Inquiry into Campbelltown Council proposal to take Woodforde, Rostrevor from Adelaide Hills Council to go ahead

Moving lines on a map would cost an Adelaide Hills council more than $1.7m every year, it says, as an inquiry into the “land grab” goes ahead.

Adelaide Hills Council would lose $1.7m in rates every year under a “land grab” proposal by its neighbour to take two suburbs, it says.

An investigation into Campbelltown Council’s controversial boundary change proposal has taken a major step forward, with an $160,000 inquiry approved.

The Local Government Boundaries Commission will examine Campbelltown’s twice-rejected plan it take the suburbs of Rostrevor and Woodforde from Adelaide Hills Council, which includes the Hamilton Hill housing estate.

Campbelltown says the two suburbs use its roads, services and parks and are more aligned with the local area than the Hills.

Labelling it a “land grab”, Hills CEO Greg Georgopoulos said the plan would cost his council more than $1.7m annually from 570 homes – an increase from $1.5m it previously estimated.

“This would impact every single Adelaide Hills ratepayer for many years and generations to come,” Mr Georgopoulos said.

Boundary Campbelltown Council wants to take over this area from Adelaide Hills Council. Picture: Supplied

The inquiry will cost Campbelltown Council at least $160,000 and more depending on “further work” required by the commission.

Mr Georgopoulos said that figure didn’t include the “hundreds” of hours AHC staff would spend responding to an inquiry Hills ratepayers didn’t even want.

“These costs are imposed upon us by the Local Government Boundaries Commission legislation with no opportunity for them to be recovered, and we’re disappointed that our ratepayers will need to foot the bill for an investigation our community categorically does not support,” he said.

Under its proposal, Campbelltown said the residents use its roads, parks and services and the local school and are more linked with the northeast than the Hills.

The Adelaide Hills foothills seen from the air, looking over the Campbelltown Council area. Picture: Supplied

Campbelltown Mayor Jill Whittaker said the inquiry would follow a new process.

“There will be a lot of information and there’s quite a lot to consider, it’s not straightforward,” Ms Whittaker said.

“They have to look at the character (of the suburbs), how the areas interact with Campbelltown.”

Any boundary redraw would mean “that whole area is better managed, as opposed to two different authorities in a very small area adjacent to Campbelltown,” she said.

The Morialta Residents’ Association said it was “perplexed” the inquiry was going ahead given the opposition from residents and AHC.

“The Local Government Act gives the Commission the option to refuse to inquire into a proposal if it considers that it is not in the public interest,” secretary Steve Swann said.

“Two surveys, both indicating majority opposition, and the Adelaide Hills Council’s objections, should surely have been enough to demonstrate this before this costly exercise was launched.

“It remains unclear how much weight the Commission will place on the opinions of affected residents and ratepayers when making its recommendation to the Minister.”

Georgina Deally from the Woodforde Residents Association said there was “widespread concern around Campbelltown’s lack of any meaningful or recent consultation”.

“There is a whole new community in the Hamilton Hill development – still under construction – many of whom were not living in the area when Campbelltown first surveyed residents and have not had the opportunity to be heard over the realignment proposal; this puts the CCC survey results into question.

“The residents of Woodforde associate more with the Hills and have little to no association to the Campbelltown area.

“We feel that the takeover bid is divisive and any purported gains by the realignment to Campbelltown needs to be considered by the residents with the view of how this may potentially affect their property values.”

Hills councillor Louise Pascale - speaking as a resident of the area - said she voted for the suburbs to stay in both surveys.

“I believe the foothills are part of the Adelaide Hills,” Ms Pascale said. “Just because we are on the border, it does not make us any less a part of the Hills community.”

The inquiry will begin mid-2024, the commission said, and report to the Local Government Minister, who makes the final decision.

“I emphasise that the Commission is an independent body that will make its call based on all of the information gathered through the inquiry and what it hears from local communities and stakeholders,” commission presiding member Rob Donaldson said.