Petition: Refuse Development Application 26029262, 22 Flour Mill Road, Whites Valley

Organised by local landowners Alistair Turner and Neighbours.

Alistair owns Turner's Corner, a camping and accommodation business in Whites Valley, and we have an interest in how land use in the district is decided. We are asking everyone who signs to read the application and decide for themselves.

What we are asking for

We ask the City of Onkaparinga to refuse Development Application 26029262 for the storage of 15 heavy rigid waste collection trucks (a truck depot) at 22 Flour Mill Road, Whites Valley.

About the application

The application is retrospective and relates to land used by the existing Peats Soils facility. The City of Onkaparinga has previously advised that a change of use has occurred and that development approval is required. A retrospective application is assessed on its merits against the Planning and Design Code, in the same way as any other application. We make no claim about any other approval or licence held for the site.

Why we oppose it

1. Location. The land is in the Rural Zone and within the Character Preservation District. We oppose the proposal because a truck depot of this scale does not suit the character of this part of the district. The Character Preservation (McLaren Vale) Act 2012 is intended to protect the special character of the district, including its primary production, heritage and tourism values.
2. Hours and frequency. The Planning Statement indicates vehicle movements five days a week, with departures at about 5:45 am. We oppose this because, in our view, it differs in character and frequency from seasonal or intermittent primary production activity.
3. Amenity impacts. We oppose the proposal because of the negative effects already being experienced by local residents, including excessive vehicle movements outside normal hours, dust and odour. Some residents have raised these concerns with Council, and the City of Onkaparinga and the EPA have been informed.
4. Heritage. There are two local heritage listed buildings on properties adjacent to the site. Whites Valley has deep historical connections to the early colonial settlement (circa 1840) of the area and contains important local heritage. We oppose the proposal because it is in stark contrast to the community’s long-standing investment in preserving this connection to the past.
5. Permanence. The application is described as temporary, but it does not nominate an end date. We oppose an open-ended approval because, once granted without a time limit, a development approval of this kind is generally permanent and not easy to reverse.
6. A better location. We oppose the location of this use on rural land in a Character Preservation District. In our view, this type of use is better placed on suitably zoned land elsewhere in the City of Onkaparinga area.
   How you can help

Please sign to show your support in preserving Whites Valley and the broader Mclaren Vale region from increased industrial, non-rural type change.

Signing this petition shows community support, but it is not a substitute for a formal representation. Anyone can lodge a representation about the application.

• Where: through the PlanSA portal, under DA 26029262. The Council's contact officer is Madhu Neupane. Please check the phone number on the Council's notice before calling.
• PlanSA link for formal representations
  https://plan.sa.gov.au/have_your_say/notified_developments/current_notified_developments/submission?aid=14182
• Deadline: 11:59pm, Tuesday 10 November 2026.
• Be heard: tick the box asking to speak to the Council Assessment Panel. The Panel may invite those who ask.
• Say it in your own words: describe how the proposal affects you, and refer to the Planning and Design Code and the district's character where you can.
  Our aim is to keep Whites Valley a place for primary production, heritage and tourism, and to ask Council to assess this proposal carefully and on the evidence.

Alistair Turner and Neighbours, Whites Valley

Statements are our views unless attributed to the Planning Statement or Council. We encourage you to read the application documents on PlanSA. Signatures and any comments will be used only for this petition and passed to Council as a record of community concern.