The story of two palms

Every now and again I get a request from a resident that is so compelling that I feel I need to act immediately and try to achieve an outcome that is favourable for this person. Not long ago the friend of a resident approached me about a Canary Island palm in Langdon Ave. This tree, almost inexplicably, is on the Council register of important trees even though it is not significant and id within 10 m of a house. This particular palm has been the roosting and launching site of pigeons and a dwelling place for rats. Council has done maintenance pruning from time to time on request. The problem is that the pigeons have made the life of at least one resident miserable.  After discussion with Council staff it was reiterated that the tree was healthy and would, therefore, not be removed. After discussing the matter with the CEO I  then put a motion to Council this week calling for the Council to support the resident in calling for the removal of the tree. After a lively debate this was  agreed to by Council. At the same time I also asked for  a similar palm to be removed from Culley St.
After these trees are removed they will be replaced by more suitable species and ones with a much larger canopy and more opportunity to shade. And the other good thing is that it may be possible for the trees to be removed and replanted elsewhere to provide instant landscaping.

Are you sick of your dolomite verge?

Greening Verges are back for 2019! Unley residents and organisations are now eligible to apply for a Greening Verges Incentive to assist in greening their verge (nature strip).
For a limited number of successful applicants, Council will remove existing dolomite and replace with 100mm depth of soil at no cost, leaving the verges ready for planting.

Applications are available online or hardcopies at the Council Civic Centre. Applications close on Monday 18 November, but don't delay as spots will be allocated on a ‘first qualified in, first served’ basis. 

Please note that applicants must agree to source and pay costs associated with plants, planting the verge and ongoing maintenance.

Council encourages residents to take ownership of their verge areas as this enhances our streetscapes and the kerb appeal of residences throughout the City.
In addition to extra greenery, landscaping a verge contributes in many positive ways by:

• providing a healthier environment for street trees
• softening the effect of hard surfaces such as roads and footpaths
• improving air quality
• working at natural air conditioners through moisture in leaves
• reducing stormwater run-off, and
• providing habitat for small creatures like bees and butterflies.

Need Some Verge Garden Inspiration?

Heritage and Character Forum

Wed 23rd Oct: 6:30 pm until 8 pm
Eastwood Community Centre, 96 Glen Osmond Rd, Eastwood

This is an opportunity to discuss heritage, character and contributory items in our community directly with David Pisoni and Stephan Knoll
Please let the know if you are attending. RSVP 83734846 or unley@parliament.sa.gov.au 

This forum will allow questions form the floor. If you have not attended one of these so far and you are interested in continued heritage protection in your suburb then attendance is essential.

This mornings chat at Rise and Grind

was a time to catch up with an old friend and to listen to resident concerns. Over the 2 hours I had a chat with five different people. Their concerns were:

• the use of glyphosate by Council. One person had attended the recent briefing of Council on the topic and was impressed with the presentation on alternate methods and in particular the effectiveness of steam. The other is already convinced that the risk is too great to continue its use. Now this topic is in public arena Chanel 7 did a story on it last night. One suggested that if the Council continues to spray it should alert people coming in contact with it if red dye was added to the liquid. He was also impressed with Councillor questions and buy in on the issue at the briefing
• one person commented on the condition of the grass at Page Park
• the other two were interested in traffic management and called for Council to look at lengthening the yellow lines that prevent parking in Forest Ave (at the corner with East Ave), and in Hartland Ave ( near the Aroha Tce corner) and speeding control in Addison Ave

Hope to see you next time, which will be November 16th, 10am to12pm. at Rise and Grind.

Exploring alternate Weed Management solutions

A workshop to be held tomorrow on the above topic will be open to the public. (6:30 pm ant the Civic Centre). At the workshop Councillors will hear a presentation from the UrbanVirons Group about a trial that they are currently undertaking to manage weeds in an urban setting using steam. Given the recent concerns expressed by our community with the use of Glyphosate this information will be timely. Hopefully, it  it allow the budget process for next financial year to include alternate weed control in some areas of Council.

Museum launch: On Your Bike

Exhibition Launch Thursday 31st October 5-7pm Opening on 31st October is our next major exhibition On Your Bike.   The exhibition explores all things bikes!  With plenty of bikes to see and things to do, you can learn all about the bike and where it came from.  Find out where to ride now and the history of cycling and bikes in South Australia. With artwork by Jimmy Dodd, an interview with Olympic cyclist Stephanie Morton and things to do like test your power on our generator bike, this exhibition has something for everyone.  The event is free and open to the public. 31st October, 5-7pm Unley Museum 80 Edmund Avenue

You contaminate it then you pay

Technology has improved so much that recyclables can be scanned as they go in the truck. The  load can the be rejected and it will be possible for offenders to be sent warning noticed and/or fined. As most of you are aware China refused to take our recyclables as they were too often contaminated with material that should have gone in either the rubbish or green bin. Some councils are experiencing a contamination  rate as high as 26%. As Council looks at a new waste contract  we must also look at innovative ways to continue to reduce waste, and to recycle well what can be reused. We must also consider emptying the blue bin less often.

Its all about subdivision

The new residential planning code that was released last week  has given some insights into existing planning. 40% of new housing is now  provided by subdivision rather than greenfield's development. These allotments have been created by the demolition of 12,000 homes. There seems to be some attempt to raise that minimum block sizes an some areas. It also focuses on increasing tree planting and garden space as well ensuring garaging is usable (you can open the doors when you get inside the garage) and convenient. Rainwater tanks and off-sire parking will still be required. I'm yet to read the plan in full but have looked at sections of interest. What does all this mean for Unley?

Active Aging: Summer talks

For further information or booking for this free event

please follow the link https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/get-set-for-summer-be-prepared-for-the-summer-heat-tickets-74924801097

Time to celebrate: upcoming events

Party in the Park	Sun 13 October	Goodwood Community Centre Green Space
Zest Fest	21-25 October	Various Council facilities
Halloween on KWR	Sat 26 October	King William Rd
Fork on the Road	Sun 27 October	Orphanage Park, Millwood
Day of the Dead	Sat 2 November	Village Green
Goodwood Arthouse Pop Up Gallery and Marketplace	Fri 8 – Sun 10 November	Goodwood Primary School
Junk in the Trunk	Sun 10 November	Goodwood Community Centre Green Space
Celebrate Summer Street Party	Sat 16 November	Gilbert Street, Goodwood
Kings Park Clinic 60th Birthday Celebration	Sun 17 November	Church of the Trinity, Goodwood Road
Alliance Francaise French Market	Fri 22 - Sat 23 November	Soldiers Memorial Gardens
ETSY Made Local	Sat 23 November	Oxford Terrace
Cycling SA Unley  Criterium: CSA Super Series Round 8	Sun 24 November	Unley Oval Reserve & surrounding Streets
Junk in the Trunk	Sun 8 December	Goodwood Community Centre Green Space
Ignite Unley Cinema # 1	Fri 13 December	Opey Avenue, Hyde Park
Carols at the Rotunda	Sun 15 December	Soldiers Memorial Gardens
Unley Park Baptist Church Annual Street Party and Carols Night	Sun 22 December	Bellevue Place, Unley Park

Heywood Pard: new artwork

This stunning artwork has recently been installed in Heywood Park. It still needs the grass to grow on the mound. In the meantime stop, have look and enjoy.

www.jennieboisvert.com is working again.

In early September I was sent a message from Google that my website would not renew as I had the automatic renewal button on  no. Try as I might I followed numerous links and dead ends and got nowhere. On the 19th, true to their word they no longer sponsored my blog and it went offline. As luck would have it the blog was originally setup in Blogspot and was still on line and working but with a slightly different address. I eventually found another company that would re-register the name, charge no more than before and after considerable tweaking it worked. As of Monday morning it was back. The problem was actually that Google no longer sponsors blogs and have sold this portion of the their business. Now if they had just told me that in the first place, given me the name of an alternate sponsor it all would have take a few minutes!

Millswood Parking

 After community consultation parking controls were introduced into parts of Millswood in 2018. These controls have now been reviewed by Council and most seem to be working effectively. The assessment confirmed that there is now a greater availability of on-street parks in the area. However, some areas of Laught Ave seem to have so much  commuter parking that residents would like the parking controls to include a short section of this street. I will be meeting with staff to ascertain the follow up that might be required for this to be implemented.

New Planning Code

 The new code was released for consultation on the 1st October. Submissions can be made until the 28th February. The new code reduces the zones across the state to about 60, but is over 3,000 pages in length. If you have the time look at the links. Of particular concern is the removal of Heritage Zones and how the plan intends for these homes to be protected from demolition. By their own admission this plan is more about providing opportunities for in-fill housing . See what you think

The Code, support materials, map links and the submission form can also be accessed from the SA Planning Portal.  These links have additional information.

https://www.saplanningportal.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/587298/Planning_and_Design_Code_-_Phase_Three_Code_Amendment.pdf

https://dpti.geohub.sa.gov.au/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=5fcfc772bf7d4c279ad9bb11c15bf419

The Council will be preparing a draft response for Council when staff have had time to read and analyse the proposal.