GAWLER Council is working to provide the best possible advice to the State Commission Assessment Panel regarding the next stage of the proposed Springwood Estate in Gawler East, but can’t guarantee its recommendations won’t fall on deaf ears.
In December, the council was stripped of its planning authority for the project by the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) on the grounds the development – which spans over 14ha, and intends to create 188 allotments for residential, recreational, commercial and educational use – exceeded $5 million in value and is not solely intended for housing.
Due to the takeover, the SCAP has full discretion as to what is approved and what isn’t, with council acting merely as a “referral agency” in the application process.
Earlier this month, the Gawler Council Assessment Panel (GCAP) received an interim report detailing its support and concerns regarding the five separate land division applications that collectively comprise the next phase of the Springwood development.
“Given the size, complexity and proposed operative period of the applications, there are a number of factors including, but not limited to, the procedural elements, consent to vesting of land, financial implications of proposed infrastructure (being physical, social and recreational) and the overall planning me its that need to be considered in more detail,” the report stated.
“This detail is being reviewed and prepared by staff and will be presented to the next Gawler Council Assessment Panel meeting (on August 14) to ensure the interests of the existing and future community are protected.”
Gawler mayor Karen Redman said GCAP members were, overall, supportive of what Springwood has submitted for approval, but did raise concerns about certain elements of the proposal, such as restricted access to and from the estate in the event of a bushfire.
Recommendations to reduce this risk, and other ways to improve the development, are detailed in the interim report, but Ms Redman said whether the SCAP heeds the advice is out of council’s hands.
“We’re not a decision making authority, the SCAP is, so all we can do is provide comments back to the SCAP,” she said.
“The SCAP has discretion as to whether they even discuss it in public, and many times these discussions are held behind closed doors.
“You don’t know what the nature of the discussions are, whereas in local government, most times, we discuss these things in the open.
“Local communities have minimal say; they can provide comments, but there’s no guarantee they (SCAP) will pay any attention to those comments.”