Alice Campbell

2018 candidate for City of Charles Sturt.
Heritage survey responses.

Do you agree that the identification and protection of local heritage places is best done by local councils rather than DPTI (Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure)?
I think that it can be a combination - local councils have good grassroots knowledge of what constitutes heritage but having state government support often adds extra weight to maintaining and recognising heritage places. Resources for protecting local heritage places should be shared across the two levels of government.
In your opinion, has the current system of local heritage protection served your community well?
At the moment I think it serves the Hindmarsh Ward well. Additional support for heritage through our heritage grants and heritage recognition program has also helped. Council has also placed a particular emphasis on local history, which provides further awareness about local places with heritage significance.
Should councils reject proposals to list local places of historic merit simply because an owner objects?
No, I think that owners need to be aware of their obligations if they have a heritage place. They should receive some support to maintain their heritage place but should not be able to determine by themselves if the place they own should be listed as local heritage significance or not. Protecting a heritage place has benefits for the whole community and not listing a heritage place based on the owner's objection is not in our best interest.
Should neighbours of local heritage listed buildings have a right of appeal on development applications that propose demolition?
Yes I think neighbours of local heritage listed buildings have an interest in that type of decision and should be able to appeal a proposed demolition.
Should buildings listed as Contributory Items in your council area receive better protection?
I think the council has a reasonable system for protecting Contributory Items but there needs to be greater awareness in the community about the importance of contributory items to our heritage. Council needs to ensure that owners of contributory items do not allow the property to go into a state of disrepair to justify demolition.
Do you agree that places proposed for listing by your council as Local Heritage or Contributory Items should be subject to review by DPTI? Or would reviews be more appropriately conducted by an independent source of expert advice?
This is a tough question - DPTI should already have experts who can make these decisions based on the advise from council. The current system tends to work for our council area. Perhaps an independent body could be an appeal mechanism for those who object to the decision of council and review by DPTI.
Would you like to see your council work more closely with the National Trust of SA in protecting heritage, for example, by signing up as one of the Trust's Civic Partners?
Yes
What are your personal suggestions for improving the way your council handles policy and planning?
I think there have been good improvements over the past 4 years to policy and planning. There are more provisions for consultation than ever before and consultation is a key component of determining policy and planning. However, we can continuously learn from the consultation processes undertaken to keep improving our policy and planning.
Should councils actively encourage individuals to nominate places for consideration as local heritage?
Yes