Burnside, Prospect oppose high-rise

High-rise Rally at Parliament House last month. Residents are protesting against a State Government plan to allow high-rise apartment buildings on main roads around the parklands. Picture: Stephen Laffer Source: adelaidenow

RESIDENTS opposed to high-rise plans say they are not anti-development, rather they are sensitive to the needs of existing communities.

More than 50 people attended a meeting last night to make submissions about the State Government's plans to allow high-rise buildings along main roads in Burnside and Prospect council areas.

Speakers made passionate pleas to the Development Policy Advisory Committee (DPAC), charged with collating feedback and making recommendations to Planning Minister John Rau.

Their concerns included parking and traffic problems, overshadowing, overlooking, decreased property values, heritage loss and safety.

Under the government's plans, buildings up to 10 storeys would be allowed to be built along Fullarton and Greenhill roads.

Burnside Council wants apartment blocks capped at six storeys.

The Burnside Residents' Group wants them capped at four.

The group's president, Anna Sullivan, told the meeting her family was not anti-development.

"We recognised that urban sprawl must be contained but sensibly," Dr Sullivan, of Dulwich, said.

"We believe that destroying heritage and character suburbs by surrounding them with a hard-wall of high-rise buildings is the wrong way to go."

The scale of new development should be considerate of existing housing and buildings should be no higher than four storeys, she said.

Fellow Dulwich resident Trent Cox told the meeting he was concerned about increased parking congestion, strain on existing infrastructure and services and destruction of the area's village feel.

It was vital the government listened to the wishes of the community, he told the meeting.

"While developers build houses, we build homes," Mr Cox said.

"We don't seek wealth, we seek futures for our families."

Burnside councillor Helga Lemon told the meeting residents had approached her and fellow councillor Di Wilkins saying they were opposed to the scale of potential developments.

"What they ask for is a greater say in how increased density will look in their suburbs and in their streets," Cr Lemon said.

Prospect resident Bronwyn Mewett told the meeting if developments went ahead off-street parking must be provided.

"We can see traffic from the developments being forced in to side streets and some of those streets are very narrow . . . this won't work for the area," Ms Mewett said.

Another resident, Dr Leonard Pullin, said he was "proud to call Prospect home" and did not want to see the area change because of large developments.

The DPAC received a total of 181 submissions from Burnside and Prospect residents and groups.

Last night's meeting followed a rally at Parliament House last month where about 100 protesters gathered to voice their opposition against the proposal.

The building height changes have been proposed to cater for the government's claimed Adelaide population increase of 560,000 in the next 30 years.

Mr Rau previously told the Eastern Courier Messenger no decisions on building heights had been made. "I will consider any recommendations in due course," Mr Rau said.

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