Ken Rollond

2014 candidate for City of Holdfast Bay.
Heritage survey responses.

What do you think Council's role is in protecting and conserving heritage?
Very important. Determine which buildings must be preserved and then develop a plan on how to achieve this. Holdfast Bay has the only remaining Town Hall in the suburbs of Adelaide prior to 1870 and the Council wants to sell it. We also have a massive history collection and no where to show it off. The oldest building in Holdfast Bay is Kingston House ( owned by the State Government) and if it weren't for a wonderful band of volunteers this would gradually deteriorate. In fact it has developed a crack in the Eastern wall possibly due to tree root invasion and nothing has been done so far. The Glenelg Historical Society is hoping to commission a bronze stature of Mary Thomas in the future. Mary was one of the initial arrivals to South Australia and played a major role in the development of Adelaide.
What measures and incentives do you support to protect and conserve local heritage?
I strongly support retaining historical buildings in Council's ownership where possible. Identifying and budgeting for maintenance is extremely important . Likewise incentives such as rate reductions for private heritage properties is appropriate and offered by my Council
What is the most important heritage protection issue in your local government area?
1 maintaining the Old Gum Tree site. 2 Retaining the Original Brighton Town Hall in Council's ownership. 3 making sure the Glenelg Town Hall is maintained and hopefully one day returned as a Town Hall. 4 Keeping our history collection safe and secure as well as displaying certain aspects frequently . 5 Continuing the heritage and historical rebate on Council rates.
What policies and programs will you advocate to protect and conserve heritage in your local area?
All of the above
Do you support local Councils retaining development approval powers for projects over $3m in value?
This is very difficult to be dogmatic. Clearly some proposals have merit but local support is lacking. On the other hand if people making decisions re expensive proposals don't take in to consideration local opinion then disharmony occurs. Every proposal is different and the principal of decide and defend needs to end. Instead consult and decide is better but generally speaking time usually is the best indicator of whether the decision was good or bad.
Do you have any other thoughts about the protection of heritage in your Council area?
No