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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-10-13 Daily Xml
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Concordia Development

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (15:01): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, representing the Minister for Planning, a question about urban growth at Concordia.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL: Under the government's 30-year plan, urban fringe development at Concordia near Gawler has been identified as a long-term urban growth area with development possible during the second half of the plan period, or in other words sometime after 2023 but prior to the year 2038. This land was historically outside the urban growth boundary for Adelaide, but was added during the 2007 expansion.

Despite the long-term horizons, residents of the Gawler area are now concerned at local rumours that development at Concordia is being fast tracked by the Department for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. There is also evidence of developers buying up land in the region ahead of an imminent rezoning. Residents point out that Gawler already has two large developments underway that will double the size of the town. Other areas to the north of Adelaide have also been designated for large-scale residential growth, including at Angle Vale, Virginia, Two Wells and Buckland Park.

One residents' group, the Gawler Region Community Forum, is concerned that the process behind future urban expansion is secretive and that the community is generally unaware of what is going on. They claim that the residents of Gawler are not being consulted and they are being kept in the dark. This is causing considerable concern, because the government has recently committed to overhauling community engagement in planning as part of the review of state planning laws. My questions of the minister are:

1. Is his department fast tracking urban development at Concordia? If so, at whose request is this being done? Is it the local councils or the property developers?

2. Will the government investigate the desirability of removing Concordia from proposed urban expansion as part of its commitment to urban infill ahead of urban sprawl?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:03): I thank the member for his questions and will refer them to the Minister for Planning in another place and will bring back a response.

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