Filed under: Biodiversity, Development, Environment, Gawler, Planning, Politics, South Australia, Sustainability, Urban Sprawl | Tags: 30 Year Plan, Delfin Lend Lease, Gawler, Gawler East, Para Woodlands, Planning, sustanability
It is important that the draft “commitment” deed for Gawler East has finally been released.
Although it is a working document it does provide a very good indication of the possible make up of the final deed.
What is very interesting is the lack of financial commitment by Delfin Lend Lease.
In fact Delfin is quite upfront about their primary objective: achieve commercially acceptable returns.
Reading the document it sounds that Government departments and the community become de-facto agents of Delfin to ensure they turn a profit.
Issues like undergrounding the power and water (which are vital for Delfin to ensure the housing density they need) are placed at the feet of the organisations that own them. It is proposed they are pay for the upfront cost. An ‘equitable portion’ will be recouped from, for example Delfin, in a manner to be agreed with Delfin after the site is developed. There is no commitment to pay all of the cost, just a proportion sometime in the future.
The connector road from the north to the south of the development is proposed to be funded by the State Government and the Gawler Council. It will be a local road and is therefore unlikely to provide any long-term solutions to general traffic congestion in the town
A very worrying point is the proposed location of a waste water treatment plant, water storage dams and power generation within the Para Woodlands Conservation Park. The Para Woodlands, with funds to manage it, was generously donated to the whole community for revegetation and as a sanctuary for animal life. This Park is an important element in the State’s program to halt species loss, ensuing the long-term survival of plants and animals.
Proposing to site infrastructure in Para Woodlands shows a total disregard for the value the community places on its conservation area over the need for profit.
The document shows how a situation can be skewed towards one entity at the expense of others. The document highlights the problems that are generated when projects are rushed. It looks more and more like Delfin has not done its home work before bidding for the site and now is trying to reduce its financial obligations to ensure its profitability.
Surely this process is not healthy for the developer or the community. If a structure plan had been completed originally, developers would be able to bid for land knowing full well the cost to develop the site.
We currently have a developer who at the beginning of the process was promising a lot of outcomes. They propose to back away from many of them and are relying on the community to fill the gaps in their plans.
The whole approval process should be halted until all the issues around the development are resolved. The State Government and Gawler and Barossa councils need to avoid a rushed process favoured by a powerful corporation that believes it can bring pressure to bear politically
Filed under: 30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, Barossa, Biodiversity, Concordia, Development, Environment, Gawler, Habitat, Paul Holloway, Planning, South Australia, Sustainability, Urban Growth Boundary, Urban Pacific, Urban Sprawl, ugb | Tags: Barossa Regional Land-Use Study, Concordia, Development, Environmental Impacts, farming land protection, rural land protection, SA Carbon Neutral Pretenders, Uban Pacific
Why would the government choose to house 15,000 people in Concordia when one of its own studies as far back as 1997 in this
Rural land assessment 1997 concluded that most of Concordia had ‘class 1′ ‘high productive potential’ ‘requiring only simple management practices to maintain productivity’. Here’s something that is sustainable without having to try!
Filed under: 30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, Barossa, Biodiversity, Development, Environment, Gawler, Paul Holloway, Planning, South Australia, Sustainability, Urban Growth Boundary, Urban Sprawl | Tags: 30 Year Plan, 30 Year Plan Greater Adelaide, Gawler, Planning, Public Submissions, Transparency in Government and Development Decisions
Apparently the State Government is not planning to publish submissions on the 30 Year Plan. So in the interests of public debate and transparency blogawler has approached people who we know have made submissions.
Please find attached a copy of the submissions of Sue Coldbeck and A Shackley and the views of Graham Brookman.
We hope to add to the submissions as we collect them. Mark Parnell MLC has also made some observations about the population projections in the 30 year plan and conflicts of interest see http://markparnell.org.au/speech.php?speech=798
More submissions: Paul Koch for the Gawler Urban Growth Boundary Forum Committee.
Helen Wilmore for the Cheek Avenue Area Residents Group
The Gawler Environment and Heritage Association has also provided their submission.
Filed under: Development, Gawler, Planning, South Australia, Sustainability, The Bunyip | Tags: Community consultation, Delfin Lend Lease, Gawler East
The Gawler East development is in many people’s mind now only an exercise in spin over substance. At the start of the process the developer was more than happy to talk to community groups to ‘understand’ what the community wanted and to form a ’shared vision’ for the site. Over time this relationship has gone a little cold and now the developer seems only concerned about the approval process, not talking to the community.
A good example of this ‘converstion’ can be seen in a letter printed in the 16th of September edition of the Bunyip from Dr Helen Wimore.
Helen asked questions the community wants to know answers for but received few answers at all.
What has happened to the shared vision, or is the pursuit of profit the only thing in focus here.
More questions for Delfin
MADAM – Scott Fraser’s letter (The Bunyip, September 9) highlighted the secrecy surrounding Delfin’s commitment to provide external infrastructure to accommodate the proposed Gawler East development.
I have found a similar level of secrecy regarding what Delfin plans to do within the development site itself.
I spoke to Delfin’s Gawler East project director, Anthony Jansen, at the Delfin stand at the Gawler Show. I was hoping he could give me an indication as to what the company plans to do with the site, and perhaps allay my fears that the development is likely to be inappropriate and unsustainable for Gawler.
However, I found the same lack of information that Scott Fraser has written about.
Mr Jansen was unable to tell me even in general terms what lot sizes were planned for Gawler East, referring me only to “typical” lot sizes as used in other Delfin developments. He said there were no plans drawn up as to what Delfin might do with the site or where roads and houses might go.
In December last year, Delfin was reported to be considering four different layouts for the “village centre”, which included schools, a community oval, offices, restaurants and possibly a hotel (The Bunyip, December 10, 2008). None of these layouts were shown to the public or open to community consultation. Moreover, when I questioned Mr Jansen recently as to what Delfin now plans to put in this area, he was unable to give me any information whatsoever.
Mr Jansen couldn’t tell me what buffer Delfin planned to have between residential development and the neighbouring Para Woodlands. An adequate buffer would be important to protect houses against bushfire risk and also to protect the Para Woodlands, a unique area reserved for investigating revegetation with native plant species.
I particularly wanted to know where the proposed waste water treatment plant would be located. This plant would recycle water from the development and return it for use on gardens and in toilets. Mr Jansen said Delfin is still looking into the best location for the plant and that it could be within the development itself. Simple calculations show that the 1 hectare plant surrounded by a 300m setback, as per EPA minimum requirements, would occupy at least 40 hectares. As the Delfin-controlled land amounts to 219 hectares in total, I find it hard to imagine them setting aside such a massive chunk for a waste water treatment plant.
Mr Jansen also suggested the plant could be located at Bolivar. This hardly seems a sustainable option, requiring transportation of the water to Bolivar for treatment and then back again. There is also the issue of providing the infrastructure for this transportation, given that a significant portion of the Gawler sewerage scheme is already acting at or above capacity.
In addition, there could be a problem with continual use of salt-laden reclaimed water on gardens, which can detrimentally affect soil structure. As far as the public are aware, there has been no hydrology study of the area to assess its suitability for using reclaimed water in this way.
A lack of the necessary infrastructure within the development itself could prove very costly to Gawler’s residents as it puts further strain on the town’s existing infrastructure and our Council’s limited financial resources.
It seems incredible that this land is in the final process of being rezoned for urban development without such issues being resolved and there being no “master plan” for the area.
Dr Helen Wilmore, Gawler East
Filed under: Development, Gawler, Planning, Sustainability | Tags: Blandy Report, Delfin Lend Lease, Gawler East, Morrison Low report
The issue of who will pay for the different infrastructure needs of the Gawler East Development is a hotly contested issue. Delfin was very happy to promote the report produced by Professor Blandy that provided modelling that delivered Gawler a huge pot of money to fund all the infrastructure needs. Although the public has not been allowed to look at the report it was stated publicly that Gawler Council would reap over 100 million dollars from the development.
Call people sceptics, but Gawler Council then commissioned its own financial modelling of the development. Its report has come out with a completely different result. In fact it predicts Gawler could be over 55 million dollars in the red.
The council’s report, the Morrison Low report, is publicly available for people to read and come to their own conclusion. Delfin’s Blandy report has still not been released and will remain shrouded in mystery. It is difficult for the community to accept the findings in the Blandy report when it can not be viewed and tested by the public.
The community again calls on Deflin to release the Blandy Report, especially as there appears to be a 150 million dollar discrepancy between the two reports.
Click on the link below to read the Morrison Low report.
Filed under: Gawler, Planning, South Australia, Sustainability | Tags: Blandy Report, Community consultation, Delfin Lenad Lease, Economic sustainability, Gawler East
Media Release – Gawler Urban Growth Community Forum Committee
The Delfin Lend Lease’s proposal to develop a site in Gawler East has generated a large amount of concern. High on people’s concerns are the impacts on Gawler’s character, environment impacts, the increased pressure on the already over crowded roads and access and the provision of essential services such a health and education.
Central to a lot of the arguments are the issues of who would fund the upgrades and the timing of delivery.
At the DPAC hearing on the 30thof July Mr Stephen Holmes representing Delfin Lend Lease spoke about an economic study by Professor Blandy which provides modelling of the economic benefits of the development.
Committee spokes person Mr Paul Koch said.
“It was very interesting that Delfin choose this time to present the report. The report apparently concluded the Gawler Council would reap a huge economic benefit from the development that would be more than enough to fund infrastructure upgrades. That suggested bonanza had been rejected in Gawler Council’s presentation”
“When I asked for a copy of the report from Delfin, I received no response. The community is justifiably concerned that a report that was presented in a public forum and could have an enormous influence on recommendations to the Minister cannot be accessed.”
“We have had a lot of talk about openness and providing information to the community. But here is another example of the community not being allowed to be involved in the conversation, and the Big End of Town thinking it should be allowed to do all the talking”.
“We understand Gawler Council has also been preparing a response to the Blandy report. Both reports should be made available to the public as soon as possible” Mr Koch said.
“This is essential so the community can have an opportunity to look closely at the issue before the DPAC makes its recommendation to the Minister. It may in fact allay the community’s fear about the provision of infrastructure. Not releasing it only heightens these concerns”.
Filed under: Biodiversity, Development, Paul Holloway, Planning, South Australia, Urban Growth Boundary, Urban Sprawl, ugb | Tags: Delfin Lend Lease, DPA, Gawler Council, Gawler East, Planning
Opportunity for community to have a say.
On Monday night, the 22nd of June, a community meeting was convened at the Gawler Arms by members of the Urban Growth Boundary Community Forum Committee to look at the implications surrounding the recently released DPA for the proposed Gawler East Development.
The meeting was attended by about 80 people, including representatives from both major political parties.
Meeting Convenor Mr Paul Koch, said that the night gave local residents the opportunity to look in more detail about the implications of the development.
“Views on the night ranged from concerns about traffic, the social impact, increased demand on already stretched services through to the appropriateness of the site for a major development and whether the community has an effective voice in the consultation process.”
People at the meeting were urged to put in a submission to the State Government by the 16th of July as this will be last formal opportunity they have to influence the decision. People should indicate if they wish to speak at the public hearing on the 30th of July.
Mr Koch also said that “ people were encouraged to talk to their friends and neighbours to look closely at the issues, as the development will have a major impact on all people living in Gawler, not just the people living in Gawler East and Gawler South“.
Writing a submission
It is best to write your own, but a form letter is available with space in the centre of the page for you to use. Click base form letter and save, then remove the instruction and then type in your concerns and save it. Any further questions please e-mail us at blogawler@gmail.com.
Base form letter provides a pdf version of the framework for a submission for you to write on – open it up and print it off.
If you want to speak at the public hearing on 30th July you must indicate this in your submission.
Sending your submission.
Submissions need to arrive at the DPA Committee by 16th July.
You can post them to
Presiding Member, Development Policy Advisory Committee C/- Department of Planning and Local Government Level 3, 136 North Tce, Adelaide SA 5000email them to dpac@saugov.sa.gov.au
or place them in a collection box located at Crosby’s of Gawler, Gawler Cinemas, Willaston Bookshop and the Cheek Avenue Super Deli. Submissions will be collected and ‘bulk mailed’ off.
If you need any help with your submissions you can contact Helen Wilmore on 85 223019 who will be able to give you a hand.
