Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining us live in the studio is the Lord Mayor
of Darwin, Peter Stiles.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Good morning to you.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Morning, Katie. Good morning to your listeners. What a beautiful
day it is out there.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Always a good day.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And Stiles, tell us, we know that Smith Street has
been reduced down to one lane to allow for works
on two road murals. Can you tell me a little
bit more about the next step of that Smith Street
streetscape project and what exactly it is?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
What are these murals?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
So it's artwork. There's a whole lot of submissions put
in in relation to Smith Street. We had over 500
submissions in relation to the Smith Street upgrades. Now, just
so everyone's aware, the Northern Territory Government gave us $ 3
million to work on Smith Street, and they wanted Smith
Street done, so we were delivering what the Northern Territory
(00:48):
Government gave us the money for. It was a bit
of an issue there at times when we had some
delays through various things.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Because it literally dates back a few years, doesn't it,
that funding, that $ 3 million, or at least a couple
of years?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
I'm not sure the exact date the funding came through, Katie,
but then you've got to go through, obviously, the processes
of getting people to do the work and then sort
of channeling it into the timetables for work to be done.
But we had nearly 80% of the respondents for all
the surveys we did who actually supported the upgrades and
wanted the Smith Streets fixed up so that people can
(01:24):
walk through there. The trees, the greening. If you look
at Kavanagh Street, for instance, Kavanagh Street, people love it
now because the trees are growing. It's shady. You can
park your car in the shade. The actual temperature's been
dropped because of the shade in Smith Street.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Unless you go under that structure. There's not much shade
on there.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Yeah, well, that's a bit of an interesting one, the
Kavanagh Street structure.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
I won't draw you into that.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Stilesy, just tell us, though, what exactly, like, With this
Smith Street streetscape project, with these murals, what are they
going to be?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Are they painted on the road?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
They are painted on the road. They've got to let
them dry. We had them previously, but the particular paint
that was used wasn't up to speed, so we had
to redo it. We've got half the road cut off
at the moment. I just drove down the other way
here to see what's going on. It looks great, the
actual artwork that's on the road itself. Once they do that,
they'll do the other side of the road. Yeah. That's
(02:15):
all part of... what the arts people have been out
to consult with people. They want these sort of things.
They want the city to be walkable. They want it shady.
And as a result, that's what we got.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
So you said 80% of the people that responded to,
you know, or gave feedback, they were positive about this.
How many people actually sort of gave feedback? Was that
the 500 submissions?
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Yeah, there's over 500 submissions. There's 400 formal submissions.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
There's 250 surveys, 152 people turned up at our community
pop-ups and also a number of written submissions came in
with that as well.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
So really, I mean, because we do always get a
bit of discussion when there has been, you know, work
or when there is work, particularly on that Smith Street,
because it had caused some chaos for some of the
businesses along there last year.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
And I think it might have even been the year before,
probably like throughout last year.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Yeah. So what do you say to anybody that's now
sort of listening this morning if they go.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Oh, goodness me, I don't want to see a bloody
mural on the road?
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Well, art's subjective. A lot of people may not like it,
but most people that have been spoken to throughout the
surveys and the pop-ups that we've had have all been
supportive of what we're proposing to do in Smith Street.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Any plans for any of the other streets? I know
you discussed Kavanagh Street. There's quite a bit of shade
down there now, but any plans for any of the
other locations around the city?
Speaker 3 (03:40):
Well, the government gave us money to do Chapel Lane.
They wanted Chapel Lane because it's all about connectivity throughout
our city and being able to walk through the city.
Kavanagh Street, Greening, right down to where the university is now.
Nucky Street and Kavanagh Street, the tiling, the trial there
about making the city a bit more presentable. down at
(04:00):
the bottom of McMinn Street. There's all the landscaping down there.
So we're trying to green the city, get more trees
out there and make the place look inviting.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
And look, I will say, because I was certainly somebody
with the Chapel Lane closures that was saying, come on,
we've got to get this sorted. I drove past there
the other night and the restaurant that's, you know, that
is out in that Alfresco area, it looked fantastic. It
reminded me of the days gone past of Darwin where
you go, oh, the city looks like it's bustling again.
So I will say, I think that looks really nice there, particularly...
(04:30):
with that business actually now able to utilise that outdoor area?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
So I was actually down there in Chapel Lane yesterday
talking to some of the businesses down there and without
mentioning anyone in particular, the businesses down there were saying
to me they've had the best year that they've had.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
That's good.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
It's reactivated that area and made it more inviting.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Well, that's good.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
With lighting, making it more appealing to people to go
down there and the walkability and the connectivity through the
city is encouraging people to get in there. The same
happened in behind Spain Place yesterday. where you've got the
Korean restaurant down there. It's inviting people into those spaces.
You put the lights in there, you open it up,
and people are happy to go in there.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Stilesy, I want to ask you a couple of messages
and different issues that have been raised by our listeners.
One of them, we've actually had quite a few queries
from listeners regarding the state of Little Mindle. Now, for
those who haven't noticed, or haven't driven past, but there
appears that there's a lot of people camping there, and
we understand that it's not the council's responsibility Kathleen has
(05:30):
indeed attempted to contact the owners, but is there anything
that the council can do, especially in terms of the
dumping of rubbish and the waste that's around that area?
Speaker 3 (05:41):
So the particular piece of land called Little Mindle is
owned by a foreign investor. There's a management company that
represents the foreign investor and the council's been in touch
with them over a long period of time to try
and get something done down there. But as you rightly
pointed out, Katie, It's private land. We don't have any
jurisdiction over private land.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Can you force them, though, to have to– like, it's
just a bloody.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Eyesore, isn't it? It is, but we can't– we don't
have any jurisdiction to tell people what they're doing on
their private land. But we are in touch with them,
and we are pointing out those problems to the management
company that looks after the foreign investor.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
And hopefully they'll get the message and do something about
it soon.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Because it hasn't always been the case. So what do
you reckon's happened, like, in the last, you know, six months, year?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
So what actually happened is that bit of land was
purchased by the casino.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
And my understanding is that they sold that piece of land.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
That was a while ago, though, wasn't it?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
That was a while ago. But while they had it,
my understanding was that there wasn't those sort of issues
because they could actually do something about it because they're present,
they're on site, they had their security people looking after it. But,
of course, with the management company that's looking after the
foreign investor... we're in touch with them and we're trying
to get them to actually do something about the problem
(06:55):
down there.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
People are not happy. They're sort of saying, you know,
it's a beautiful spot. We shouldn't be worried about this.
And I think that that's a fair point to make.
You know, we do want to make sure that some
of the beautiful locations we've got around the Northern.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Territory and around Darwin, you know, that it's not a
free for all.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
I want to ask you very quickly. We heard from
the member for Fanny Bay, Laurie Zio, about an RV park.
being granted approval pending several conditions that need to be addressed.
What does the City of Darwin require from that development
for it to proceed?
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Well, there will be a checklist of things that, so
long as it meets all our bylaws and our regulations
that we have, lots of things that happen in the city,
we've got to give a tick to all the various
things that council require. But the RV park, it'll bring
people back into the city. We've heard from a lot
of people who have recreation vehicles that they're traveling around,
(07:45):
they're looking for somewhere close to the city so they
can enjoy what Darwin has to offer in the city.
And to put it out at the back of Koolalinga
or somewhere is probably not relevant because they want to
be close to the city.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Yeah. Hey, just really quickly before I let you go,
how's the feedback been on that delay to the cyclone cleanup?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
And have you now sort of gone out and helped.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Or gone through the process of working out who you
need to help in terms of the seniors or some
of those that may not be able to do it themselves?
Speaker 3 (08:14):
We have. We've had people contact the council. That's actually
happening as we speak out there at the moment, Katie,
right through until about the 4th of October. They're out
there collecting stuff from those particular people who need a hand.
So it's all happening at the moment.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Well, good to hear.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
And look, I know not everybody's happy about it, but
I'm glad to hear that those that need the assistance
are receiving it at the moment. Peter Stiles, the Lord
Mayor of Darwin. We're going to have to leave it there.
Always good to catch up with you. Thank you for
your time this morning.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Always a pleasure, Katie.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Thank you.
Joining us live in the studio is the Lord Mayor
of Darwin, Peter Stiles.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Good morning to you.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Morning, Katie. Good morning to your listeners. What a beautiful
day it is out there.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Always a good day.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And Stiles, tell us, we know that Smith Street has
been reduced down to one lane to allow for works
on two road murals. Can you tell me a little
bit more about the next step of that Smith Street
streetscape project and what exactly it is?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
What are these murals?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
So it's artwork. There's a whole lot of submissions put
in in relation to Smith Street. We had over 500
submissions in relation to the Smith Street upgrades. Now, just
so everyone's aware, the Northern Territory Government gave us $ 3
million to work on Smith Street, and they wanted Smith
Street done, so we were delivering what the Northern Territory
(00:48):
Government gave us the money for. It was a bit
of an issue there at times when we had some
delays through various things.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Because it literally dates back a few years, doesn't it,
that funding, that $ 3 million, or at least a couple
of years?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
I'm not sure the exact date the funding came through, Katie,
but then you've got to go through, obviously, the processes
of getting people to do the work and then sort
of channeling it into the timetables for work to be done.
But we had nearly 80% of the respondents for all
the surveys we did who actually supported the upgrades and
wanted the Smith Streets fixed up so that people can
(01:24):
walk through there. The trees, the greening. If you look
at Kavanagh Street, for instance, Kavanagh Street, people love it
now because the trees are growing. It's shady. You can
park your car in the shade. The actual temperature's been
dropped because of the shade in Smith Street.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Unless you go under that structure. There's not much shade
on there.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Yeah, well, that's a bit of an interesting one, the
Kavanagh Street structure.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
I won't draw you into that.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Stilesy, just tell us, though, what exactly, like, With this
Smith Street streetscape project, with these murals, what are they
going to be?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Are they painted on the road?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
They are painted on the road. They've got to let
them dry. We had them previously, but the particular paint
that was used wasn't up to speed, so we had
to redo it. We've got half the road cut off
at the moment. I just drove down the other way
here to see what's going on. It looks great, the
actual artwork that's on the road itself. Once they do that,
they'll do the other side of the road. Yeah. That's
(02:15):
all part of... what the arts people have been out
to consult with people. They want these sort of things.
They want the city to be walkable. They want it shady.
And as a result, that's what we got.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
So you said 80% of the people that responded to,
you know, or gave feedback, they were positive about this.
How many people actually sort of gave feedback? Was that
the 500 submissions?
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Yeah, there's over 500 submissions. There's 400 formal submissions.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
There's 250 surveys, 152 people turned up at our community
pop-ups and also a number of written submissions came in
with that as well.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
So really, I mean, because we do always get a
bit of discussion when there has been, you know, work
or when there is work, particularly on that Smith Street,
because it had caused some chaos for some of the
businesses along there last year.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
And I think it might have even been the year before,
probably like throughout last year.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Yeah. So what do you say to anybody that's now
sort of listening this morning if they go.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Oh, goodness me, I don't want to see a bloody
mural on the road?
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Well, art's subjective. A lot of people may not like it,
but most people that have been spoken to throughout the
surveys and the pop-ups that we've had have all been
supportive of what we're proposing to do in Smith Street.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Any plans for any of the other streets? I know
you discussed Kavanagh Street. There's quite a bit of shade
down there now, but any plans for any of the
other locations around the city?
Speaker 3 (03:40):
Well, the government gave us money to do Chapel Lane.
They wanted Chapel Lane because it's all about connectivity throughout
our city and being able to walk through the city.
Kavanagh Street, Greening, right down to where the university is now.
Nucky Street and Kavanagh Street, the tiling, the trial there
about making the city a bit more presentable. down at
(04:00):
the bottom of McMinn Street. There's all the landscaping down there.
So we're trying to green the city, get more trees
out there and make the place look inviting.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
And look, I will say, because I was certainly somebody
with the Chapel Lane closures that was saying, come on,
we've got to get this sorted. I drove past there
the other night and the restaurant that's, you know, that
is out in that Alfresco area, it looked fantastic. It
reminded me of the days gone past of Darwin where
you go, oh, the city looks like it's bustling again.
So I will say, I think that looks really nice there, particularly...
(04:30):
with that business actually now able to utilise that outdoor area?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
So I was actually down there in Chapel Lane yesterday
talking to some of the businesses down there and without
mentioning anyone in particular, the businesses down there were saying
to me they've had the best year that they've had.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
That's good.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
It's reactivated that area and made it more inviting.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Well, that's good.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
With lighting, making it more appealing to people to go
down there and the walkability and the connectivity through the
city is encouraging people to get in there. The same
happened in behind Spain Place yesterday. where you've got the
Korean restaurant down there. It's inviting people into those spaces.
You put the lights in there, you open it up,
and people are happy to go in there.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Stilesy, I want to ask you a couple of messages
and different issues that have been raised by our listeners.
One of them, we've actually had quite a few queries
from listeners regarding the state of Little Mindle. Now, for
those who haven't noticed, or haven't driven past, but there
appears that there's a lot of people camping there, and
we understand that it's not the council's responsibility Kathleen has
(05:30):
indeed attempted to contact the owners, but is there anything
that the council can do, especially in terms of the
dumping of rubbish and the waste that's around that area?
Speaker 3 (05:41):
So the particular piece of land called Little Mindle is
owned by a foreign investor. There's a management company that
represents the foreign investor and the council's been in touch
with them over a long period of time to try
and get something done down there. But as you rightly
pointed out, Katie, It's private land. We don't have any
jurisdiction over private land.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Can you force them, though, to have to– like, it's
just a bloody.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Eyesore, isn't it? It is, but we can't– we don't
have any jurisdiction to tell people what they're doing on
their private land. But we are in touch with them,
and we are pointing out those problems to the management
company that looks after the foreign investor.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
And hopefully they'll get the message and do something about
it soon.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Because it hasn't always been the case. So what do
you reckon's happened, like, in the last, you know, six months, year?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
So what actually happened is that bit of land was
purchased by the casino.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
And my understanding is that they sold that piece of land.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
That was a while ago, though, wasn't it?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
That was a while ago. But while they had it,
my understanding was that there wasn't those sort of issues
because they could actually do something about it because they're present,
they're on site, they had their security people looking after it. But,
of course, with the management company that's looking after the
foreign investor... we're in touch with them and we're trying
to get them to actually do something about the problem
(06:55):
down there.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
People are not happy. They're sort of saying, you know,
it's a beautiful spot. We shouldn't be worried about this.
And I think that that's a fair point to make.
You know, we do want to make sure that some
of the beautiful locations we've got around the Northern.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Territory and around Darwin, you know, that it's not a
free for all.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
I want to ask you very quickly. We heard from
the member for Fanny Bay, Laurie Zio, about an RV park.
being granted approval pending several conditions that need to be addressed.
What does the City of Darwin require from that development
for it to proceed?
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Well, there will be a checklist of things that, so
long as it meets all our bylaws and our regulations
that we have, lots of things that happen in the city,
we've got to give a tick to all the various
things that council require. But the RV park, it'll bring
people back into the city. We've heard from a lot
of people who have recreation vehicles that they're traveling around,
(07:45):
they're looking for somewhere close to the city so they
can enjoy what Darwin has to offer in the city.
And to put it out at the back of Koolalinga
or somewhere is probably not relevant because they want to
be close to the city.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Yeah. Hey, just really quickly before I let you go,
how's the feedback been on that delay to the cyclone cleanup?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
And have you now sort of gone out and helped.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Or gone through the process of working out who you
need to help in terms of the seniors or some
of those that may not be able to do it themselves?
Speaker 3 (08:14):
We have. We've had people contact the council. That's actually
happening as we speak out there at the moment, Katie,
right through until about the 4th of October. They're out
there collecting stuff from those particular people who need a hand.
So it's all happening at the moment.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Well, good to hear.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
And look, I know not everybody's happy about it, but
I'm glad to hear that those that need the assistance
are receiving it at the moment. Peter Stiles, the Lord
Mayor of Darwin. We're going to have to leave it there.
Always good to catch up with you. Thank you for
your time this morning.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Always a pleasure, Katie.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Thank you.
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