The South Australian state government is aiming high with its 30-year development plan for Adelaide released yesterday, claiming it will “create a new urban form” and build Australia’s “most competitive and efficient” planning system.
The plan aims to change the way people use the city, creating walkable neighbourhoods, with people living near parks, waterways and vibrant centres, and most importantly, around public transport nodes and work hot spots.
It will see housing density rise from eight to 11 dwellings per hectare, with the majority of new housing being built within 800 metres of public transport.
“It’s about transport-orientated development, it’s about building villages within our metropolitan area,” state premier Mike Rann said.
“This is the best piece of work on planning that’s been done since the 1960s, this will guide our future, it’s a future based on sustainable growth,” he said.
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Responding to a predicted population growth of 560,000 people, the plan includes the construction of 258,000 additional homes as well as investing a record $11.4 billion in infrastructure over four years.
The SA government plans to locate the majority of this new housing in current urban areas, particularly around transport corridors, with a focus on mixed-use precincts.
Under the plan, 11,600 hectares of land has been earmarked for new growth areas, which will forefront mixed-use development, high densities and a greater mix of housing.
The infrastructure splurge will focus on major transport projects, including switching the current rail structure to an electrical system, extending the Noarlunga to Seaford railway, the western tramline and the O-Bahn bus network.
Thirteen new transit-orientated developments will be built, under a principle that will strategically grow larger townships with infrastructure and services while constraining the growth of smaller townships to preserver their heritage and character.
While the plan will support the growth of mining and defence industries, it does place under protection at least 115,000 hectares of environmentally significant land and up to 375,000 hectares of primary production land.
