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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-10-15 Daily Xml
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PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:09): Will the Minister for Urban Development and Planning provide details of the state government's commitment to improving public infrastructure in a way that delivers benefits for local communities?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (15:09): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. This government is committed to enhancing the quality of open space throughout South Australia and, of course, this commitment can be achieved in various forms. In some cases, the government can ensure that new developments provide ample open space, and that is one of the reasons why this government will ensure that, when it is transferred from the SAJC, 35 per cent of the Cheltenham Park Racecourse site is preserved as open space at the heart of the proposed redevelopment. That is one way government can do it.

There are other ways the government can encourage local communities to set aside and improve open space in their areas. One of the government's most popular initiatives is the open space and places for people grants. The importance of these community projects is demonstrated by the continued strong demand from metropolitan and regional councils for funding from these programs. Funding from the Rann government has assisted local councils to maintain and rejuvenate public parks and open space across the state. This funding has been integral to the creation of the River Torrens Linear Park and Coast Park that links the Adelaide Hills to the gulf. Regional South Australia has not been overlooked, with scores of grants helping district councils to design, construct and, where necessary, renovate public spaces and in some cases to purchase public spaces in country towns.

I am delighted to inform members that I recently approved more than $1.189 million in open space grants to support local government projects based on the recommendations from the Public Space Advisory Committee. Those 16 grants to metropolitan and regional councils, financed from the South Australian government's planning and development fund, will assist local community projects worth more than $4.4 million. This government has now invested more than $40 million in grants to beautify this state and provide recreational facilities such as shared use paths for pedestrians and cyclists, barbecue facilities and picnic grounds. These grants allow local councils to invest in their communities through projects that provide a facelift to rural and regional town centres and help support healthy outdoor recreation throughout South Australia.

The scope of the project supported by these grants are as diverse as this state. They include $250,000 to the City of Charles Sturt for the $916,000 Grange Jetty precinct stage 1 development. There is a grant of $175,150 to the City of Onkaparinga to assist in completing the $350,000 Jubilee Reserve stage 1a redevelopment. These two projects continue the significant progress this government has made in assisting councils along the Adelaide coastline to create a coast park linking North Haven to Sellicks Beach.

Along with a coast park, the government is also keen to encourage recreational facilities that link to the shared use path. That is why in the latest round of grants we are providing $102,500 to the City of Port Adelaide Enfield for the $205,500 Le Fevre Community Recreation Park at Largs Bay. Regional South Australia does not miss out in the latest round of funding. The District Council of Tatiara is also a beneficiary from the latest round of grants, with $224,930 to the District Council of Tatiara for the $881,817 Keith streetscape project, and a further $50,000 to the $125,000 Keith entrance project.

The government has also provided $16,000 to the District Council of Yorke Peninsula to assist in the $31,945 Ardrossan Creek bridge project. In the hills the government is providing $100,000 to the Adelaide Hills Council for the $1.41 million Woodside redevelopment, stages 1B and 1C. A further $6,000 grant has been approved for the District Council of Mount Barker for the $14,000 Weld Park redevelopment plan. There is also $60,000 to the City of Mitcham for the $120,000 Soldiers Memorial Gardens project, and $48,000 to the City of Tea Tree Gully for the $96,000 Kingfisher Reserve bridge redevelopment.

These grant programs aim to foster new ideas for existing public space, and that is why in the latest round we have provided money to help councils commission designs and master plans for projects that might later receive additional funding from the open space and places for people programs. In this round, $30,000 was provided to the Northern Areas Council for the full cost of the Georgetown urban design plan, and $25,000 was provided to the District Council of Mount Remarkable for the $50,000 Booleroo Centre parklands project. There was also $20,000 for the City of Burnside for the $40,000 Hazelwood Park play space redesign, and $20,000 to the City of Norwood Payneham St Peters for the $40,000 Magill Road Place project.

The state government will also provide $12,000 to the City of Unley for the $24,000 Goodwood main street revitalisation project, and $50,000 to the City of Prospect for the $100,000 Prospect central master plan. These public works, assisted by the planning and development fund, aim to encourage private investment in shops and facilities in regional town centres and within the community hubs of our metropolitan suburbs.

These various statewide projects are going a long way towards making South Australia a more attractive and vibrant place in which to live. These grants are further evidence of the Rann Labor government's ongoing commitment to support the South Australian community where it lives. Whether councils are looking to inject new life into their main streets, provide recreational areas for the community or make the best of their natural beauty in order to attract tourists, the government is keen to encourage and support their goals. The result, so far, has been a range of public works that have created a network of parks, cycle paths and recreational facilities that can be enjoyed by all South Australians. We want to continue to build on the investments already made, and this government will continue to make funds available from the Planning and Development Fund to local councils with good ideas to improve their local community. Again, I thank the honourable member for his question.

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