Campbelltown Council admits failing to include visitor parking at Barrio Developments project opposite Paradise park n ride
A council has admitted to a serious error by failing to include visitor carparks in a controversial residential development opposite the Paradise O-Bahn park n’ ride — which is already choked with cars.
North & North East
Don't miss out on the headlines from North & North East. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Campbelltown Council has admitted it made a serious error by failing to include visitor carparks in a controversial development at Paradise.
Residents who fought a lengthy campaign against the construction of multiple townhouses on Gameau Rd received an apology during a council meeting last week.
Spokesman Kym Tilbrook asked council staff why visitor parking had not been part of the project, which initially included 75 student accommodation units, 28 apartments, a supermarket and cafe.
Residents opposed to the original concept plans successfully appealed to the Environment, Resources and Development Court, with the campaign galvanising community angst about urban infill in northeastern suburbs.
Mr Tilbrook last week questioned why the developer, Barrio Developments, had not been required to provide visitor parking spaces as required under the Development Act.
Instead, residents and visitors were parking on the streets near the development, which is directly opposite the Paradise O-Bahn Interchange.
Parking has been at a premium for the several years, with the State Government under pressure to deliver on an election promise to build a new park ‘n’ ride carpark at the interchange.
Campbelltown planning services manager Nigel Litchfield said there had been a large number of variations to the original plan for the development as it slowly progressed through the planning process.
Mr Litchfield said the development had been split into two stages, with separate plans lodged for each stage.
It was during this process that council planning staff had failed to match up the two plans, failing to notice that no visitor carparking spaces had been provided.
“The particular situation that Mr Tilbrook is referring to is not an ideal result from the point of view of staff and we acknowledge that there were errors made in the process and we will ensure that those errors are not repeated,” he said.
Asked by Mr Tilbrook what the errors were and what could be done to rectify the situation, Mr Litchfield said there was nothing the council could do to fix it.
“The errors were made as a result of many applications for variation that were submitted by the applicant on multiple applications,” he said.
“There were probably 15 to 16 and in that process of dealing with all those variations an error was made in processing and unfortunately we can’t change that.”
Mr Tilbrook said outside the meeting the situation was “totally unsatisfactory” for an area already lacking parking.
“We are concerned that the council, which had been a very strong supporter of residents, got it wrong,” he said.
“Parking has been a real issue in the area because of the development.
“It now means that Woodmere Ave will be the go-to place for parking for visitors because parking is banned on Gameau Rd, the southern boundary of the development and adjacent to the interchange.”
Mr Tilbrook said there already were huge pressures on Woodmere Ave because of parking with O-Bahn users and residents from the part of the Barrio development with tenants.
“Several of the residents from the development are parking in the street and not using their garages,” he said.
Parents’ ‘worst fears’ realised after boy left on after-school care bus
Parents at the school of the young boy found locked inside an after-school care bus have expressed their horror at the situation and revealed they’ve taken action for change.
First look inside proposed $19m girls’ school development
A new facility, complete with a performing arts theatre, cafe and gallery could soon be built at a catholic college in Adelaide’s north east, under a bold proposal.