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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-07-24 Daily Xml
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HOUSING POLICY

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (14:38): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Urban Development and Planning a question regarding the demand for housing in Adelaide's North.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: The state is currently undergoing an exploration boom with several mining projects in the pipeline. The defence industry in this state, especially around the Techport and Edinburgh air base, is also helping to generate economic growth in South Australia. I understand that the economic expansion and the new jobs that it is helping to create, together with the government's forecast for population growth of 2 million by 2035, are putting enormous pressures on the availability of land for new housing.

I also understand that the recently completed planning review has made some suggestions on how to ease some of this pressure. Can the minister please provide the details on the government's response to this challenge? How is this state preparing for the expected increase in population and the growing demand for new land for housing?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (14:39): I thank the member for his question. As the member pointed out, South Australia has been experiencing a welcome economic resurgence and that, in turn, has put enormous pressure on the availability of land both for new industries and also for housing.

Recently, this government took the decision to adjust the urban growth boundary to include additional land suitable for residential purposes, particularly in the northern fringes of the outer metropolitan area. As a consequence of that decision, the state government now intends to rezone land at Gawler East to allow the construction of new housing to meet the growing demand in Adelaide's fast developing north. This rezoning will be considered through a ministerial development plan amendment. While most of the land in question is in the town of Gawler, a small corner of the area to be considered by the ministerial development plan amendment is situated in the Barossa council area. Most of the land to be considered for rezoning was brought into the urban growth boundary in December, but the DPA process will also take in adjoining land at Gawler East previously within the urban growth boundary and currently zoned 'deferred urban'.

As part of this ministerial development plan amendment process for Gawler East, a 219-hectare parcel of land (about half the size of Mawson Lakes Estate) will form a new residential development proposed by Delfin Lend Lease. Delfin Lend Lease plans to work with both the town of Gawler and Barossa council to develop this portion of the land on the outskirts of this historic township. This proposed residential development also allows the disused Calton Road quarry, currently owned by Cemex Australia, to be rehabilitated and included in the new housing estate. The rezoning of this land acknowledges the continued strong demand for new homes to Adelaide's north and will help to generate jobs growth in South Australia's building industry. The multi-million dollar investment by Delfin Lend Lease in Adelaide's north reflects the region's resurgence, led by projects such as Edinburgh Parks and the pending arrival of the 7th Army Battalion.

The rezoning of Gawler East is consistent with the recommendation of the recently published planning review that the government ensure a 25-year rolling supply of residential land, with 15 years' supply zoned at any one time. The development will also include at least 15 per cent affordable housing and incorporate environmentally sensitive design, particularly in relation to water reuse.

I am well aware of community concerns about the pressure that new land releases will put on existing public infrastructure. The Mayor of Gawler, Brian Sambell, estimates that an additional 2,500 new homes will be added to the size of Gawler from the Delfin development alone. It is therefore understandable that some members of the local community will be concerned about the potential pressure the growth will exert on public transport, schools and, a particular Gawler issue, traffic through Murray Street. That is why this government will be conducting a thorough community consultation process as part of the rezoning, so that nearby residents in Gawler, Playford council, and the Barossa Valley, as well as other interested parties, can have their say.

The Rann Labor government is also committed to detailed structure planning for new areas such as Gawler East to ensure that developers and local councils work together to achieve well-planned and well-serviced suburbs and communities. Through this cooperative approach, the government can ensure that these new housing estates are based on a blueprint that delivers open space for public use, transport routes, community infrastructure and convenient shopping precincts.

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