News & Discussion: Adelaide City Council

[Nathan]

I don't know if anyone has noticed, but in the "Forest of Dreams" they have paved 2 sections of path - and left the major one that runs through the middle (from out the front of the Earl of Aberdeen) a dirt track

seems rather strange.

It's been like that for quite a long time. The south east corner is really nice, and the rest is pretty much forgotten about.

Metro: It's Hurtle Square.

[SRW]

David or Stephen, I note that the cafe at the Bus Station is still not up and running some two years after it was supposedly let. I can't understand why such a situation has been allowed to persist in such a prominent location. Any indication as to why this is the case and when it might be rectified?

[King]

Sorry to add to the list of questions;

When can we expect some progress to be made about the Adelaide City Council's Development Plan Review, which I understand was supposedly earmarked for review after the council elections - I know it's been just a mere 3-4 months since, but I was under the impression that we would see some sort of action take place in 2011 over it.

[david]

Here are some brief answers to recent posted questions - we're all pretty busy right now!!!

Forest of Dreams
I agree that we should do more work on upgrading paths etc in Hurtle Square which is where the Forest of Dreams is located. Council is doing one quadrant of the square each year and all being well another $50 k will be allocated in the coming budget. Cllr Michael Henningsen has been pushng for this work to be done.

Development Plan Review
We have done work on Plan Reviews but most of them are currently awaiting the Planning Minister's approval to move to the next stages of public consultation. The Minister also has some changed priorities mainly around asking Councils to bring forward DPA's to be reviewed for compliance of their plans with the strategies of the 30 Year Plan.

Bus Station Cafe
Unfortunately two successive potential cafe operators have fallen away after long negotiations and one has involved Council in litigation which I am not able to write about. I can assure you that Council is very anxious to get this cafe up and running to activate the space and provide much-needed facilities for bus travellers and the wider community.

Grenfell/Currie St Paving
This is not currently on our forward plan. We were hoping to do something to improve the overall streetscape of this corridor as part of the O'Bahn upgrade but now that funds for this have been withdrawn I am not sure what we should do. Of course the Harris Scarfe development will start soon and that will cause considerable disruption in the street without adding work on new footpaths. This is a major project in the waiting but I cannot see Council being able to do much there in the immediate fiture.

David Plumridge
Deputy Lord Mayor

[Waewick]

thanks for the update David

really appreciated

[crawf]

Thanks David

[david]

Notes from Councillor David Plumridge - Issue 63

- Healthy, wealthy and wise
- Engagement - The New Jargon
- Late News, licensing hours
- Council decisions for March

Notes from Councillor Issue 63.pdf

(107.78 KiB) Downloaded 223 times

David Plumridge
Deputy Lord Mayor

[norwood]

8-10 Union Street Refused, is this another opportunity missed?

[mgb]

Just been reading the city messenger and the storey about the council pushing to have control over 10m+ developments put back in contract of the council.

Interesting how Anne Moran now say's "It (authority) was taken away unfairly and they should give it back". "We have an open, accountable planning panel that makes sensible, good decisions"...

Sorry, and there was I thinking that Anne Moran has starting to think about the long term development of the CBD. From what I have seen all the developments that have gone through the current process of the council DAC and then the DAP have all been the council saying no and the DAP saying yes.

The article say's the council should be commended by their willingness to work with the government regarding the Adelaide Oval, but from what I can see the council still is very negative towards development. Maybe the DAP is a bit too pro development, but the council can only blame themselves for this. Once they get off their "we want to keep the CBD looking like the 1920's" wagon they might be taken seriously!


mgb.

[iTouch]

Just been reading the city messenger and the storey about the council pushing to have control over 10m+ developments put back in contract of the council.

Interesting how Anne Moran now say's "It (authority) was taken away unfairly and they should give it back". "We have an open, accountable planning panel that makes sensible, good decisions"...

Sorry, and there was I thinking that Anne Moran has starting to think about the long term development of the CBD. From what I have seen all the developments that have gone through the current process of the council DAC and then the DAP have all been the council saying no and the DAP saying yes.

The article say's the council should be commended by their willingness to work with the government regarding the Adelaide Oval, but from what I can see the council still is very negative towards development. Maybe the DAP is a bit too pro development, but the council can only blame themselves for this. Once they get off their "we want to keep the CBD looking like the 1920's" wagon they might be taken seriously!


mgb.

Maybe the council said no because a lot of the designs for these proposals looked shithouse. I want an Adelaide with stylish highrise development instead of being by a cheap, pack em and stack em, douchebag developer

[Queen Anne]

Notes from Councillor David Plumridge - Issue 63

- Healthy, wealthy and wise
- Engagement - The New Jargon
- Late News, licensing hours
- Council decisions for March

Notes from Councillor Issue 63.pdf

David Plumridge
Deputy Lord Mayor

Thanks for your newsletter Councillor Plumridge. I read your piece, "Engagement - the New Jargon" with interest.

You have written quite a long list of consultations that the council has been involved in in 2010, but I'm confused as to which of these consultions you view as "very important and quite properly open to full stakeholder scrutiny" and which ones you don't.

I don't live in the Adelaide City Council area, so I didn't get a chance to "elect" your council. Therefore, it's important to me that I can participate in consultation over issues like the Central Market. If your council does decide to cut back on public consultation I hope you won't stop consulting over places like the Central Market which hold a special place in the hearts of so many South Australians who will never get the chance to voice their opinion through ACC elections.

I'm feeling a little concerned now that the efforts I have made to reply to surveys on the Central Market are part of a "tokenistic process of public scrutiny".

[david]

Hi Queen Anne,

Perhaps my labelling of consultation as a "tokenistic process of public scrutiny" was a little harsh but when you see how many well-reasoned submissions that are peremptorily dismissed by Council you would understand my somewhat cynical view of the consultation processes of Council! ( perhaps I have been around for a few too many years)

The kind of consultations I would question would be on leases and licences of sporting areas, one-off events (I have yet to see ONE event changed as a result of submissions) and other routine things that do not have much impact beyond the city limits.

The important things like budgets, business and strategic plans and consultations on subjects like the Central Market certainly warrant consultation with the wider community. We also need to find new and smarter ways to seek opinions, especially adopting some of the smarter technologies that are now available to us.

David

[david]

EXTRACT FROM ADELAIDE OVAL TENDER REGISTRATION DOCUMENTS
(Courtesy of InDaily 28 march 2011)

“The vision is to create an internationally recognised sports stadium to energise the recreational edge of central Adelaide throughout the year and Adelaide to gain new life and vibrancy in the River Torrens precinct.
“Combining new and existing stadium elements and carefully integrating with the highly valued Adelaide Parklands, the redeveloped Adelaide Oval, offering a multi-sport 50,000 seat venue, will acquire a new found identity.
“Adelaide Oval will enhance both its identity as a venue within a park and the image of Adelaide as a desirable sporting destination.
The tender documents outline a project claimed to be of global significance:
“Adelaide Oval has hosted both cricket and football at the highest level since colonial times and its iconic, historic and cultural presence remains today.
“Now, cricket and football are working to bring the two sports together at a newly developed Adelaide Oval – delivering an internationally renowned, world-class venue for the 21st Century.
“It will place Adelaide on the global map for a range of international and national entertainment and sporting events. It will encourage interstate and international tourism and so create a recreational dynamic that will allow the people of Adelaide and their visitors to enjoy – in their thousands – the River Bank Precinct at a point where North Terrace, the River and the Oval come together.
“It will be unique, mixing the very best of new world wide designs and stadium operations with the famous heritage of Adelaide Oval.
“The vision is to create an internationally recognised sports stadium to energise the recreational edge of central Adelaide throughout the year and Adelaide to gain new life and vibrancy in the River Torrens precinct.”

WOW!
David Plumridge

By the way, in response to the Advertiser article of 28 March, last time I looked the Adelaide City Council had not said that it would be giving up control of precinct parking and revenue, nor has it agreed to regular parking on Pinky Flat. I can assure S-A readers that, whilst Council has declared its support for the Oval redevelopment, there are many Councillors who consider these matters to be critical to the careful integration with the highly valued Adelaide Parklands (sic)

[Professor]

Could the Adelaide Council re-enter into discussions with local businessman Vili, to have one of their cafes establish in the large vacant space on Grote street, within the bus terminal? The bus station may not be the ideal place for a "formal" restaurant, but having Vilis set up another of their cafes would add life to the area, with patrons through the night and a service to CBD shift workers.

The alternative tenancy appears to have stopped before it started. Now that we have a new Council, so could discussions be re-opened and see what can be agreed on?

[Waewick]

especially with their new stance on alcohol licenses