5.3 Assessment Breakdown 5.4 Sector 1
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5.3 Assessment Breakdown For the purposes of this assessment I have assessed the proposed works in the following sectors: • Sector 1: Park 13 / Park 14 • Sector 2: Remainder Image 8. Sector Reference Plan I consider the following attributes to the National Heritage significance of the Adelaide Park Lands and City Grid Layout to be most relevant when considering the potential impacts of the proposed works: • The City Grid Layout; • Views and vistas; • Park lands layout; and • Aesthetic qualities / Landscape / Use. 5.4 Sector 1: Park 13 / Park 14 The proposal seeks to undertake the following works through the Park 13 / 14 sector of the Park Lands: • the realignment of East Terrace between Pirie and Grenfell Streets; • minor changes to Rundle Road (bike lane to outer side of carparking, pedestrian crossing points); • amendments to the Rundle Road and Dequetteville Terrace intersection; 29 • tunnel ‘portal’ exit at East Terrace and Grenfell Street intersection; Non Aboriginal Heritage Impact Assmt : DA153127 : O - • underground substation (identified as an unlabeled blue fill along the Access City Bahn Project : Rev proposed tunnel alignment to the north of Rundle Road); • minor kerb realignments to East Terrace; and • “over-run” facility for Clipsal), at the intersection of East Terrace and Bartels Road (which I have been advised by DPTI will likely be bituminised) This latter item (ie the Clipsal “over-run” does not for part of this project, however is ‘envisaged’ work arising from the proposal. C 10.08 .15 Image 9. Sector 1: Park 14 5.4.1 The City Grid Layout Potential impacts to the City Grid layout are primarily limited to the proposed realignment of East Terrace, between Grenfell and Pirie Streets. This section of roadway was originally set out in Light’s 1837 Plan as a straight length between North Terrace and Pirie Streets, where after East Terrace deviated in response to the localised topography. The National Heritage listing noted: The study by City Futures (2007 Vol 1:97) notes that 'the town was surveyed in two stages. The major portion of 700 acres south of the river was laid out first. The fretted edge on the eastern side took advantage of the local topography and provided more lots with a parkland outlook… [Note: the referenced case study was not able to be sourced for this Heritage Impact Assessment] This response to the local topography is intrinsic to the heritage significance of Light’s plan, particularly when considered in the context of the set out of North Adelaide. 30 Non Aboriginal Heritage Impact Assmt : DA153127 : O - Bahn City Access City Bahn Project : Rev C 10.08 .15 Image 10. 1837 Plan of Adelaide extract: Source: Mapco.net (marker arrow added by author) This section of East Terrace is not, however, in its original configuration, having been realigned in the 1960s to facilitate an easy vehicular passage from Hutt Street into East Terrace10 in response to traffic orientated urban planning principles of the time11. 31 Non Aboriginal Heritage Impact Assmt : DA153127 : O - Bahn City Access City Bahn Project : Rev 10 C Jones D, Op Cit, p233 11 Llewellyn-Smith M, Op Cit, pp63-64 10.08 .15 Image 11. East Terrace looking Southward, c1905: Source: Adelaide Park Lands & Squares Cultural Landscape Assessment Study, p231 32 Non Aboriginal Heritage Impact Assmt : DA153127 : O - Bahn City Access City Bahn Project : Rev Image 12. 1936 aerial of original alignment of East Terrace. Source: Adelaide Park Lands & Squares Cultural Landscape Assessment Study, p233 (marker arrow added by author). C 10.08 .15 Image 13. 2015 aerial image of East Terrace showing realignment. Source: Google Maps. (marker arrow added by author) This re-alignment of East Terrace is one of the few fundamental alterations to Light’s original Grid Layout of the City of Adelaide. While the 1960s realignment of East Terrace did have an adverse impact on the layout of Light’s Grid Layout for Adelaide (and accordingly its current National 33 Heritage values), it achieved its desired objective of assisting traffic flows from one Non Aboriginal Heritage Impact Assmt : DA153127 : O - of the City’s important feeder and mainstreets (Hutt Street) into one the City’s Access City Bahn Project : Rev wider East-West Streets, Grenfell Street. Further, the original Grid Layout remains readily discernable due to the alignment of built form to the original allotment setout, and the retention of the Park Lands use to the areas created between the realignment and the original setout. Had the 1960s realignment included the subdivision and redevelopment of this land, such interpretability of the original setout would have been severely compromised. The proposed O-Bahn City Access Project seeks to once again realign this section of East Terrace in response to traffic management issues, as illustrated by the plan C extract below (Image 14). 10.08 .15 34 Non Aboriginal Heritage Impact Assmt : DA153127 : O - Bahn City Access City Bahn Project : Rev Image 14. East Terrace realignment as proposed by O-Bahn City Access Project. Extract of drawing DPTI-SKT-7304-99-0804 While I consider the 1960s realignment to have had an adverse impact on Light’s original Grid Layout (and associated Heritage values), the further reconfiguration proposed by this project (and the ‘envisaged’ Clipsal “run-off” area) are not considered to further contribute to, or exacerbate, these previous impacts. As C noted, Light’s original Grid Layout remains readily discernable due to the historic 10.08 .15 set out of buildings to the original allotment pattern, while lands accommodating the current roadway alignment will be transferred back to park lands, and landscaped accordingly. The section of parklands proposed to accommodate the realignment currently accommodates an interpretative plaque, noting the general location of the first mass for the Catholic Community of South Australia. This plaque should be relocated within the same general proximity as present as part of the works. Minor East Terrace kerb realignments and amendments to on-street parking north of Grenfell Street maintain the fundamental Grid Layout of the City plan and accordingly are not considered to have any impact on the National Heritage values of the place. 5.4.2 Views and Vistas As noted by the National Heritage listing: The city layout is designed to take full advantage of the topography, an important innovation for the time. The streets were sited and planned to maximise views and vistas through the city and Park Lands and from some locations to the Adelaide Hills… The judicious siting and wide streets maximised views and vistas through the city and Park Lands and from some locations to the Adelaide Hills. The plan features a hierarchy of road widths with a wide dimension to principal routes and terraces and alternating narrow and wide streets in the east- west direction. Light's planning innovation is supported by substantial historical documentation… The key views potentially affected by the proposed works are those looking eastward down Grenfell Street. The proposed works to Rundle Road are considered sufficiently minor as to not affect views and vistas associated with this roadway. 35 Non Aboriginal Heritage Impact Assmt : DA153127 : O - Bahn City Access City Bahn Project : Rev Image 15. View 1 down Grenfell Street (near James Place intersection) looking eastward, 2015 C 10.08 .15 Image 16. View 2 down Grenfell Street looking eastward (approaching Frome St), 2015 Image 17. View 3 down Grenfell Street looking eastward (near former East End Market), 2015 Having assessed the key views and vistas down Grenfell Street, I do not consider the proposed O-Bahn City Access project to have any discernable impact on them, nor their associated heritage values. As is illustrated by the above series of photographs (Images 15-17), the primary views from Grenfell Street is to the Adelaide hills beyond, and these vistas are most prevalent when viewed deeper within the Adelaide layout, as the landscaping to the edge of the Park Lands at the 36 intersection of Grenfell Street and East Terrace currently obscures most views of Non Aboriginal Heritage Impact Assmt : DA153127 : O - the hills beyond. Access City Bahn Project : Rev For the most part, the proposed works will be contained within the existing ground plane, with the exception of the proposed tunnel exit, and associated tunnel infrastructure (which is discussed in more detail in Section 5.4.3 below). Even in such instances however, the extent of possible visual intrusion is unlikely to impact on the views considered above. For these reasons, I do not consider the proposed O-Bahn City Access project to impact on the National Heritage values associated with the views and vistas associated with the City Grid layout. C 10.08 .15 5.4.3 Park Lands Layout While the O-Bahn City Access project does not fundamentally change the layout of the outer or inner boundaries of the Park Lands, it does propose changes to the configuration of roadways and public transportation connections through the Park Lands, namely: • minor changes to Rundle Road (bike lane to outer side of carparking, pedestrian crossing points); • amendments to the Rundle Road and Dequetteville Terrace intersection, reducing its footprint through the removal of the wide sweeping turning lanes; and • tunnel ‘portal’ exit at East Terrace and Grenfell Street intersection. 37 Non Aboriginal Heritage Impact Assmt : DA153127 : O - Bahn City Access City Bahn Project : Rev Image 18. Realignment of roadways through the Park Lands as proposed by O-Bahn City Access Project. Extract of drawing DPTI-SKT-7304-99-0804 C 10.08 .15 This work also includes the transferring back to landscaped park lands of land associated with the reduction in roadway footprints arising from: • the amendments to the Rundle Road and Dequetteville Terrace intersection; • minor amendments to the East Terrace and Rundle Road intersection; and • the realignment of East Terrace between Grenfell and Pirie Streets.