26 Apr, 2018

First meeting of the Hutt Street Working Group tonight

The party is working together to ensure a shared understanding of the contributing factors to, and extent of, anti-social and criminal behaviour in the Hutt Street area.

The Hutt Street precinct is home to a variety of uses including residential, business and social services. There has a been a long history of these mixed uses co-existing and contributing to Hutt Street’s reputation as a thriving mainstreet with a village feel that supports a diverse community.

However, in recent months, community concerns have arisen regarding anti-social behaviour in the area.

Lord Mayor of Adelaide Martin Haese said safety in the City of Adelaide is paramount.

“Adelaide remains a safe city but following recent events, people sometimes don’t feel safe and we want everyone to feel safe in the city at all times. The Hutt Street Working Group has been set up to be responsive to the needs of our community and to focus on practical solutions to these concerns.

“We also know that there is an unacceptable number of retail vacancies and that this risks the economic future of the precinct.

“We are working together with government, the community, social services, SAPOL, business owners and residents to help restore confidence in Hutt Street.

“These collaborative working parties are a very important step in finding the right solutions. Tonight we had everyone in the room who is in a position to effect change.

“Members of the working group were loud and clear tonight about what they want for the future of Hutt Street. It was a very positive discussion about what can be achieved if we work together.”

The key themes that emerged were the desire to keep and build upon the ‘village in the city’ feel of the area, the need for diverse boutique retail and hospitality businesses, unique design and more greenery, better lighting, increasing the residential and visitor population, and creating greater vibrancy through cultural events and festivals, markets, and activity day and night.

The group also acknowledged the need for all levels of government to collaborate about the most effective provision of services for those most vulnerable in our community.

The Hutt Street Working Group will use the 90-Day Change Project model. 90-Day Change Projects address complex problems in a timely manner by seeking innovative solutions and positive outcomes.

“The information that we gathered tonight will be collated, we will report back to the group and look at what we can implement in the short term and in the longer term, and what we need to do to make these things happen,” said the Lord Mayor.

“This group is action-focused and we want to come up with and start acting upon workable, practical solutions as soon as possible.”

The working group brings together the community who work, run businesses and live in this precinct, along with representatives from the City of Adelaide, Renew Adelaide, SAPOL, social services, education facilities and Adelaide Zero Project representation via the Don Dunstan Foundation.

Other measures to address the concerns in Hutt Street include installing five CCTV cameras, working with Renew Adelaide to activate empty buildings, enhancing the cleansing processes, and improving and encouraging outdoor dining.

The Hutt Street Working Group will reconvene within the next month.

Paula Stevens