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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-07-14 Daily Xml
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URBAN DEVELOPMENT

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (15:04): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Urban Development and Planning a question about the government's work in preparing for the significant changes Adelaide is expected to undergo during the next 30 years.

Leave granted.

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO: We know that South Australia's population will increase in the next 30 years and that there will be a greater proportion of older people. We also know that our environment is under pressure from climate change, fuel prices are expected to rise and there will be a greater need to secure our water and energy needs. The minister has already responded to a question from the Leader of the Opposition in relation to TODs.

Can the minister provide additional information regarding how this government is planning ahead to ensure that Adelaide's growth will improve the quality of life of South Australians and preserve our heritage? What are the main objectives of the government's planning strategy for the next 30 years?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (15:05): I thank the honourable member for her well-informed question. Last week the government released its draft 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide for public comment. This comprehensive plan sets out a vision for the growth and development of the Greater Adelaide region over the next three decades. It lays out a strategy for accommodating a growing population—estimated to swell to 2 million people by 2037—as well as providing more housing choices for our changing demographics.

As well as outlining where people live, the plan looks at where jobs are likely to be located, and then links this with the $11.4 billion of investment in public transport already earmarked in the past two state budgets as part of an unprecedented level of spending to upgrade rail, tram and bus services throughout Adelaide. One of the main objectives of the 30-Year Plan is to build on the existing strengths of the Greater Adelaide region and the features that make our city one of the most liveable places in the world.

We face some huge challenges in the next 30 years. There will be a much greater proportion of people aged 65 years or older, a lot more singles and couples without children, and an increase in demand for smaller homes located closer to shops, services and transport. We also need to plan for new types of industries and jobs, while at the same time preserving and enhancing our environmental assets, increasing the efficiency of our water and energy use, and reducing our carbon footprint. This is a plan that will shape the future and identity of this state for decades to come. It will guide where people live, how we manage population growth, and how we will create jobs. It will create a climate-change resilient city and a vibrant economy buoyed by strong housing affordability.

During the next three decades the greater Adelaide area is expected to grow by 560,000 people and 258,000 new homes, as well as creating 282,000 jobs. The plan will guide where people live and work; it will ensure that by the end of the 30 years up to 70 per cent of new dwellings will be built within the current urban area, with a focus on the better use of our city's transport corridors. That means we will be able to keep a check on urban sprawl. I have heard criticism that, by aiming to reduce the proportion of housing on the urban fringe to 30 per cent, it risks people being attracted by low land prices and then marooned by high fuel prices. However, that blinkered and outdated thinking envisages a city where most people commute into the CBD for work; that was the sort of model that cities like San Francisco were built upon, and the previous Adelaide plan was to have people living in the suburbs and commuting large distances.

This plan estimates that only 43,000 of the 282,000 new jobs to be created in the next 30 years will be within the city of Adelaide; the vast majority of those new jobs will be located in the northern, western and southern regions. By putting more jobs in the regions and around transit-oriented development, by linking residential areas with nearby employment lands through our huge investment in public transport, the plan will encourage a less car-dominated city. By focusing growth along transit corridors we will also ensure that Adelaide's distinctive urban character can be retained, leaving about 80 per cent of metropolitan Adelaide's character largely unchanged. That is one of the key goals we have over the 30 years: less than 30 per cent of the city in new greenfield development and about 80 per cent of metropolitan Adelaide's character largely unchanged.

Our residential development code, particularly the character provisions now being formulated in close consultation with local government, will further ensure that the intrinsic charm of our inner suburbs is retained. If we do not succeed in the objectives of this plan to contain that growth within the transit corridors, it will put much more pressure on urban fringe growth.

The 30 year plan also preserves the heritage and character of smaller townships within the Greater Adelaide region, while growing larger townships which are well supported with infrastructure and services. The plan returns to and fulfils many of the fundamental principles of Colonel Light's original vision for Adelaide, including walkable neighbourhoods; houses close to jobs, transport and services; people living in the best places near parklands, waterways and vibrant centres; connected transport networks which form the backbone of the urban environment; and parklands and open spaces built into the new urban environments from the outset.

We want people to have their say, which is why the draft is available for three months of consultation. We are looking forward to public feedback to identify where we can improve the plan, but we believe the central principles will remain unchanged. Consultation on the plan will end on 30 September and submissions can be lodged with the Department of Planning and Local Government, and the plan can be obtained online at a special website 'Plan for Adelaide'.

I look forward to the continuing debate on the future of our city. It is important that people do consider the issues. We have a number of options available to us but, if we do not take the right option, it will have huge environmental, economic and social costs. We believe that, with the years of work that have gone into this plan, it does provide the best balance between those environmental, economic and social objectives.

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