Mark Basham

2014 candidate for City of Port Adelaide Enfield.
Heritage survey responses.

1. What do you think Council's role is in protecting and conserving heritage?
   Council should have greater powers to help protect and conserve heritage as we currently only administer heritage under planning legislation and can only advise to the State Government of our wishes for contributory places. We also should (and do) run Heritage Incentives Grant scheme to assist homeowners renovate heritage dwellings. I believe Council should have the power to add items itself than cannot be undone by a State Government Minister on a whim. We also coordinate public meetings and are in an advocacy role.

2. What measures and incentives do you support to protect and conserve local heritage?
   As above. I also believe State Government must do more to assist commercial and tourist potential items to be renovated and kept as genuine as possible. I am happy Council and Govt both put in half to do this for the Customs House. I also support the Development Act being changed to allow concessions to developers to keep heritage buildings character - eg no fee applications, lesser requirements to be met for some qualitative requirements such as open space or car parking.

3. What is the most important heritage protection issue in your local government area?
   Port Adelaide's maritime history - not just the boats and buildings but thanks to the State Government destroying the existing boatyards, something else to show a working port. People want to see a real Port - not a container yard or a tourist attraction of what it used to look like - we have a perfectly good Maritime Museum for the latter.

4. What policies and programs will you advocate to protect and conserve heritage in your local area?
   As above, We also need to be mindful of areas outside of the Port and items that are not just buildings - such as the Torrens Island mangroves, Linear Park and the very few fine buildings that are left from pre-WWI in the eastern portions of the Council. If we are to protect them the owners need a lot of help as a heritage protection order can be crippling to a family.

5. Do you support local Councils retaining development approval powers for projects over $3m in value?
   Yes, OR State Government take over ALL development approvals regardless of size so at least everyone will go to the right people to blame for when things go wrong.

6. Do you have any other thoughts about the protection of heritage in your Council area?
   Too much damage has been done already, and in SA we seem to have a tendency of 'pull it down' rather than 'what can we do to use what is there to make a better looking new development'? There is always going to be room for new buildings, as there should be, but we need to keep more of the old ones to keep the Port looking like a Port!