it is available it will become a public document for all to see and to comment upon the recommendations. Council will debate the recommendations before Community Consultation is commenced. The investigations include relooking at all the available options that are;

·          No dam/ culverts

·         No dam/even more culverts

·         Dam/culverts

·         Dam/no culverts

The motion that Council passed last month to request that no culvert options be investigated is clearly in this mix.  Hydrological data has now been updated by the bureau of meteorology, this has caused the project to investigate a range of options previously not thought to be feasible. Some of these involve investigating whether it is feasible to clean out and widen the existing channel.

Hopefully, the final outcome will be cost effective, put forward a viable option that does not include culverts in Unley (Millswood and Unley Park) and be agreed to by all Councils involved.

Tree falls in Cheltenham St

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/tree-falls-on-cheltenham-st-malvern-this-morning-cutting-power-to-homes/story-e6frg6n6-1226757414696
The above article raises a few points should you ever be in a position to feel you need to apply to have a tree removed. in 2007 the resident applied to the DAP to have the tree removed, the panel found that it did not meet the legislative requirements in place at the time. (many changes have been made since then). If a refusal is given the resident has many choices as to what to do next. They can appeal to the Environment and Resources Court (this costs money if you choose to hire a lawyer but otherwise is free). If they choose not to do this a further application can be submitted at any time. The recent legislative changes have made this much easier if the tree is within 10 metres of a dwelling. As well an arborist can recommend that any tree be removed immediately if it is deemed to be unsafe at the time of the inspection.This may result in a retrospective application to remove the tree. Council does not inspect trees on private property unless invited to do so.

DPTI: What Next??

The passing loop has been moved with no proposed changes to sound mitigation

The gantry appeared from nowhere.

I took another look at Arundel Ave yesterday and feel that this street has taken more hits from DPTI than are acceptable with less compensation from them. While Devon St has taken the biggest hit it now seems on track for its sound mitigation fencing, a reseal and revegetation; hopefully even the purchase of some additional land for even more landscaping ( Council still needs to make a decision on this one). Arundel on the other hand has negotited for a fabulous gate that they really didn't want and there were strong arguments that it didn't need. The gate was to be used once or twice a year. Residents found this week a bessa block structure being erected just inside the fence live. This is no small structure (5m x 5mx 2.1m) witout any consultation or warning; not even one of the ubiquitous blue letters. It is being erected above natural ground level. This will be located behing the new lattice work, but the lattice will no longer ne high enough to obscure it. More importantly this structure is to be used to monitor the CCTV along the underpass, so how often will the gate be used?? My bet is as much as every day. And Rod Hook (CEO)thinks he has
 nothing more to discuss with myself, Don or

The graffiti is appalling and may not be painted out

 residents.

The road is dilapidated

The new structure

No one could think this beautiful

FindYourEverything Does even better

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/east-hills/unley-councils-business-promotion-strategy-findyoureverything-wins-national-marketing-strategy-award/story-fni9lkyu-1226755076273


Take the time to click this link to see just how well this promotion is working. In  the last few days it has also won a major south Australian tourism award.  This is another major coup for Unley and for Matt Grant who has been driving the strategy.The following quote from the article from one of the businesses in Goodwood South says it all.

Goodwood Rd's Sugar & Spice Cakes was featured on the website last month as part of a wedding-themed promotion.

Owner Amanda Piper was pleased with the results.
"They did really well highlighting all the things we've got in Unley for weddings," Mrs Piper said.
"We need to highlight the speciality areas we've got."

Nature Playground in the South Parklands

After the recent proposal to share a dog park in the south parklands with the City of Adelaide there is more good news. A proposal to construct a nature playground near the corner of Peacock and South Tce  will be welcomed by Unley people as is the BMX bike track nearby. The new wave of nature  playgrounds are about children have opportunities to use natural logs, mounds, ropes, build cubbies, etc in a natural setting. You can have your say at www.vibrant.sa.gov.au/parklands.

Flying the rainbow flag

The City of Unley is flying the Rainbow Flag for the duration of Feast Festival 9-24 November in South Australia. Celebrating diversity, the Rainbow Flag represents the six colours of the rainbow as a symbol of gay and lesbian community pride. We are one of 11 Councils ‘flying the flag’.  The City of Unley has been associated with Feast Festival for seven years, and is presenting a sold out performance “Dress To Impress” by Libby O’Donovan on Monday 11 November. 

They will be at either end of Customer Service and in front of the Cottage.

Checkout these events on the Unley Council website!

Consumers Forum on Dementia friendly cities;
 http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/news/Dementia%20Friendly%20Communities.pdf

Spring into Summer on King William;
http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/news/SpringIntoSummer_eFlyer-1.pdf

Calling all young musicians;
http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=1206&t=uList&ulistId=0&c=21989

Need help disposing of paint?
http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/news/Recycling%20paint.pdf

Cultural Indicators Pilot project

Be part of Unley’s cultural snapshot!

If you live, work, study or just play in The City of Unley, please help us by expressing your valuable opinions in our Cultural Services survey available online.https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Cultural_Indicators_survey_Unley

This information is important because it provides a snapshot of how and when community members use cultural facilities and the levels of community involvement in cultural activities.

It will only take you 5-10 minutes but will be critical in helping us continually review and enhance our local culture and the decisions Council make!

Alternatively, survey forms will be available in hard copy at our libraries and community centres.

Click here for more information

Healthy and Active Communities;Mayor's Round Table

A small group of interested people met last week to discuss the above topic. This will help to inform future policies and programmes that Unley might offer. Key points discussed were;

• Health is more than just sports
• Council's primary role is to provide the infrastructure
• Community Gardens work
• Prorgammes should be offered at times people who work regular hours can attend
• 'Dog walking' plays an important role
• Coffee shops are playing an important role
• Healthy communities are pollution free (including cigarette smoke) and safe
• Public campaigns work
• Important to build resilience especially for mental health

The questions that followed asked
What would encourage you to be more active?
What would encourage the community to be more healthy and active?
Who are the target groups?
What are your thoughts on these?

DPA3 changes not all bad

It seems the new approval of the corridors Development Plan is not all doom and gloom. I have borrowed the detail of this from  KelledyJones Lawyers recent alert to Councils. This time I'll highlight the good stuff in green and the dodgy stuff in purple.
Amendments have been made from the draft DPAs which were the subject of public consolidation, to reflect the views of the community received during that consultation period. Notable changes from the draft DPAs include:
• the changing of some storey limits and the removal of some areas from the new Zone;
• increasing the requirements for onsite car parking and removing certain provisions which allowed developments to exceeded height limits;
• amending interface policies to strengthen protections for residents in adjoining residential areas; and
• changing public notification requirements to ensure that all proposed developments of three or more storeys adjacent to a residential zone are notified.
Accompanying the gazettal of these DPAs, the Government today released the sixth stage of its Building a Stronger South Australia policy. This policy, the Housing in the City policy, aims to:
• create a new DAC sub-committee to assess all development applications within Urban Corridor Zones of five or more storeys. This sub-committee will include a nominee from each Council with an Urban Corridor Zone to examine proposals within their Council area;
• extend the Design Review process to proposed developments within Urban Corridor Zones of five or more storeys;
• develop design guidelines for new housing within the Urban Corridor Zone and establish a new architecture and design centre to promote high standards of design and development;
• work with Councils in whose areas the new Urban Corridor Zones will operate to upgrade public spaces and streetscapes; and
• extend stamp duty concessions for off-the-plan apartment sales to apartments within Urban Corridor Zones.

Saving a Tree

Yesterday afternoon I was called by a distressed resident, a tree was being pruned/ removed and when his neighbour lodged their development application the tree was marked as being retained and not significant. The neighbour thought that the tree was significant and, therefore, not legally allowed to be heavily pruned or removed without Council consent. I called the relevant Council officer and he arrived at the residence. He ascertained that the tree was regulated ( circumference between 2 m and 2.5 m ) and that  a further  report would need to be made by the Council arborist. This will probably mean, in the end, that the tree is professionally pruned and the neighbour is satisfied that the tree will not be removed.
While we were looking at the tree it was obvious that another tree in a different yard  had broken and dead branches hanging above our heads. This tree will also be assessed.
There is a lesson in this for everyone; if you have council consent to remove or prune a tree let your neighbours know what you are doing in advance and everyone will be on the same page. Also seek council advice and approval before doing any significant work on any tree that might be regulated or significant.