Heritage Tram Pole Saved: From Gifted Asset to Restored Landmark

Contents

• Executive summary
• Timeline
• 29 November 2022 — Council accepts the gifted pole
• 10 January 2023 — Letter to SA Power Networks
• June–July 2023 — Community engagement undertaken
• September–October 2023 — Report timeline extended
• 21 November 2023 — Decision report and Council resolution
• April–May 2024 — Contractor engagement and design
• July 2024 — Budget commitment and progress
• 16 July 2024 — Annual Business Plan, Budget and Long-Term Financial Plan
• 13 August 2024 — Restoration under way
• April 2025 — Pole preserved and installed
• Key findings
• Open questions

Executive summary

The City of Mitcham's Heritage Tram Pole, originally located at 7 Welbourne Street/7A Welbourne Avenue, Mitcham, was gifted to Council by SA Power Networks (SAPN) and became the subject of a multi-year process spanning acceptance, storage, community consultation, budget allocation, restoration and eventual reinstallation. Council first considered the matter on 29 November 2022, resolving to accept the pole and store it undercover pending a decision on its future location, while committing to engage local heritage groups [1][2][4]. Following an extended community engagement process that closed in June 2023 [5], and repeated delays in bringing a decision report to Council [5][6][7], Council resolved on 21 November 2023 to install the pole in Sutton Gardens, Mitcham, adjacent to the original tram line terminus, with a $39,000 capital budget [12]. Restoration work by Arentz and KKG Engineering proceeded through 2024 [16][18], and the refurbished pole was ultimately installed at Sutton Gardens, Albert Street, Mitcham, as reported in Mitcham Community News in April 2025 [25].

The pole is historically significant as the last remaining steel and cast iron pole that powered the Adelaide-to-Mitcham electric tram service, which operated from 1911 to 1948, and it is recognised within the Mitcham Village Historic Conservation Zone [25].

Timeline

29 November 2022 — Council accepts the gifted pole

An agenda report (Item 5.1, also referenced as Item 9.11) presented two options to Council regarding SAPN's gift of the Heritage Tram Pole [1][2]. Option 1, the staff recommendation, proposed Council accept the pole as a gifted asset and in principle support a priority budget bid of $32,000 for restoration and reinstallation at its current location, to be considered at Budget Review 2 in 2022/2023, noting an estimated ongoing annual cost of $2,400 (less than 0.01% rates impact in 2023/2024) [2]. Option 2 proposed the same acceptance but with a higher budget bid of $42,000 and ongoing annual cost of $3,162 [1]. Both options included a proposed clause that Administration engage with local community groups, organisations and residents — including the Mitcham Heritage Research Centre and Mitcham Historical Society — and consider their feedback in determining the pole's location once restored [1][2].

The Council Resolutions tracking report subsequently confirmed the actual resolution passed under Item 3.1, Heritage Tram Pole – Restoration Works: that the City of Mitcham respond in writing to SAPN advising Council would store the pole undercover on behalf of the community until a decision was made on its future use/location, and that Administration engage with local community groups/organisations/residents (including Mitcham Heritage Research Centre and Mitcham Historical Society) to consider feedback in determining the pole's location, with a report to be brought back to Council on future options [4].

10 January 2023 — Letter to SA Power Networks

Mayor Dr Heather Holmes-Ross wrote to Lachlan Keller at SA Power Networks confirming Council's 29 November 2022 resolution to accept delivery and store the Heritage Tram Pole undercover at a Council facility on behalf of the community, pending a future decision on use/location [3]. The letter noted Council's intention to consider restoration and reinstallation later, following engagement with local community groups including the Mitcham Heritage Research Centre and Mitcham Historical Society, and directed logistics enquiries to Mark Swanbury, Project and Development Engineer [3]. This correspondence was tabled as Item 16.5 at the 31 January 2023 Council meeting [3].

June–July 2023 — Community engagement undertaken

The Council Resolutions Report presented on 20 June 2023 recorded that the letter to SAPN had been sent, and that community engagement on the pole's future location was scheduled to be undertaken in May 2023 [4]. By the July 2023 report (11 July 2023), progress notes confirmed community engagement had closed on 23 June 2023, with feedback to be analysed and a report presented to Council in September 2023 [5].

September–October 2023 — Report timeline extended

The Council Resolutions Report of 12 September 2023 updated the timeline, noting the report on community feedback would now be presented to Council in November 2023 rather than September [6]. A further Correspondence report on 10 October 2023 confirmed the report would be presented at the Full Council Meeting on 14 November 2023 [7] — a date subsequently superseded by the meeting actually held on 21 November 2023.

21 November 2023 — Decision report and Council resolution

The 21 November 2023 Council agenda listed Item 10.7, Heritage Tram Pole, Welbourne Street, Mitcham, as a Decision Report, having previously been brought to Council as a Discussion Paper [8][11]. The purpose of the report was to summarise public consultation on the preferred re-installation location of the pole, should Council allocate sufficient restoration funds [11]. Supporting attachments included the City of Mitcham Heritage Survey 2011 (Attachment A), Mitcham Heritage Research Centre material on Electric Trams (Attachment B), final heritage advice regarding the pole dated 27 May 2022 (Attachment C), SAPN correspondence regarding the pole from February 2022 (Attachment D), a structural assessment (Attachment E), the Mitcham Village Heritage Tram Pole Survey Responses Report (Attachment F), the 2023 Consultation Report (Attachment G), and a related letter (Attachment H) [9].

The Survey Responses Report covered the consultation period 15 May 2023 to 23 June 2023 and recorded 55 mandatory responses to an initial consent question regarding publication of respondent details [10].

Following consideration of this report, the Council Resolutions Report of 12 December 2023 recorded the resolution actually passed under Item 10.7 on 21 November 2023: that Council endorse installation of the Heritage Tram Pole in Sutton Gardens, Mitcham, adjacent to where the tram line originally terminated; that Council endorse a $39,000 capital budget for restoration works and installation, to be reflected at Budget Review 2 in 2023/2024; and that Council note this decision equates to an additional rate impact of 0.01% in the 2024/2025 financial year [12]. The progress comment noted the restoration contractor was to be consulted in January/February 2024 regarding works and programming [12].

April–May 2024 — Contractor engagement and design

The Council Resolutions Report of 9 April 2024 recorded that the restoration contractor had been consulted and was discussing the scope of restoration works [13]. The May 2024 report added that a consultant had been engaged to develop a footing design, with restoration works to commence once that design was complete [14].

July 2024 — Budget commitment and progress

Council's Expenditure in 2024/25 report, presented 9 July 2024, listed "Installation of a Heritage Tram Pole, Welbourne Street, Mitcham" among existing service commitments requiring funding in the proposed 2024/25 budget [15]. The Council Resolutions Report of the same date recorded that the footing design had been completed and Council was awaiting an accurate quotation for restoration works from Arentz & KKG Engineering [16].

16 July 2024 — Annual Business Plan, Budget and Long-Term Financial Plan

The adopted 2024/25 Annual Business Plan, Budget & Long-Term Financial Plan again listed installation of the Heritage Tram Pole among existing commitments requiring funding in the new financial year [17].

13 August 2024 — Restoration under way

The Council Resolutions Report of 13 August 2024 recorded that the Heritage Tram Pole was currently being restored, with completion due by the end of July 2024, and that quotations were being sought from civil contractors for installation and footing construction [18]. A further undated Council's Expenditure in 2024/25 summary again confirmed the pole's installation as an existing funded commitment [20].

April 2025 — Pole preserved and installed

Mitcham Community News reported in its April 2025 issue, in the article "Heritage tram pole preserved," that the pole had been refurbished and installed at Sutton Gardens, Albert Street, Mitcham [25]. The article confirmed the pole's origin at 7 Welbourne Street, Mitcham, describing it as the last remaining steel and cast iron pole installed to power the electric trams that ran between Adelaide and Mitcham from 1911 to 1948, and noting its recognition as heritage infrastructure within the Mitcham Village Historic Conservation Zone [25]. Restoration was carried out by South Australian metal fabricators Arentz working alongside KKG Engineering, with works including removal of concrete from the pole's base, removal of paint, cleaning and patching of holes, rust-prevention treatment, and installation of a large reinforced collar at its base for structural support [25].

Key findings

• Council's original 29 November 2022 decision was narrower than the staff-recommended options considered on the agenda: rather than immediately committing to a restoration budget, Council resolved only to accept the pole, store it undercover, and consult the community before deciding on its future [1][2][4].
• The two November 2022 agenda options proposed different budget figures ($32,000 under Option 1 versus $42,000 under Option 2) [1][2], but the amount ultimately endorsed by Council in November 2023 — $39,000 — fell between these figures [12].
• The timeline for bringing a decision report back to Council slipped repeatedly: from an original May 2023 engagement target [4], to a September 2023 report target [5], then November 2023 [6], then a specific date of 14 November 2023 [7], before the report was actually presented on 21 November 2023 [8][11].
• The consultation process included a formal Survey Responses Report and a separate 2023 Consultation Report, alongside heritage assessments and structural engineering assessments, as attachments to the November 2023 decision report [9][10].
• Council's final resolution specified Sutton Gardens, Mitcham as the reinstallation site because it is adjacent to where the historic tram line originally terminated [12][13][14][16][18].
• The $39,000 capital allocation was linked to a projected additional rate impact of 0.01% in the 2024/2025 financial year [12].
• Restoration progressed through 2024 via engagement of a footing design consultant and contractors Arentz and KKG Engineering, with completion of restoration reported around July 2024 and installation quotations sought from civil contractors thereafter [13][14][16][18].
• The project appeared consistently as an "existing commitment" in Council's 2024/25 budget and Annual Business Plan documents [15][17][20].
• The pole was confirmed as refurbished and installed at Sutton Gardens, Albert Street, Mitcham, as reported in Mitcham Community News in April 2025 [25].

Open questions

• The record does not show the exact date the pole was physically installed at Sutton Gardens; the April 2025 MCN article confirms completion but does not give an installation date [25].
• The full content of the Survey Responses Report beyond the first mandatory consent question, and the full content of the 2023 Consultation Report (Attachment G), are not included in the available material, so the detailed community feedback on preferred locations is not established [9][10].
• The specific feedback provided by the Mitcham Heritage Research Centre and Mitcham Historical Society during consultation is not present in the record.
• Council's underlying reasoning or heritage rationale for preserving the pole (beyond its recognised status in the Mitcham Village Historic Conservation Zone, noted only in the later MCN article) is not detailed in the council reports and minutes provided [25].
• The exact date the pole was removed from its original Welbourne Street/Welbourne Avenue location and delivered to Council storage is not specified in the material.
• Final actual restoration and installation costs are not confirmed against the $39,000 budget; the record shows only the approved budget figure and progress updates on contractor engagement, not a reconciled final expenditure figure [12][16][18].