Helga Lemon

2022 candidate for City of Burnside.
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?
   Yes. The new Planning and Design Code has greatly diminished the community's say on development in their neighbourhoods.

2. What role should Councils play in protecting local heritage places from demolition or inappropriate development?
   Councils should have the FINAL say on demolishing any local heritage place and have the capacity to levy a differential rate on those owners who leave their heritage properties to decay. Inappropriate development should be assessed under local codes - overlays for heritage and significant streets and suburbs.

3. How would you seek to improve protections for heritage places in your area?
   Changes to the Planning and Design Code to include local heritage places. Greater capacity for Councils to have overlays for designated areas to have protection. Changes to allow for more community representation.

4. We rarely see new places added to local heritage listings. Why do you think this is?
   HUGE benefits. Preserving the flavour of local streetscapes and contributory items is essential in maintaining local heritage.

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?
   The impact has been great because in some areas block sizes are significantly smaller and this has created urban infill of wall to wall bog standard 2 storey dwellings with little green space. Not only heritage buildings are affected but also long standing 'heritage' gardens. This has made our streets less green through loss of tree canopy and increased heat islands. There are also traffic and parking issues in greater urban infill. In terms of heritage dwellings, investors are buying them and letting them decay so that the cost to preserve can be seen as too much and it gives them the go ahead to demolish. This rewards developers and is wrong.

6. What are the impacts of infill development in your area? What changes would you seek in the rules around infill development?
   Changes to increase block size to what they have previously been and to enforce a minimum open area for each dwelling to increase green space and thereby reduce urban heat islands. This will also preserve and hopefully increase canopy cover.

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?
   The cost of materials is probably not 'actual'. A lot of material is imported and if this cost increases it may be cheaper to renovate. A move from globalisation seems likely and this will be a consequence.

8. How should the community be informed and involved in decisions about new developments?
   Signage on development sites. Letterboxing an immediate area, council websites and such like. Encouragement to attend CAP meetings and give deputations. Make it easy for people to have a say and they will. It must be driven by state government and implemented by councils.

9. Do you think there is adequate tree canopy across your local government area?
   No there is never enough. We are lucky in Burnside but we must remain ever vigilant.

10. How would you like to see significant and regulated trees in your area protected from removal?
    State government legislation and very hefty fines for removal or damage.

11. What involvement should Councils have in decisions about protecting or removing significant and regulated trees?
    Council ought to be the entity that polices the state's legislation about trees. It should also issue the fines.

12. What actions would you advocate to slow or mitigate the impacts of climate change in your local government area?
    Increase tree canopy. Increase the amount of green space. Decrease the amount of hard surfaces.

13. What issues are there with traffic and parking in your area?
    There are many issues. Traffic has increased due to urban infill but also because arterial roads are inadequate for the volume they take at certain times of the day. Rat running through suburbs is a consequence. Parking has increased because block sizes are less (two for one) and houses no longer have longish driveways for one or more cars. Double garages tend to be filled with household overflow which means cars are on the street. Most households now have two or more vehicles.

14. How could transport options be improved in your area?
    We are poorly served by public transport in Burnside and this seems to be the fate of inner rim councils. Smaller and more frequent buses might help and a localised transport system would be great. Not everyone needs to go to the city, the capacity to move across suburbs easily would be great.

15. What would your top three priorities be for improving planning policy and outcomes in your local government area?
    Protection of local heritage places the same as State Government heritage places
    Heritage overlays in the Code
    Increase in minimum block size