Helene Carmody

2022 candidate for Town of Gawler.
Heritage survey responses.

1. Do you think that Councils and community members need to have a greater voice in planning and development decisions affecting their local area?
   Everyone should be encouraged to speak up and to have a voice in planning and development decisions so that a true reflection is undertaken and understood

2. What role should Councils play in protecting local heritage places from demolition or inappropriate development?
   Common sense is what is needed. Some buildings may be under the banner of heritage listed but if are falling down and in disrepair I dt feel old buildings should necessarily be saved if are in complete tatters and ruins. Inappropriate development should not occur either

3. How would you seek to improve protections for heritage places in your area?
   To seek protection for heritage places this ties in with lots of elements of history for the region and to promote the history in part is one way to show significance and why something should be preserved and maintained

4. We rarely see new places added to local heritage listings. Why do you think this is?
   The benefits of any heritage listing is to have history preserved to a degree and examples of this. It’s easier to answer the non benefits such as the costs involved to restore etc. common sense should sort always.

5. How has the Planning and Design Code impacted on the heritage, amenity, and environment of your area? What changes would you seek to the Code?
   Sadly it seems some buildings and walls and housing are deteriorating which may be heritage listed and thus look like run down eye sores that have no benefit or practical aspects and May in fact end up being dangerous The code should take into account possible dangers and how difficult it might be to restore salt damp in particular. Ild compare trying to save some ruined structures that are heritage listed as trying to water a dead plant. Some may be hard to save and or very expensive that some cannot afford.

6. What are the impacts of infill development in your area? What changes would you seek in the rules around infill development?
   I do not have enough information/ knowledge to answer this question

7. Construction of new housing typically uses 30% labour and 70% materials. Renovation of existing housing stock typically uses 70% labour and 30% materials. What policy changes would you like to see made to encourage people to renovate, rather than demolish and build anew?
   I do not have enough informed information/knowledge to answer this

8. How should the community be informed and involved in decisions about new developments?
   The community should be informed and involved via the councils websites, through paper mail, email etc covering all of the community and not just possible rate payers that is sometimes the case

9. Do you think there is adequate tree canopy across your local government area?
   There is also space for more

10. How would you like to see significant and regulated trees in your area protected from removal?
    Many trees are already protected it seems. It’s the trees that are not native that are cut down without consultation that affects the wildlife so I have concerns around natural elements in general

11. What involvement should Councils have in decisions about protecting or removing significant and regulated trees?
    It has to be a decision with community involvement also

12. What actions would you advocate to slow or mitigate the impacts of climate change in your local government area?
    I love to be self sufficient and thus already grow vegetables as part of my front yard instead of grass. Gardening is the best. Councils should give households native plants to plant to encourage vegetation. Solar panels and rain water tanks should be on offer to every household at affordable prices.

13. What issues are there with traffic and parking in your area?
    Traffic and parking is the number one major issue in this town

14. How could transport options be improved in your area?
    An updated developmental structured plan to fix the problems needs to be done. This will require engineering and a lot of restructuring and to think outside the box. It’s congested and very disorganised

15. What would your top three priorities be for improving planning policy and outcomes in your local government area?
    Consulting experts who may have ideas to redo hot spot areas in Gawler
    The community have to have a say
    Everyone needs to be involved and as part of this that no further development takes place until how traffic flows effectively