Catherine Purvis

2022 candidate for City of Prospect.
Heritage survey responses.

Do you think that Councils and community members need to have a greater voice in planning and development decisions affecting their local area?
In respect of local heritage places definitely. As far as I am aware the development plans that were created locally with the input of community by councils have been incorporate in the overlays within the Planning Code. They key issue I think is the single council member on the Council Assessment Panel (to at least 3 independent members) in my view there should be two standing council members on CAP
What role should Councils play in protecting local heritage places from demolition or inappropriate development?
Where an application is put forward to demolish a local heritage place, my view is that the council representation should be increased. There is currently only one council member on the CAP and my understanding is that demolition applications are not within the scope of council decision making currently either.
How would you seek to improve protections for heritage places in your area?
1.Advocate to remove barriers to local heritage nominations 2.Increase awareness of our local heritage places - if people are aware, they may become invested, if they are invested, they will likely be more motivated to protect and value these places and things 3.Increase opportunities for public engagement with our local heritage - through a local heritage trail and increasing public access where possible
We rarely see new places added to local heritage listings. Why do you think this is?
Anyone can nominate a place to be considered for State Heritage listing. Its free, the form is available online, a completed nomination is provided for reference, and you can receive assistance to complete your nomination. Local heritage listings need to be made by recommendation of local councils and an extensive list of supporting evidence is required (per practice direction) The process for local heritage nomination should not be more onerous than State Heritage. I'd like to see the application process for both added to Plan SA for visibility and transparency. The value I see in adding to local heritage listings (both places and things) - preserving our local history, things of social, architectural, historical significance.
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?
It is difficult to say concretely how the Planning and Design code has impacted on the heritage, amenity and environment without a comparison of decision outcomes in Prospect pre and post the code. From community and planner feedback it appears to be significantly more difficult, complex and expensive to nominate spaces and items for local heritage protection. The requirement for a thematic analysis has been cited as a major barrier to nomination - I would like to clarify why a thematic analysis is required for local heritage nominations when it isn't for State Heritage nominations. There has also been an apparent loss of control in relation to demolition applications. I do appreciate the increased visibility of development applications provided by a streamlined and digital system.
What are the impacts of infill development in your area? What changes would you seek in the rules around infill development?
There are many impacts of infill development in City of Prospect, some positive, others not. City of Prospect has one of the lowest percentages of open green space (at 12m2 I believe it's the second lowest) of an inner metropolitan Adelaide council. New development is focussed on our transport corridors, varying from master planned precincts to single project apartment blocks. There is also frequent subdivision occurring in some residential areas. My primary concern is the lack of public open green space for people, particularly children, living in apartments or small subdivided properties who won't have a backyard or close, accessible green space. With very little vacant land available, increasing the number of green spaces requires land to be purchased, at commercial rates, gifted (extremely rare) or through a successful application to the state government Open Space Grant program where councils need to be able to match funding. In the 20-21 financial year one project was funded by the Open Space Grant fund - 325k for Irish Harp Reserve. Some of the larger master planned developments - like the one proposed for 250b Churchill Road are large enough to provide green space for public use. The developments of smaller scale where land division is less than 20 allotments and payments are made to the state government open space grant fund in lieu of open space requirements, there is no guarantee that those funds will be used to provide additional green space in the surrounding area. I would like to see a rating applied to new developments, publicly displayed on the property, clearly demonstrating their impact including: The amount paid to the Open Space Grant fund, where relevant The building energy rating & urban heat profile The landscaping approved % open space that is covered by non-permeable surfaces [relevant to rate payers in terms of cost of managing stormwater and flash flooding risks]
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?
At a local government level, I support the expansion of the Heritage Grants Program both in terms of eligible applicants and program value. Increased cost of renovation in comparison to building new is a barrier
How should the community be informed and involved in decisions about new developments?
It depends on the size and scope of the works, but in general proactively notified in writing and given an opportunity to respond and access to advice where required
Do you think there is adequate tree canopy across your local government area?
No, but it is significantly improving, Increasing tree canopy is a key policy platform for me. I am aware that Morrison et al. note in their 2021 Conservation Council report that Adelaide is not on track to meet the urban canopy goals stipulated in the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide.
How would you like to see significant and regulated trees in your area protected from removal?
City of Prospect identified specific trees in their development plan [under the former Act] which required a development application for any 'tree damaging activity' even where the tree was exempt from classification as a regulated tree due to species or location. I could not ascertain whether this protection has carried over into the Regulated and Significant Tree Overlay in the Design and Planning Code. I will seek to clarify my understanding and would also consult with City of Prospect staff and the Prospect Local Environment group to better understand their views and also review the data on any applications to perform tree damaging activities in relation to significant trees identified under the former development plan.
What involvement should Councils have in decisions about protecting or removing significant and regulated trees?
As far as I can ascertain, such decisions are considered by the Council Assessment Panel and I think that is appropriate. City of Prospect also has a Significant Tree Grant Program provides for the partial funding of restoration, conservation or maintenance work undertaken on listed Significant Trees
What actions would you advocate to slow or mitigate the impacts of climate change in your local government area?
I have five key focus areas, the first of which is a greener and more climate resilient Prospect. I will take action to 1. Increase tree canopy to combat the urban heat effect 2. Implement a strategy to increase verge plantings, in partnership with both residents and businesses 3. Advocate to change our green waste and recycling collection to weekly and landfill to fortnightly 4. Advocate for easier recycling of soft plastics and batteries, ideally creating capacity to manage through roadside recycling but at a minimum introduce a one stop recycling hub to avoid residents travelling to multiple locations 5. Advocate for climate change performance measures to be developed and publicly reported against
What issues are there with traffic and parking in your area?
Traffic flow and parking issues are regularly raised.
How could transport options be improved in your area?
I support funding an integrated transport plan, to look at these issues across our city as a whole including barriers to use of public and active transport.
What would your top three priorities be for improving planning policy and outcomes in your local government area?
Removing barriers to nomination of local heritage
Including climate change performance indicators in the business plan
Second council member on the Council Assessment Panel