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RESIDENTIAL CHARACTER STUDIES

All neighbourhoods have a character that can be described, evaluated and improved in some way. In some cases the priority may be to respect existing neighbourhood character and in others the priority may be to transform the established character.

While the elements that contribute to the character of a local area or neighbourhood might seem obvious in some cases, unless it is expressed well in Development Plans, there is little guidance for better development outcomes. This is usually expressed in the form of a Desired Character Statement at the zone and policy area levels of Development Plans.

It is therefore becoming increasingly important that Development Plans recognise areas of different 'desired' character and explore opportunities to manage change in these areas. This has recently been the focus of many councils' attention arising from the roll-out of the State Government's Residential Development Code.

URPS has used its considerable experience in development assessment and policy planning to assist Walkerville and Campbelltown councils in preparing their submissions on the code to the State Government.

URPS has also prepared many residential character studies for both urban and regional councils. We have also had direct involvement in developing the Desired Neighbourhood Character Framework adopted by the Department of Planning and Local Government (previously Planning SA). More recently our work for the department as part of the 'Benchmarking the Better Development Plans Project' has confirmed that Desired Character Statements are one of the best ways to incorporate local policy in Development Plans.

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.