Councillor Don Palmer Providing Local Leadership & Working for You

The preferred option for addressing the safety concerns at the intersection of Maud Street and Unley Road was put out to consultation on the understanding that it would not proceed if there was significant community opposition to it.

On the face of it this means we should rescind our decision. Let’s face it we have significant opposition.

 

This opposition however is ill founded and of our own making. We have not communicated well the message that would allow our rate payers the opportunity to make an informed response.

Safety

Here we are trying to make the intersection of Maud Street and Unley Road a safer one. We are doing this by asking the Mothers Milk to provide bollards and by our narrowing the throat of the entrance into Maud Street.

Narrowing the side street entrance which is what we are paying for is seen by experts as a safety measure. This is going to be the core of upgrading soon of Goodwood Road and its numerous side streets. It could also be integral to the redevelopment of King William Road if and when that may come before us.

And yet we see a number of respondents claim this will make the area less safe.

Financial Contribution

What we have proposed is a good precedence I would have thought and far from setting the wrong precedence.

We originally expected Mothers milk to pay the whole cost of the project. That is until we recognised that the kerb build out is something we are considering elsewhere without seeking financial contribution from the other businesses.

The fact is the business will be paying for that which they should be responsible, the bollards. Any other business wanting protection that will require bollards will recognise they will have to pay for them.

Loss of Carparking

As has often been the case before the Development Assessment Panel we are being told that we cannot afford to lose the carparking spaces this project will take. I have heard this argument time and time again for Development applications along King William Road and yet we still have not seen evidence with approval after approval of carparks not being accessible on this strip.

Our own internal measuring indicates that the concern is not well founded. We are being told that parking in Maud Street when the café is not open is at 63% and when they are it is 84%. Yes this is up, but it is far from being an issue.

We must surely be bold enough to show some leadership here and at the risk of alienating some recognise their concerns are indeed ill founded for no fault of their own and support the street build out.

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We should have more kerb build outs and we should be striving to do so over time, be it soon on Goodwood Road, King William Road or the road in question tonight, Unley Road. This ticks so many of the boxes in our Community Plan and it would be wrong to back down.

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This is a copy of my contribution to the debate last night at Council on whether we should continue and build the kerb build outs on Maud Street Unley. A majority of 7 to 3 saw it similarly and the motion to proceed was passed.