[email protected]
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Ref: 2019-0482 20 December 2019 Suite 12 154 Fullarton Road ROSE PARK SA 5067 Anita Allen 08 8333 7999 www.urps.com.au Manager Planning Reform ABN 55 640 546 010 Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure 50 Flinders Street ADELAIDE SA 5000 By email: [email protected] Dear Anita, Submission – Planning and Design Code. Rural Settlement Zone – Wirrina Cove Introduction We make this submission on behalf of the new owners of Wirrina Cove, the “New Terry Hotel and Golf Resort”(resort). We have examined the draft Planning & Design Code and made an assessment as to whether the zoning proposed by the Code can considered to be fit for purpose when referenced to the resort’s current and intended operations. Affected Area and Current Development Plan Under the current Yankalilla Development Plan, the Wirrina Cove Zone provides clarity on the history of the Wirrina Resort, its progression through to the development of a marina, its scale and composition as it exists today and its orientation towards future development according to a master plan. The Zone refers to a tourist resort of international standard and incorporates significant development opportunity. A copy of the existing Wirrina Cove Development Plan Zone is attached. We have also attached a topographic map of the locality. The Zone provides considerable development opportunities that incorporate tall building heights that are not visible against the skyline when viewed from Main South Road. The new owners consider that there is significant opportunity for the development of medium to high density holiday apartments/apartments that can be appropriately sited and designed to ensure they are not visible against the skyline when viewed from South Road. The opportunity provided by the current zone provisions should not be lost. shaping great communities The following images illustrate the zone boundary, resort entrance, golf course and marina. H: \Synergy\Projects\19ADL\19ADL-0482 Wirrina Master Plan\Draft Reports \Code 2 Submission.docx The Planning and Design Code The draft Planning and Design Code currently under consultation applies a “Rural Settlement Zone” from Planning SA’s library of standard type zones. There is no suggestion to be found that Wirrina Cove was conceived as, or ever intended to become a “rural settlement”. The proposed Rural Settlement Zone, in terms of “fit”, looks like a square peg for a round hole. In our view, use of the term “rural settlement” conjures the image of a loosely arranged cluster of development, which might include up to a dozen houses rather than dozens of houses/apartments, perhaps some business activity around farm servicing demands, maybe a produce handling facility, and possibly a shop, post office agency, school, church, oval or other form of community facility servicing an outer rural population. Its form would typically be low-rise / low density, and its scale might sit on the cusp of being a small town without overtly displaying the characteristics of a planned and developed township that is more complete in its servicing capacity and responds to a larger rural population catchment. This image does not represent the genesis of the Wirrina Cove development, nor align to the current expression of planning policy for Wirrina Cove. Therefore, on behalf of our client, we question how the application of Rural Settlement Zone can reasonably be seen as a faithful translation of existing policy intent. Instead of being prefaced on local rural population demands, the development of Wirrina Cove has largely been focused on tourism and conference markets, both domestic and international. How successfully this ambition has been realised might be open to commentary. Nevertheless, Wirrina Cove has continued to evolve and diversify to further find its market footing. Characteristically, it is far removed from a typical rural settlement, with a resort, a variety of tourist accommodation offerings, an expansive golf course, a marina, multi-storey condominium and apartment style living, and a detached housing estate. It is unique, significant, perhaps quite some way ahead of its time in the context of market maturity, and only partly developed with further planned stages to come. The Wirrina Cove Zone policies recognised these circumstances, and it is no surprise that a tailored zone was created for this locality. It would be a great pity for this thoughtful, tailored policy work is lost. In practice, abandonment of well- informed focused policy will not serve the best interests of this site, nor the tourism industry or community interests more generally. In terms of investment interests, Wirrina Cove is a captive location under one ownership. It is not part of the dynamic flow of developer activity ranging across the wider market place, whereby the standardisation of policy makes navigation an easier task for the planning and development industry. It is also understood that the initial implementation of the Planning and Development Code has a charter to achieve the transition of existing policy intent to the nearest available equivalent. However, in the case of Wirrina Cove, the before and after policy difference is significant. H: \Synergy\Projects\19ADL\19ADL-0482 Wirrina Master Plan\Draft Reports \Code 3 Submission.docx Under normal circumstances, a policy shift of this magnitude would involve rigorous issue-based planning investigations and proposed set of issue-based amendments with all of the requisite checks and balances. As part of the Code roll-out, there are a number of policy shifts of this magnitude that have been openly presented as pieces of significant policy reform, with attendant fact sheets, references to Planning Strategy mandate and so on. Notably, the policy shift for Wirrina Cove has not been approached in this manner and is therefore lacking in terms of accepted procedure and mandate. We believe a new Code Zone needs to be created that addresses the mixed of land uses and development associated with marina, golf courses, conference centres and associated residential (including apartment / tourism accommodation). Such a Code may not be unique to Wirrina, however in such circustances, a Wirrina Sub-Zone may be required. Conclusions The new Code should seek to defeat the long held and accepted development ambitions for Wirrina Cove, and it should assist in their realisation through the best of planning and design techniques. As tourism and destination markets mature in South Australia, the intrinsic strengths of Fleurieu Peninsula and locations such as Wirrina Cove, will continue to gain traction. Wirrina Cove is already a postcard icon for the region - its next step is to serve its investors and developers well through the aid of a planning system that is approachable and understanding, rather than remote and inflexible. It needs a policy base that can serve as a faithful expression of what Wirrina Cove is all about. Our position has been discussed with town planning representatives of the District Council of Yankalilla. Its our understanding that Council is supportive of the advice contained in this submission. We would like the final agreement of policy settings under the new Code to be a collaborative process, between the Code’s policy-makers, Council representatives and the owner of the site. Given the time-line imperatives on the roll-out of the Code, we would suggest that process needs to start now. We would certainly welcome and look forward to that opportunity. Yours sincerely Grazio Maiorano RPIA (Fellow) Director Enc Extracts from Current Development Plan Topographic Map Cc Nigel Morris, CEO, District Council of Yankalilla H: \Synergy\Projects\19ADL\19ADL-0482 Wirrina Master Plan\Draft Reports \Code 4 Submission.docx 125 115 40 120 90 115 95 110 105 5 90 100 45 95 75 85 85 85 95 80 75 95 90 50 85 65 70 65 60 35 55 5 70 10 15 20 135 65 P 125 130 A 120 110 115 R 105 A 100 SEAVIEW AVENUE 85 90 95 D 80 I 75 40 S E D R LEGEND IV 65 E 70 75 SUBJECT LAND 80 CADASTRE 85 25 CONTOURS (5m) ELEVATION HIGH: 139.1m AHD BAYVIEW AVENUE LOW: -20.9m AHD 60 60 65 95 90 55 70 75 0 75 150 300m SCALE: 1:7,500 @ A3 80 80 85 50 30 60 95 TOPOGRAPHY 100 105 110 ANALYSIS 115 120 125 New Terry Hotel and 40 115 Golf Course Resort 25 JOB REF. 19ADL-0482 PREPARED BY. MP 125 DATE. 18.11.19 120 REVISION. 1 110 DATA SOURCE. Metromap (05.12.18) 105 45 UTH ROAD 125 data.sa.gov.au 80 N SO 100 MAI 120 95 90 85 75 80 80 100 75 70 85 105 65 60 55 110 65 70 45 115 75 0698-001 136 Yankalilla (DC) WIRRINA COVE ZONE Introduction The objectives and principles of development control that follow apply in the Wirrina Cove Zone shown on Maps Ya/10 and 11. They are additional to those expressed for the entire Council area. To the extent of any inconsistency between the zone provisions and those provisions applying to the entire Council area, the zone provisions will prevail. OBJECTIVES Objective 1: A zone accommodating an international standard tourist resort together with residential, marina, commercial and recreation, sport, health and fitness facilities. Objective 2: Development designed and sited to complement the zone’s rural and coastal setting. Objective 3: Preservation of areas of high landscape and amenity value including stands of vegetation, exposed cliffs, and areas which form an attractive background to development. Objective 4: Orderly sequences of development coordinated with the availability of private and public infrastructure, and driven by market demand. Objective 5: Provision and where appropriate improvement of public access to the coast in keeping with objectives for protecting the environment, heritage and coastal amenity.