News & Discussion: Adelaide City Council

[Ben]

From the Advertiser:

Student ghetto rejected

TOM ZED

September 09, 2009
A STUDENT housing development planned for the city's west has been refused approval because many of its apartments are less than half the required size.

Adelaide City Council's Development Assessment Panel refused consent for the project at its Monday night meeting, citing the size of the apartments and lack of open space and windows as reasons.

The House Brothers' proposal for the corner of Franklin and Gray streets features 24 two-bedroom and one-bedroom student apartments in a five-storey building.

The floor area of the two-bedroom apartments is just 30sq m – less than half the 75sq m requirement outlined in the city's development standards.

The one-bedroom apartments have a floor space of just 25sq m, only half the 50sq m limit the plan prescribes. The private open space provided for each apartment is 2.4sq m to 6.48sq m and also falls well below the minimum acceptable range of 8-11sq m.

Eight student accommodation complexes providing rooms for 1643 students have been built across the city since 2001.

A recent Education Adelaide study found more than 3050 international students were living in the Adelaide City Council area, an increase of 39.3 per cent since 2006.

Development Assessment Panel member councillors Anne Moran and David Plumridge were told to "temper" their language by the panel's presiding member Shanti Ditter after they described the complex as "the ghettos or slums of the future" and "suicide boxes".

"I just find this kind of accommodation very, very inferior," Mr Plumridge told the meeting. "The provision of accommodation is below a level I think is appropriate."

Ms Moran argued the same housing standards should apply for student accommodation as that applied to any other residential development in the city: "These are young people from other countries . . . (they) shouldn't be living in conditions that we would not want our children to live in."

[Omicron]

I quite enjoyed the language of Cr.s Moran and Plumridge, thank you.

I see no need to bother with multiple bedrooms when two pillows in the bath and a television in front of the lavatory should suffice. A thirty square metre bathroom sounds so much more luxurious!

[mooshie]

shouldn't this be about choice?

no one forces them to stay there, but it offers a cheaper option if it is wanted.

[Ben]

Not sure if this was posted elsewhere but the restaurant in the mall is now open.

New restaurant launches on Rundle Mall

WHAT: Lord Mayor Michael Harbison launches Briccone, a new restaurant in the East End of Rundle Mall.

WHEN: TODAY, 5.30pm Thursday 10 September.

WHERE: Opposite Rundle Lantern, East End of Rundle Mall.

Visitors to Rundle Mall now have an exciting new choice for fine dining with the launch tonight of Briccone at the shopping precinct’s eastern end.

The new covered outdoor eating venue occupies a prime location opposite the Rundle Lantern, seats 60 people and will be operated by celebrated Adelaide restaurateur Marcel Ruggieri.

Lord Mayor Michael Harbison said the new restaurant will add vibrancy and security to the eastern end of the Mall by drawing more people to the area.

“Not only will it offer visitors a great spot to dine and enjoy the atmosphere and night life of the Mall, but its location adjacent to the Rundle Lantern will provide a great view of the light and colour show in the evening.

“Importantly, this restaurant will open every evening, and the increased number of people in that precinct will not only add to the vibe, but also contribute to the safety of the area.”

“This restaurant will certainly be an exciting addition to the eastern end of Rundle Mall, providing another eat-in option for that precinct,” said the Lord Mayor.

The new restaurant will complement the existing Buskers restaurant in the western end of Rundle Mall, which since opening in December 2006 has successfully attracted greater foot traffic in the Rundle Mall precinct.

[skyliner]

Excellent! Such a position will be attractive to those in the HSQ apartments as well as adding to Rundle Mall options. A more vibrant mall is needed!
Centrally located news stands another option also.

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

[david]

Councillor David Plumridge Notes - Issue 34
- What are Briefing Sessions?
- The vexed question of confidentiality
- Federal Grants announced
- Green Roofs the way to go
- Council decisions....

NOTES FROM COUNCILLOR 34.pdf

(178.85 KiB) Downloaded 158 times

David

[UrbanSG]

From the City Messenger:

Adelaide a “dodo” city struggling to hit population targets
16 Sep 09 @ 08:00am by Adam Todd

A City Council admission that Adelaide will not reach its much-vaunted population growth targets has sparked an angry response from a frustrated business community.

The city’s residential population grew by 843 people to 19,833 in 2008/09, according to figures released by Town Hall this week well short of its target of 25,500 people by 2012.

Lord Mayor Michael Harbison described the growth rate as ``distressing’’.

``Our failure to reach those targets is a failure to get off our backsides and do something about it,’’ he said, in an apparent acknowledgement of the City Council’s shortcomings..

Business SA CEO Peter Vaughan laid the blame firmly at the feet of the council.

``It’s about its planning process, its support for overall development within the city``(And) its attractiveness in the city as a place to live as well as work,’’ he said.

``All of those things are not happening in Adelaide and it’s a direct result of the Adelaide City Council.’’

Mr Vaughan described the city as a ``dodo’’.

``We’re a city-state and if you don’t have a vibrant city centre, and residents add to that vibrancy, then clearly you will have a dead centre of Adelaide and that will not only be to the detriment of South Australians but it will also mean that we will not be able to attract good people to live here.’’

The figures also revealed the city’s overnight population, including those staying in hotels, was up 4 per cent to 27,476 but again, well short of the 2012 target of 34,500.

Mr Harbison acknowledged Town Hall needed to actively lure interstate developers to increase residential development.

``We have to work harder, we need to go out and beat the bushes and find the developers to build in the city.

``The one or two residential projects that we have going are simply not enough.’’

He also said that while barriers to development in the CBD, such as stamp duty, needed to be removed, the City Council needed to accept its share of the blame.

For instance, the council slashing its affordable housing target from 2000 dwellings by 2012 to just 150 had impacted negatively on the population count, he said.

``That distresses me as I think we should be beefing up rather than slowing down (with affordable housing).’’

Property Council of Australia state manager Nathan Paine said the Development Plan for the city needed to provide for denser developments.

``The biggest barrier is planning,’’ he said.

``If we can get the Development Plan for the CBD to recognise the need for increased densities and increased heights along the terraces and squares, the development industry will be able to provide the dwellings for people to buy.’’

Town Hall’s figures revealed the city’s worker population has increased 10 per cent since 2006 to 118,487.

The City Council believes it is on track to reach its target of 125,000 workers in the city by 2012.

[Omicron]

No self-respecting business will build what cannot be sold, which is why growth has stagnated. The 50-60 metre middle-class mid-density, mid-priced, mid-quality, mid-size developments so obviously regulated into existence by planning laws are just not attractive to the market - why spend $500k on two or three bedrooms, two little bathrooms, one open-plan living/dining area with white walls, a dubious kitchen and no land with limited views and shared facilities when the suburbs offer so much more for the money? It is increasingly apparent that poky little apartments must either be cheaper or offer a higher quality of fixtures and fittings over the norm to attract more buyers (especially when an increasing number of suburbs like Glenelg, Norwood, Croydon and their surrounds offer similar higher-density lifestyle advantages for often better value), and the cost/benefit analysis is simply not working within the existing restrictions. Mandating affordability is no good, either - all it does is artificially inflate demand (and prices) within the housing market even more so than handing first (and new) homebuyers thousands of dollars.

One cannot simply demand developers produce more desirable or more affordable apartments without allowing them some degree of freedom within the planning framework to make it worth their while in the first place.

[Will]

From the Messenger:

Lord Mayor fed up with planning planel antics
newsLocal News16 Sep 09 @ 07:31am by Adam Todd


A FED-UP Lord Mayor Michael Harbison has warned the outspoken Development Assessment Panel (DAP) to “cut it out” after a series of negative outbursts about developments.

Mr Harbison says he will lodge an official complaint with the Planning Minister Paul Holloway if the panel doesn’t “take a more professional approach”.

The panel has become increasingly outspoken in recent months, describing a Grote St development as “absolute rubbish” and another on Franklin St as “slums of the future”.

The criticisms have prompted complaints from architects and industry bodies, who say the panel is becoming subjective.

“I’m very concerned about it,” Mr Harbison said.

“I will be speaking to them, telling them to cut it out, if not, I’ll be going to the Minister.”

He said the DAP’s behaviour was reflecting poorly on the council as a whole.

The panel received a warning letter from CEO Peter Smith in May, reminding them to act with “integrity and professionalism”.

“That makes it additionally disappointing, that the behaviour is continuing,” Mr Harbison said.

Architect Fred Phillis, who designed the Grote St development, lodged an official complaint in May, calling for outspoken members to be sacked.

The Planning Minister has the power to suspend or sack members of the panel if it is deemed they have breached the code.

However, panel chair Shanti Ditter did not believe there had been any breaches as the code does not make specific reference to language use.

“In my opinion there hasn’t and I’d be surprised if the Minister does step in,” she said.

Last week Ms Ditter warned Crs David Plumridge and Anne Moran to “temper” their language: “There have been several occasions, other than last week, where what might be perceived as loaded language has been used, where it’s not necessarily appropriate,” she said.

Property Council of Australia state manager Nathan Paine said the panel’s behaviour was not helping to promote development in the city.

[skyliner]

From the Messenger:

Lord Mayor fed up with planning planel antics
newsLocal News16 Sep 09 @ 07:31am by Adam Todd

Property Council of Australia state manager Nathan Paine said the panel’s behaviour was not helping to promote development in the city.

Exactly. These are the sort of antics that give us the rediculous reputation of Adelaide that lies abroad in the other states.

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

[Omicron]

Can I still call all the architects pretentious, precious cocks, and make sneering references to their dubious scribbled excretions?

[david]

From the Messenger:

Lord Mayor fed up with planning planel antics
newsLocal News16 Sep 09 @ 07:31am by Adam Todd

Property Council of Australia state manager Nathan Paine said the panel’s behaviour was not helping to promote development in the city.

Exactly. These are the sort of antics that give us the rediculous reputation of Adelaide that lies abroad in the other states.

ADELAIDE - TOWARDS A GREATER CITY SKYLINE

What a load of rubbish! It is more likely the continual carping criticism of the Adelaide planning system and of the City Council by Nathan Paine and Peter Vaughan (aided and abetted by certain sections of the media and acquiescent Council leadership) which is the cause of any percieved loss of confidence in Adelaide. We have a Development Plan which since 2006 has been a developer's dream. Any lack of variety or creativity in available accommodation in Adelaide is solely down to the choices made by the development industry and the available investment sources at any given time.
David

[Prince George]

With respect, Councillor, I don't think that either side get to claim the high moral ground on this issue. Each are culpable for the parade of uninspired buildings that we all have to live with. Developers put forward lame-duck plans, the approval bodies require various window-dressing changes, a boring building results and both sides get to blame the other.

It strikes me that what's needed to get out of that impasse is for one of the sides to produce something of unambigously high quality, something that sets the standard for every other proposal to be judged against, something that throws down the gauntlet to everything that follows it. I can't see this coming from the developer's side, they have insufficient motivation for doing so, I think that it falls on the council to take the lead on this. It would thrill me to see the council choose a location to create something profoundly exciting, to set the standard that they can then demand other groups match. And, no, I don't think that North Terrace or Victoria Square counts as they are too large and diffuse to be effective examlpes. Indeed, choosing a smaller site allows a greater concentration of resources to drive a better outcome.

Until then, the council and their planning groups will remain at fault in the media, if only because that story sells more copy than "developers are boring" (and I suspect that Nathan Paine & co have better PR than council does). Producing something of spectacular quality yourselves cuts across that narrative and puts the ball firmly in the other side's court.

[Shuz]

We have a Development Plan which since 2006 has been a developer's dream.

I wouldn't call the archaic height limitations a developer's dream...

[Ben]

We have a Development Plan which since 2006 has been a developer's dream.

I wouldn't call the archaic height limitations a developer's dream...

Very much agree..