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Development Assessment for Councils

The background of the URPS team in assessment and management roles within various metropolitan and regional councils means that we understand the challenges of development assessment at the local government level. Our years of experience both assessing and facilitating development also means that we can focus on development outcomes that satisfy the objectives of all involved.

Many local councils require ‘in-house’ development assessment services from time to time. During periods of peak demand, when staff move-on for example, having your planning services on-site can really help. At URPS we enjoy the extra dimension that this brings to our work. Speed and efficiency is improved, and we are often able to give planning teams in local councils fresh ideas and a range of experience that can help to re-energise work environments. Councils as diverse as the City of Adelaide to Kangaroo Island have relied on our in-house development assessment expertise over the years.

Our in-house development assessment work dovetails nicely with a range of in-house strategic planning and project management services URPS provides to local government.

We have a continuing relationship with many local councils in providing development assessment services from our offices, particularly for larger, high-profile and more complex Development Applications that require high-level negotiation with Applicants and various Government Departments. We continually put our development assessment skills ‘to the test’ by acting as expert witnesses in the ERD Court on a regular basis.

Innovation is important to us at URPS. We like to 'push boundaries’ where appropriate. It keeps us on our toes and delivers the best possible outcomes for our clients who have to adapt to constant change. This is why we take such pride in winning PIA Awards – they provide evidence of our success in striving for innovation.

We were delighted to receive a commendation at the PIA SA 2011 Awards for Planning Excellence for the Mount Barker Town Centre Community Engagement Project – our 15th PIA Award/Commendation over the past 9 years.

A genuinely collaborative project, staff from Mount Barker Council worked closely with the URPS team to deliver a range of engagement techniques carefully targeted to the various audiences. According to the awards publication, "the judges were impressed by the extent of the community engagement process and the use of a wide variety of consultation mediums, including social media, a youth ‘walk out and talk out’ session and a series of 'speak out’ sessions".

We were also delighted to celebrate Marcus Rolfe's elevation to the position of Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia at the Awards evening. The elevation recognises Marcus' ongoing contribution to the planning profession.

URPS Director Nicole Halsey has recently been appointed as a member of the Premier's Climate Change Council and the Board of Renewables SA.

The primary function of the Climate Change Council is to provide independent advice to the Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change about matters related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change. The Council also takes a leading role in consulting with business, the environment / conservation sector and the wider community on climate change issues.

Key elements of the charter of Renewables SA include:

We look forward to supporting Nicole in these significant roles.

URPS and Natalie Fuller and Associates, together with a team of dedicated staff and volunteers at the City of Salisbury, recently held a "Street Talk" event outside the Len Beadell library for the Salisbury Town Centre Renewal Project.

Over 500 people participated, providing their views on what they like about the Town Centre, what can be improved and how they would like to see it develop in the future.

The Manager Urban Development at the City of Salisbury, Harry Pitrans, described this as a "very successful day for the City of Salisbury", also praising "the opportunity we provided to support the team of engagement volunteers" and our "professionalism and fun during the day".

We would also like to extend our thanks to the engagement team of Brian Pledger, Janine Harding, Jo Lasham, Julie Fyfe, Kate Naumann, Michelle Tucker, Tammie Hamilton and Hiroe Terao.

This type of successful community engagement will have a significant positive impact on the development and delivery of the Town Centre Renewal Project.