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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-11-27 Daily Xml
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UNLEY

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (14:47): My question is to the Leader of the Government and Minister for Urban Development and Planning. Adelaide's inner suburbs have a distinctive feel and charm that distinguishes our city. Will the minister provide details of work being carried out to identify and preserve the unique character of the City of Unley?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (14:47): I thank the honourable member for his question. Adelaide does have its own distinct charm. Much of this is due to the layout of the city and its parklands, but it is also due to the character of its inner suburbs. With Adelaide's urban fringes already running into the natural barriers of the gulf and the hills to the west and east, and the Barossa and McLaren Vale wine-growing districts to the north and south, there is significant pressure to provide additional housing within our existing suburbs. The challenge for this government and metropolitan councils is how to balance this demand while retaining our heritage and character.

Part of the answer to this challenge is to provide urban renewal in older, developed areas by harnessing industrial land for high-density housing—indeed, as the government intends to do at the Clipsal site in Bowden. The government, with the City of Playford, is also embarking on a project to renew some of the tired, post-war suburbs in Adelaide's north, and this government's commitment to electrify Adelaide's metropolitan rail network also allows us, for the first time, to begin considering harnessing neglected transit corridors—particularly rail corridors—to create commuter friendly communities.

Homeowners have always been keen to live within Adelaide's dress circle suburbs and, while many of the heritage and character homes have been well maintained, the remaining vacant blocks and rundown housing stock provide some opportunity for redevelopment within those suburbs. These opportunities have to be managed so as not to clash with existing heritage and character, and the best way to achieve this is through a development plan. That is why I have been working with the City of Unley for the past two years to create a draft new development plan that clearly recognises the unique local heritage and character aspects of that part of Adelaide's inner suburbs.

My approval for the introduction this week of the City of Unley Village Living and Desirable Neighbourhood Development Plan (a very substantial document), and its immediate effect through the interim powers given to me in the Development Act, provides appropriate recognition of heritage areas and the distinctive qualities that give the inner suburbs to the south of Adelaide this special and endearing character. The planning policies contained within the new development plan identify a new residential historic conservation zone that encompasses all the heritage areas of the City of Unley. The development plan also includes a residential streetscape zone that encompasses all the distinctive character areas that provide the City of Unley with its unique look and feel. This plan allows the council to protect Unley's special qualities while still responding to the continued demand for growth and the development of new communities within this area.

Establishing character areas with a distinctive look and feel will also assist the local council to adopt planning policies to better manage the nature of redevelopment in these particular streetscapes. Buildings within these identified residential streetscapes can be demolished only if a replacement is assessed by the council as being consistent with the specific character of that part of Unley. The performance of the new development plan is to be monitored during the next 12 months to ensure that the objectives of identifying and conserving heritage and character are achieved.

I hope this 12-month pilot study of the Unley plan will assist other councils to undertake the task of identifying their local heritage areas and defining character features. Stage 2 of Unley's development plan amendment process will consider the long-term vision for this council area and the opportunities for continued population growth close to the city. I suspect that this will be achieved by increasing housing density and diversity in some of the remaining residential areas of the council not included in the local heritage or character zones, and this will probably mean substantial upscaling along existing rail and traffic corridors and within key activity centres within the City of Unley.

I acknowledge the work of the Department of Planning and Local Government in helping the City of Unley to develop this pioneering development plan. I also thank the mayor of Unley (Richard Thorne), his fellow councillors and council staff for their patience and cooperation and the enormous amount of work that was critical to this successful outcome.

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