Current CAP Members

Ted Byrt is an experienced company director and now retired commercial lawyer who for over 40 years has specialised in the areas of commerce and public law, local government, town planning and development, corporate governance and international business. Ted was chairman of partners at Norman Waterhouse Lawyers.

He is a specialist strategic advisor for major projects and has focussed on advising corporates undertaking development and infrastructure projects within Australia and offshore.

He was Presiding Member of the State’s “Development Assessment Commission” from July 2008 until March 2015. Ted is Presiding Member of the Roxby Downs CAP, and Chair of Governance Advisory Panels at Barunga West and Light Regional Councils.

Ted has also been a Director of companies with businesses as diverse as library information management systems, shared IT services, viticulture and winery, air-conditioning systems, photonics and carbon sequestration. He is presently a Director of Papyrus Australia Ltd, SMAC Technologies Pty Ltd, Red Chip Photonics Pty Ltd, Arkwright Technologies Pty Ltd and the Aboriginal Foundation of SA Inc.

Michael Arman is an experienced urban planner and project manager, and a long-term resident of West Torrens. With more than 15 years professional experience, his expertise lies in the intersection of urban planning with contemporary challenges such as climate change, disaster management, and housing policy.

Michael is a Director of management consultancy BRM Advisory where he specialises in supporting public sector clients with strategic management, emergency management and climate change adaptation projects. He previously held senior roles with the Local Government Association of SA, and Australian Red Cross. Michael also spent two years working in the Philippines strengthening local government capability in urban planning and disaster risk reduction. Michael holds a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning, a Masters of Business Administration and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Don has extensive experience in strategic planning, planning policy and development assessment, scanning over 40 years.  His career has primarily been in senior positions in local government, including 10 years at the City of Adelaide being responsible for development, heritage and Park Lands policy, and development assessment functions of the Council.  He currently has the role of Assessment Manager at the City of Unley.

An accredited Professional Level 1 and 2, Don is a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia. He has previously filled Presiding Member and Independent Member positions on several metropolitan and outer-metropolitan council assessment panels. He is currently a member of the State Commission Assessment Panel.

I was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Planning from the University of South Australia in 1975. In recognition of my 47 years of continuous and significant service to the profession, the Planning Institute of Australia in 2003 conferred on me the honour of Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia. Until my recent retirement, I was a Director of the well-known consulting firm of MasterPlan SA Pty Ltd.

I continue to be highly motivated, with an abiding interest in urban planning and design, heritage protection, streetscape improvement and environmentally sustainable development. In serving on the West Torrens Panel, I will bring my skill set and depth of experience to the table so that the City of West Torrens' urban and streetscape character is protected and enhanced. 

I will also try to ensure that decisions made by the Panel are informed by planning policy expressed in the Planning and Design Code.

David Brown has a professional career of over 40 years in local government establishing comprehensive knowledge in planning strategy, development policy and assessment, together with related governance, heritage, architecture, transport and environmental design experience.  Most recently he was the long-term Principal Urban Planner at the City of Unley. 

David has previously served as the Independent Presiding Member of the City of Campbelltown City Strategic Planning and Development Policy Committee from 2014 to 2021, as an Independent Member of the Adelaide Hills Council Assessment Panel from 2019 to 2022, and is currently an Independent Member of the Town of Gawler Council Assessment Panel until 2025.

David holds a Bachelor of Arts in Planning, Graduate Diploma in Environmental Planning and Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Management. He is also a Registered Planner with the Planning Institute of Australia and an Accredited Professional Planning Level 2 with the South Australian Accredited Professional Scheme.

Graham Nitschke is a Councillor for Thebarton Ward with the City of West Torrens.  He was first elected in 2014 and has been a member of the City of West Torrens Council Assessment Panel (previously the Development Assessment Panel) since that time. 

Graham has been involved with both the Torrens Road to River Torrens Project, as well as the River Torrens to Darlington Project for the North-South Corridor (South Road) as a council appointed Elected Member on those Community Reference Groups.  Recently, he has also been appointed by council as an Elected Member on the Thebarton Oval Precinct Masterplan Advisory Group.

In 2020 Graham nominated the West End Brewery Site as a State Heritage Place to the South Australian Heritage Council. This resulted in the remains of `Theberton Cottage’, Colonel William Light's and Maria Gandy’s home, as well as the Walkerville Brewhouse Tower and the West End Brewery Garden receiving State Heritage Listing by the South Australian Heritage Council in 2021.

Graham is passionate about improving the local community by the use of sustainable and innovative development, retaining local heritage, improving community facilities and increasing our green open space and tree canopy. 

George Demetriou is currently serving as Morphett Ward Councillor with the City of West Torrens. George is now in his thirtieth year on Council. George is a qualified loss assessor however is now retired but was previously a business manager and operated his own business. George's interests include maintaining the beautification of the City of West Torrens.