A review of designated historic and character areas in a section of Adelaide’s eastern suburbs aims to enhance efficiency and transparency in evaluating development applications.
The City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters is conducting the Historic Area and Character Area Statements Review Code Amendment, which will assess 25 Historic Areas and 6 Character Areas spanning suburbs such as Norwood, Kent Town, and Kensington.
This code amendment seeks to ensure that Historic and Character statements provide pertinent and unambiguous information, facilitating effective decision-making in development application assessments. These statements serve as crucial references for architects, planners, and heritage specialists, offering clarity on design requirements and preservation mandates.
“I want to protect local heritage to ensure we retain our state’s unique look, feel and charm for the enjoyment of future generations,” Nick Champion, Minister for Housing and Urban Development said.
“Character areas are important, so we want to improve clarity and structure around what is and isn’t allowed when updating or renovating heritage and character areas.
“It’s important we continue to update and refine the Planning and Design Code to ensure it is working to its full potential.
“I would like to commend the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters for progressing this important work to ensure the ongoing protection of its valued heritage assets.”
By refining language and incorporating essential historical context, these updates aim to uphold the significance and protection of areas with notable heritage and character. Notably, the Code Amendment does not introduce new planning regulations nor expand the scope of Historic or Character Area overlays.
This initiative builds upon previous efforts by the Malinauskas Labor Government, which urged councils to bolster building protections for significant sites by upgrading existing Character Areas to new Historic Areas.
“The Council has a proud and strong history regarding heritage protection in our City, which is why it is has initiated an Historic Area and Character Area Statements Review Code Amendment,” Robert Bria, Mayor City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters said.
“We know that within the current Character and Historic Areas, the lack of clarity has generated a degree of anxiety among residents, that the character of their suburb is at risk from inappropriate developments.
“We want a Code that provides for greater clarity and certainty for all parties when developments are considered in Character and Historic Areas and the Council believes these changes will deliver that.”
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