NORTHERN SUBURBS DEVELOPMENT

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (15:00): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Urban Development and Planning a question about demand for new housing in Adelaide's fast-expanding northern suburbs.

Leave granted.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Until recently there has been limited access to significant parcels of land to be used to develop large-scale residential areas in the Gawler and Barossa council areas. The realignment of the urban growth boundary in December 2007 created an opportunity to increase the number of houses and associated community facilities in these areas. The growing demand for housing in Adelaide's north reflects the region's resurgence led by projects such as the Edinburgh Parks and the pending arrival of the 7th Army Battalion.

As I understand it, the government has also been encouraged to identify a 25-year rolling supply of residential land, with a 15-year supply already zoned and ready to go, following a review undertaken by the Planning and Development Steering Committee. Part of the land added to the urban growth boundary in late 2007 included a parcel to the east of Gawler. Will the minister provide details of what steps the government is taking to prepare this land, which is currently zoned as rural, for future development as residential housing? Further, will the minister advise what role the community can play in the process of rezoning land so that their views can be taken into account?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (15:02): I thank the honourable member for his important question. Adelaide's north remains one of the fastest-growing regions in this state, and that means there is constant pressure to identify new areas for housing and community services. The realignment of the urban growth boundary in 2007 did provide this government with an opportunity to identify parcels of land in the Playford, Gawler and Barossa council areas that are suitable for future residential housing development.

Slightly more than 2,000 hectares of additional land was then included within the adjusted urban growth boundary (that was 18 months ago) with more than 1,300 hectares of the new land, or about 65 per cent, in Adelaide's north. That new land included 79 hectares at Evanston Gardens, 173 hectares at Playford North, 112 hectares at Blakeview, 130 hectares at Penfield, 500 hectares at Concordia and 320 hectares at Gawler East.

The next step in the process of identifying this land for residential growth is to update the zoning by amending the relevant development plans which councils use to guide growth in their areas. A draft development plan amendment for the land at Gawler East is now available, and public comments are being sought on this proposed rezoning. The proposed rezoning affects about 400 hectares of land encompassing portions of the suburbs of Gawler East, Evanston Park, Gawler South and Kalbeeba and also includes a disused quarry that has been earmarked for rehabilitation.

The proposed rezoning envisages the construction of 2,500 houses which is expected to take about 10 years to develop and will boost the residential capacity of the Gawler area by about 25 per cent. However, any development needs to be carried out in a way that does not detract from Gawler's heritage and the country feel of this historic town. The rezoning will unleash millions of dollars to be invested in the Gawler East housing development and associated retail and community centres.

This investment will importantly generate jobs within South Australia's building and construction industry throughout the coming decade. It is the people of Gawler and the surrounding areas who will live next-door to this development, so it is of vital importance that every effort is made to ensure that their views are heard during the consultation process. That is why I urge members of the public to have their say about the proposed rezoning during the two-month community consultation period. Members of the public, local government, industry and community groups and government agencies have until 16 July to lodge submissions with the Department of Planning and Local Government.

A public meeting is to be held at 7pm on 30 July 2009 in the Reserve Room at the Gawler Arms Hotel where members of the community can speak to their submissions. I urge people, if they wish to be heard at that meeting, to make submissions before the 16 July deadline.

Housing developer Delfin Lend Lease is currently working with both the Town of Gawler and the Barossa Council to develop some 219 hectares of land affected by this rezoning. Delfin, as most members will recall, has a long association with quality housing developments in this state, including West Lakes, Golden Grove and Mawson Lakes. Another key element of the proposed development plan amendment is the rehabilitation of the old Cemex Australia sand quarry on Calton Road.

The main changes proposed by the development plan amendment are to introduce policies which will provide for a range of housing types, including compact and affordable residential allotments; enable the establishment of supporting commercial, retail, educational and community facilities; provide for the incorporation of suitably located and sized areas of public open space that will serve a variety of functions, including passive and active recreation, pedestrian and cyclist links to surrounding facilities, biodiversity and habitat and buffers to adjoining activities; and support for the inclusion of wetlands and stormwater management initiatives within the proposed open space network.

Copies of the draft development plan amendment are available online from the Department of Planning and Local Government website at www.planning.sa.gov.au. Hard copies of the development plan amendment can also be obtained from the department's city office at Roma Mitchell House, North Terrace, and from the Town of Gawler, the Barossa district council, the City of Playford and the Light Regional Council.

To inform the community consultation process, the state government has also established the Gawler Growth Areas Transport Framework, which can be found online at the Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure website. The framework has been developed in collaboration with the Town of Gawler, the Barossa Council and the Light Regional Council to identify transport improvement needs to cater for urban growth more broadly across Gawler.

The proposed amendment to the development plans of the Corporation of the Town of Gawler and Barossa Council proposes to provide the conditions needed to enable the orderly and economical expansion of the Gawler township and enable a new masterplanned community; to provide opportunities for additional community educational, recreational and commercial and retail facilities to support the new population; provide appropriate links with the established community without affecting the existing infrastructure; and encourage and facilitate best practice in terms of urban development, urban design and sustainable development.

Once again, I strongly encourage members of the public, local government, industry and community groups and government agencies to lodge their submissions by the 16 July deadline.