Wave Pool proposal “at odds with the desired character of the district” – FOWB
Kerrod Trott 
Friends of Willunga Basin Inc. (FOWB), a leading community group in the area, have prepared a submission to City of Onkaparinga regarding the proposed Wave Pool development in Tuitt Road, Aldinga.
The full submission may be obtained online at https://www.friendsofwillungabasin.com
According to FOWB Chair Geoff Hayter: “ … one aspect of the proposal, being the wave making machine and associated wave pool, has raised significant comment and concern within the local community and our membership.”
Geoff Hayter pointed out that wave pools are an emerging technology and are expensive to build and to operate.
“The challenges of developing such facilities are outlined in the ABC article to found at:
“While economics does not figure in the planning equation, this article makes clear that Council has been presented with a highly speculative proposal,” he said. “There are very few such facilities operating anywhere in the world and only one public facility in Australia, while the technology we understand is proposed here apparently remains largely unproven at scale.”
Geoff Hayter went on to say: “It can be seen that the proposal is either at odds, has no connection or is not relevant with/to … the ‘character values’ of the district, as defined in the Character Preservation Act. This is because it is so out of character with its locality, being urban and industrial in its form and typology, as against the rolling fields … that primarily surround it.”
“In conclusion, FOWB contends that, on balance, the proposal fails the character values test, as enunciated in the Act, and that the application should be refused consent on these grounds.
“If it is to be approved, then this should only be after Council has undertaken the most stringent assessment and, in FOWB’s view, after there have been significant changes to current plans to ameliorate the present shortcomings.”
More info at: https://www.friendsofwillungabasin.com
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