Brandon Turton

2022 candidate for Port Pirie Regional Council.
Heritage survey responses.

1. Do you think that Councils and community members need to have a greater voice in planning and development decisions affecting their local area?
   Yes; as they are the members who live in the area, they should be involved in the planning and final decision-making before initiatives are implemented.

2. What role should Councils play in protecting local heritage places from demolition or inappropriate development?
   Councils should develop a list of heritage sites and items to be accounted for through asset management. This should be an aspect of their budget and a significant item to consider. There should be assistance from State/ Federal government to assist with heritage preservation as well, a duty for the council to enact.

3. How would you seek to improve protections for heritage places in your area?
   This can be done through ownership; if there is sufficient information about a heritage site, there will be more willing to preserve them. Having information boards, or QR scanning codes is the most effective way to inform visitors about culturally significant areas.

4. We rarely see new places added to local heritage listings. Why do you think this is?
   There likely is not enough discussion on the prestige of items that should be added to heritage listings. Adding additional items to the heritage listings will give community members a stronger bond with the town and its history.

5. How has the Planning and Design Code impacted on the heritage, amenity, and environment of your area? What changes would you seek to the Code?
   The Planning and Design Code is a great initiative to assess and determine the best practices for the development and infrastructure of an area. As this is a relatively new policy, there are no immediate changes I would advocate for; however, I would encourage continuous communication with members of the community in the case of changes or initiatives.

6. What are the impacts of infill development in your area? What changes would you seek in the rules around infill development?
   My area is regional, so there are clusters of concentrated infrastructure. There is a lot of potential with vast sections of "vacant" land. I would like to see the use of recycled materials being used in urban infrastructures, like recycled plastic in furniture, and rubber pavements. There should be an increase in the use of solar streetlights as well

7. Construction of new housing typically uses 30% labour and 70% materials. Renovation of existing housing stock typically uses 70% labour and 30% materials. What policy changes would you like to see made to encourage people to renovate, rather than demolish and build anew?
   Port Pirie generally has cheap housing with people usually renovating before selling. There has recently been a spike in inflation in the housing market, likely from outside investment from interstate. An ideal policy would be to give purchasing preference to local residents and an effort to keep housing affordable enough to renovate.

8. How should the community be informed and involved in decisions about new developments?
   In this modern age, social media is the quickest form of communication. There should be a push to inform people using online forums. Receiving postal information is conventional and effective for the older generation.

9. Do you think there is adequate tree canopy across your local government area?
   There is sufficient coverage in the neighbourhoods and parks, but not as much in the main streets. There are palm trees that offer the primary canopy, however, these are not found in the CBD, so planting more trees would be ideal.

10. How would you like to see significant and regulated trees in your area protected from removal?
    Information is the best tool to make people aware of the species of tree, its significance and the reason for regulation. This promotes ownership within the community, giving residents a reason to take care of their surroundings

11. What involvement should Councils have in decisions about protecting or removing significant and regulated trees?
    The council should have continuous involvement, with their primary duty of informing the community of issues and honouring the wishes of the town.

12. What actions would you advocate to slow or mitigate the impacts of climate change in your local government area?
    As my area is considered an industrial town, I would advocate for working alongside the EPA to ensure the town maintains acceptable regulation limits and parameters for air quality and water management. I would advocate for the use of recycled material in urban infrastructure, and the use of green/ clean energy, like solar.

13. What issues are there with traffic and parking in your area?
    The population in my area is relatively small; all major facilities are located centrally, so there is a little hassle with traffic. It would appear that you can get to any destination in 10mins or less. There are taxis available for travelling to specific destinations and 1 bus route that travels around town. There are no major issues with traffic

14. How could transport options be improved in your area?
    Visitors from bigger cities have asked for ride-share services like "Uber" to be brought into the town. This would be advantageous for people not familiar with the area, as everything is more convenient online

15. What would your top three priorities be for improving planning policy and outcomes in your local government area?
    Sustainable infrastructure and energy use initiatives for climate change management
    Strategic urban development planning for "vacant" areas of land
    Preservation of culturally significant sites and trees