News & Discussion: Adelaide City Council

[FancyPants]

Why they caved in so quickly, because their decision affectied business and the local community.

We seem to have this weird perception on this forum that Adelaide should stop using cars etc, but until their is a viable alternative its just not going to happen. I do not want to catch a bus for 2 hours to get into the city. And reducing car parking by 2/3 on a street full of business's is not going to make Adelaide a cycling metropolis.

We'll see what the review has to say, but I'm prepared to wager that there is no concrete evidence one way or the other about the affect on businesses because nobody bothered to actually measure it; I suspect that this is based on hearsay and opinion, rather than concrete facts.

I LOL'd. Did you just denounce hearsay and opinion with, well, hearsay and opinion?

[ynotsfables]

Go Stephen all the best,i know you'll do well, we need a visionary like you.
Cheers.

[jk1237]

I couldnt get to Stephen Yarwoods speech at the BISA agm regarding cycling caus I was at Port Hughes, but here is the link to the podcast. Please download it. It goes for about 34 mins but I couldnt stop listening. Its not just about cycling but transport in general in the CBD

http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/page/podcast-1

ah it just makes me feel so more confident about our city if you become mayor Stephen

[jk1237]

btw whenever Im presented with a link Im too lazy to click on it. But does anyone have the link for Councillor Yarwoods blog. This time I will visit it

edit: Ive found it now

[Vee]

Hi all at Sensational Adelaide,

Exciting news – I’m running for Lord Mayor! Lots of information at http://www.StephenYarwood.com

Good news. Best wishes for your campaign.

[Clr Yarwood]

Thanks Guys! Good feedback.

If you want to be on my monthly mail lit please email @ [email protected]

Think it is possible we can talk Howie into putting my page up on the front page for a while or is that playing favourites?

[Waewick]

one of the things I would love to see the council do is try to get an agreement with with State Government or other councils to look after the greenbelt around the city better

it benefits the whole state but I doubt anyone will acknowledge that with money so it would be a state thing.

[rogue]

As much as I favour you, and I believe so does the majority of the forum's members - I don't think it's a wise idea. The diversity of the membership is exactly what makes Sensational Adelaide great for what it is.

For it to pledge political allegiance even if with the support of the majority of consituents, isn't fair to the rest of those who may see or think differently on things - even if one of them is someone who favours another candidate.

I agree with you in part, Roflcopter.

However Clr Yarwood is one of only 2 ACC members that constantly keep in contact with the forum on a regular basis. Lord Mayor Harbison (Harbo) only poked his nose in when the last council election was on and we haven't heard from him since.

For Clr's Yarwood and Plumridge to give us some of their time and keep us up to date, I personally believe that we owe them the opportunity to promote themselves via this website as long as the views and opinions they publish are clearly marked as their own and not the forums (whether you agree with them or not).

[mgb]

Maybe it's one of the Pub, or at least a separate 'council elections thread but something I would be interested in is seeing how the candidates have previously dealt with encouraging construction and development.

It seems that come election time the previous Councillor's often seem to be supporters of development, keeping the trees green, stopping crime and whatever else they need to say to get reelected. But once in the role they don't always live up to their promise. While we can't analyse any new candidate it would be interesting to see how those up for reelection have faired.

At least might help to know who seems to always be standing in the way of progress.


MGB

[AtD]

Roflcopter: Sensational-Adelaide is not a legal entity. You can't refer to it in such a manner in disclaimers.

[crawf]

I am more concerned about the state of some of the streets in the city at the moment

Since moving back I have noticed an increase in tagging throughout the city and burbs, particularly Currie Street. For such an important business strip it really is a disaster to see tagging along buildings, bus stops and not to mention the uneven pavers everywhere. I hope the O'Bahn Extension Project includes a major overhaul of Grenfell/Currie because it needs it, would also be good to see the ACC/State Government encourage more high-rise buildings along Currie Street.

I am also appalled at the increasing number of vacant buildings/sites throughout the city. Its beyond me that perfectly located grand buildings like 1 King William Street, old Colonial Building, former arcade along North Terrace (forgot its name!) etc could sit there for years all boarded up collecting dust.

Not a grand building but the former furniture store on the corner of Currie St & Light Sq is in a terrible state at the moment, looks appalling empty with tagging along the windows. The Former ANZ Branch on Grenfell St is also now boarded up!, though I think it might be undergoing renovations.

Its starting to look like the 1990s are back, thank christ for the planned Adelaide Oval Redevelopment, Medical Precinct, Train System Upgrade and Convention Centre/Torrens Riverbank Redevelopment which will give this city a well needed boast.

rant over

[ricecrackers]

hate to say i told you so, but seen it all before 20 years earlier

[Queen Anne]

I am also appalled at the increasing number of vacant buildings/sites throughout the city. Its beyond me that perfectly located grand buildings like 1 King William Street, old Colonial Building, former arcade along North Terrace (forgot its name!) etc could sit there for years all boarded up collecting dust.

I agree. How can we address this situation?

When we got back to Adelaide after three years away, it was a shock to see so many empty, sad looking buildings in town. I didn't remember there being so many? These emtpy buildings suck energy from the city - both because they are wasted spaces and because it makes the city look helpless and like it's in decline.

I can only imagine the impression left on visitors to our city, who are not also looking through the forgiving eyes of love, like I was when I landed back in town..

[monotonehell]

Well, if it's not a legal entity, can't there still be some sort of fine print embedded within the submission piece that makes mention similar to what I said before. I just don't think a lot of people would be too keen on having something like that being passed on as being representative of their views/opinions when it isn't?

We normally draw attention to this sort of thing. For example our submission of building heights from a couple of years ago had the following passage in the cover letter, highlighting a consensus rather than a hive mind:

SENSATIONALADELAIDE is not an industry lobby group or a political organization – it’s not formalised
or incorporated. The participants meet online in what is known as an Internet Forum or Bulletin
Board (sensational-adelaide.com.au) where they discuss various subjects related to Adelaide and
South Australian development; and beyond. The demographic is almost as wide ranging as the
population. Including people aged from 16 to 60, school students to labourers to professionals,
locals and ex-pats. Anyone can participate; even some city councillors and the Lord Mayor have
dropped by.
The submission was created from the consensus of discussion of the forum and is to be presented
to the Adelaide City Council’s 2008 Development Plan Review on Monday, 3rd November 2008.

[Wayno]

Good on you Clr Plumridge - working to make people appreciate the Park Lands (and an increase community events) is a wise move indeed! Sounds like a win-win situation to me - I hope you get necessary funds without delay

Keep us in the loop with progress please.

From the city messenger:

Learn to love our Parklands

A “Love Adelaide Park Lands” website, new walking trails and more community events are among the key actions in a plan to raise the profile of the city’s green belt.

The Adelaide Park Lands Marketing Plan 2010-2013 commissioned by the Adelaide Park Lands Authority is a three-year strategy aimed at creating wider appreciation for the parklands and, in turn, bringing more visitors to town.

The draft plan will likely be endorsed by the authority next month, though it hinges on City Council funding, since no money has been allocated to carry out any of the ideas, which include:

* A Facebook fan page
* An art show or public scrapbook of the community’s favourite pictures/memories in the parklands
* Interpretive signs
* Day trip packages to the city with a focus on activities in or near the parklands, such as the Popeye boat cruise and the zoo
* A calendar of new and existing events, including an annual picnic in the park and art in the park day, and
* Ad campaigns on buses, trains and airport terminals

Authority member and City Councillor David Plumridge hoped the council would provide funds in its 2010/11 draft budget for stage one to begin, including signs and the website.

Cr Plumridge estimated it would cost about $20,000 for each of the next three years to carry out the plan.

“I think it’s likely we will get some funding for the first stage because the spin off from it is that it will bring more people into the city,” he said.

“The plan has been well received by the authority and it would be good to see more appreciation and use of the parklands.”

However, Adelaide Park Lands Preservation Association president Kelly Henderson said her group was not consulted on the plan and did not support the proposal for more Parklands events.

“The condition of the parklands is already degraded from over-use,” she said. “We’ve got areas in Rymill and Rundle Park that are bare dirt because the grass has worn away. So for the council to be proposing an intensification of the current overuse, that’s a concern.”

Lord Mayor Michael Harbison, the authority’s chairman, said council staff would “flesh out” the total cost of the plan before the authority considered it.

He said promoting the parklands to the community was “most important” for their protection.