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Adelaide Hills Flood Management DPA

Current best practice in terms of flood management is to minimise threats to life and property by restricting development on land subject to inundation by a 1-in-100 year flood. While this can be applied relatively easily to a 'greenfield' site, the imposition of this policy within existing townships is not as simple.

The situation in the Adelaide Hills is further complicated by the fact that, historically, townships were usually located alongside creeks and rivers to ensure a reliable water supply and to take advantage of productive alluvial soil. Because of this, several townships or parts of townships are situated on land which is subject to flooding. It has only been in more recent times that the extent of the 1-in-100 year flood has become apparent and has been able to be accurately mapped.

With these issues in mind, URPS was commissioned to prepare a Flood Management DPA which would strike a balance between protecting life and property while also allowing appropriate development within flood prone areas. This was achieved by restricting land division and higher density housing on flood prone land while at the same time introducing guidelines for additions to dwellings and outbuildings. A particular challenge was the drafting of policies to control building activities such as fences, garden sheds and retaining walls which do not normally require development approval.

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.