Suburban boundary realignment

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Consultation has concluded

Council is seeking feedback on the potential realignment of a portion of Vale Park. Ratepayers will be receiving a letter in the mail with consultation details this week. Community engagement is open from 9am on Wednesday 17 August 2022 until 5pm on Friday 16 September 2022.

Click here to complete the survey.

At a Special Meeting on 1 August 2022, Elected Members resolved to proceed to community consultation to gather feedback on realigning and renaming a section of Vale Park (south of Ascot Avenue) – as bounded by Lansdowne Terrace, North East Road, Ascot Avenue and the River Torrens – to the suburb of Walkerville.

The decision follows a Motion without Notice by Cr MaryLou Bishop in December 2020 to gauge whether there was community interest in a realignment or renaming to create clearer boundary lines. Council completed consultation in 2021 on four potential options and is now undertaking a second round of engagement on one potential change option. If the majority are in favour of the boundary change, Council will decide on whether to refer the results to the Office of the Surveyor General. Any change to a suburban boundary must be approved by the Surveyor General.

The area bounded in red below would be annexed to the suburb of Walkerville and the blue portion would remain as Vale Park:

Background

At the 21 December 2020 Ordinary Meeting, Elected Members supported a Motion without Notice (CNC225/21-22) by Councillor MaryLou Bishop to “investigate the impact to and interest of residents bounded by Lansdowne Tce, North East Rd, Ascot Avenue and the River Torrens to be designated as part of the suburb of Walkerville rather than Vale Park”.

At Council’s direction, Administration liaised with the Surveyor General and undertook further research in regards to the prospect of realigning/renaming a portion of Vale Park. Subsequent extensive reports were provided to Council to assist with deliberations, including at the 19 April 2021 Ordinary Meeting of Council (CNC333/20-21).

On 17 May 2021, Council resolved (CNC360/20-21) to consult with the community on four alternate proposals to present to the community for feedback, prior to formal consideration on whether to proceed. The four options were:

  • OPTION A
    That the triangle section of the suburb of Vale Park as bounded by Lansdowne Tce, North East Rd, Ascot Avenue and the River Torrens be ceded from the suburb of Vale Park and annexed into the suburb of Walkerville.
  • OPTION B
    That the triangle section of the suburb of Vale Park as bounded by Lansdowne Tce, North East Rd, Ascot Avenue and the River Torrens be ceded from the suburb of Vale Park and annexed into the suburb of Walkerville, then the remaining section of the suburb of Vale Park as bounded by Ascot Avenue, North East Road, Fife Street and the River Torrens be renamed North Walkerville.
  • OPTION C
    That the entire suburb of Vale Park as bounded by Lansdowne Tce, North East Rd, Fife Street and the River Torrens be renamed North Walkerville.
  • OPTION D
    That no change to the current suburban boundaries and place names be pursued.

At its 20 September 2021 Ordinary Meeting (CNC73/21-22), Council was presented with the preliminary consultation results (which are detailed below).

At its Ordinary Meeting on 18 October 2021, Council resolved (CNC95/21-22) to write to the Surveyor General to seek his preliminary feedback on the findings of Council’s public consultation on the potential realignment or renaming of Vale Park.

Administration provided a report to the Office of the Surveyor General in November 2021, with the preliminary consultation findings, in order to seek feedback on whether there would be merit in proceeding. Any change to a suburban boundary must be approved by the Surveyor General.

The Office of the Surveyor General recommended that, in order to proceed further with any such realignment/renaming, Council should conduct a subsequent community consultation with fewer options in order to obtain a significant majority in support (75%-80%).

In consideration that Option A was the community’s preferred change option during the initial consultation, the upcoming engagement process will solely focus on this proposal.

Once this process has concluded, and based on the level of support, Council will decide whether to refer the matter to the Office of the Surveyor General, which would then undertake its own engagement process and make a final determination.

Costs associated with changing Certificate of Title

A Certificate of Title is an important document when it comes to a parcel of land - not only does it prove your ownership, but it also establishes information, such as property boundaries. Therefore, if the Vale Park suburban boundary realignment is approved, some costs will be incurred by ratepayers. Under the Real Property Act 1886, the 2022/23 fee for "the issue of a new Certificate of Title" is $97.50.

Additionally, should any such realignment/renaming proceed Council may incur costs associated with the updating signage, and members of the community and businesses located in an affected area will incur costs and experience potential inconvenience through having to update websites, social media platforms, portal address, and updating their respective Certificates of Title. Until such time that a realignment/renaming is approved by the community then Council, the full breadth of associated costs are undetermined.

School zones

It should be noted, that following consultation with the Department for Education:

  • it is not expected that any such suburb realignment/renaming will have a significant impact on the Town of Walkerville’s school zones; and
  • that at this present time, any such suburb realignment/renaming will not result in triggering a review of the school zone boundaries.

Should Council determine to proceed with a suburb realignment/renaming, the Surveyor General will formally consult with the Department for Education regarding any associated impacts related to the realignment.

Previous consultation

Council undertook consultation with ratepayers from 17 August 2021 to 8 September 2021, seeking feedback from the community to ascertain if there was interest in the realignment/renaming of Vale Park to create clearer boundary lines.

As part of consultation, 1,682 responses were received. Of these, 647 (38%) were hard copy submissions and 1,035 (62%) were online submissions via SurveyMonkey.

Of the total submissions received, 62% of the Township were in support of some form of boundary realignment/renaming. When confined to Vale Park ratepayers only, 82% were in favour of some change.

In consideration of the unprecedented number of survey responses received during consultation, as well as to remain transparent throughout the process, Administration engaged marketing agency Action Market Research to provide an extensive overview of the results, to check for accuracy and potential duplication of survey submissions. The consultant report found that Council should “have confidence that the results are of a good quality”.

To view the full Council report, including the Action Market Research statistical analysis, please click here.

Council is seeking feedback on the potential realignment of a portion of Vale Park. Ratepayers will be receiving a letter in the mail with consultation details this week. Community engagement is open from 9am on Wednesday 17 August 2022 until 5pm on Friday 16 September 2022.

Click here to complete the survey.

At a Special Meeting on 1 August 2022, Elected Members resolved to proceed to community consultation to gather feedback on realigning and renaming a section of Vale Park (south of Ascot Avenue) – as bounded by Lansdowne Terrace, North East Road, Ascot Avenue and the River Torrens – to the suburb of Walkerville.

The decision follows a Motion without Notice by Cr MaryLou Bishop in December 2020 to gauge whether there was community interest in a realignment or renaming to create clearer boundary lines. Council completed consultation in 2021 on four potential options and is now undertaking a second round of engagement on one potential change option. If the majority are in favour of the boundary change, Council will decide on whether to refer the results to the Office of the Surveyor General. Any change to a suburban boundary must be approved by the Surveyor General.

The area bounded in red below would be annexed to the suburb of Walkerville and the blue portion would remain as Vale Park:

Background

At the 21 December 2020 Ordinary Meeting, Elected Members supported a Motion without Notice (CNC225/21-22) by Councillor MaryLou Bishop to “investigate the impact to and interest of residents bounded by Lansdowne Tce, North East Rd, Ascot Avenue and the River Torrens to be designated as part of the suburb of Walkerville rather than Vale Park”.

At Council’s direction, Administration liaised with the Surveyor General and undertook further research in regards to the prospect of realigning/renaming a portion of Vale Park. Subsequent extensive reports were provided to Council to assist with deliberations, including at the 19 April 2021 Ordinary Meeting of Council (CNC333/20-21).

On 17 May 2021, Council resolved (CNC360/20-21) to consult with the community on four alternate proposals to present to the community for feedback, prior to formal consideration on whether to proceed. The four options were:

  • OPTION A
    That the triangle section of the suburb of Vale Park as bounded by Lansdowne Tce, North East Rd, Ascot Avenue and the River Torrens be ceded from the suburb of Vale Park and annexed into the suburb of Walkerville.
  • OPTION B
    That the triangle section of the suburb of Vale Park as bounded by Lansdowne Tce, North East Rd, Ascot Avenue and the River Torrens be ceded from the suburb of Vale Park and annexed into the suburb of Walkerville, then the remaining section of the suburb of Vale Park as bounded by Ascot Avenue, North East Road, Fife Street and the River Torrens be renamed North Walkerville.
  • OPTION C
    That the entire suburb of Vale Park as bounded by Lansdowne Tce, North East Rd, Fife Street and the River Torrens be renamed North Walkerville.
  • OPTION D
    That no change to the current suburban boundaries and place names be pursued.

At its 20 September 2021 Ordinary Meeting (CNC73/21-22), Council was presented with the preliminary consultation results (which are detailed below).

At its Ordinary Meeting on 18 October 2021, Council resolved (CNC95/21-22) to write to the Surveyor General to seek his preliminary feedback on the findings of Council’s public consultation on the potential realignment or renaming of Vale Park.

Administration provided a report to the Office of the Surveyor General in November 2021, with the preliminary consultation findings, in order to seek feedback on whether there would be merit in proceeding. Any change to a suburban boundary must be approved by the Surveyor General.

The Office of the Surveyor General recommended that, in order to proceed further with any such realignment/renaming, Council should conduct a subsequent community consultation with fewer options in order to obtain a significant majority in support (75%-80%).

In consideration that Option A was the community’s preferred change option during the initial consultation, the upcoming engagement process will solely focus on this proposal.

Once this process has concluded, and based on the level of support, Council will decide whether to refer the matter to the Office of the Surveyor General, which would then undertake its own engagement process and make a final determination.

Costs associated with changing Certificate of Title

A Certificate of Title is an important document when it comes to a parcel of land - not only does it prove your ownership, but it also establishes information, such as property boundaries. Therefore, if the Vale Park suburban boundary realignment is approved, some costs will be incurred by ratepayers. Under the Real Property Act 1886, the 2022/23 fee for "the issue of a new Certificate of Title" is $97.50.

Additionally, should any such realignment/renaming proceed Council may incur costs associated with the updating signage, and members of the community and businesses located in an affected area will incur costs and experience potential inconvenience through having to update websites, social media platforms, portal address, and updating their respective Certificates of Title. Until such time that a realignment/renaming is approved by the community then Council, the full breadth of associated costs are undetermined.

School zones

It should be noted, that following consultation with the Department for Education:

  • it is not expected that any such suburb realignment/renaming will have a significant impact on the Town of Walkerville’s school zones; and
  • that at this present time, any such suburb realignment/renaming will not result in triggering a review of the school zone boundaries.

Should Council determine to proceed with a suburb realignment/renaming, the Surveyor General will formally consult with the Department for Education regarding any associated impacts related to the realignment.

Previous consultation

Council undertook consultation with ratepayers from 17 August 2021 to 8 September 2021, seeking feedback from the community to ascertain if there was interest in the realignment/renaming of Vale Park to create clearer boundary lines.

As part of consultation, 1,682 responses were received. Of these, 647 (38%) were hard copy submissions and 1,035 (62%) were online submissions via SurveyMonkey.

Of the total submissions received, 62% of the Township were in support of some form of boundary realignment/renaming. When confined to Vale Park ratepayers only, 82% were in favour of some change.

In consideration of the unprecedented number of survey responses received during consultation, as well as to remain transparent throughout the process, Administration engaged marketing agency Action Market Research to provide an extensive overview of the results, to check for accuracy and potential duplication of survey submissions. The consultant report found that Council should “have confidence that the results are of a good quality”.

To view the full Council report, including the Action Market Research statistical analysis, please click here.