Mount Barker ‘disaster’ won’t be repeated in Murray Bridge, minister promises
A South Australian-first approach to rolling out new infrastructure will benefit Murray Bridge as it grows into a satellite city.
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Mistakes made during Mount Barker’s development will not be repeated in Murray Bridge, the state government has vowed.
Planning Minister Nick Champion announced on Monday that a 1000-home development in Murray Bridge’s west would be the first in South Australia to benefit from a coordinated approach to rolling out infrastructure in new suburbs.
Until now, developers have been responsible for building roads, stormwater pipes and so on in the areas they develop.
The problem?
In places like Mount Barker and Angle Vale, that approach has left neighbouring developments disconnected from each other, with dead-end roads that don’t quite join up and drains of different sizes.
Under the new approach, any infrastructure roll-out in Murray Bridge will be overseen by a committee appointed by the state Department for Housing and Urban Development.
The committee will make sure that all developers in an area share the cost of that infrastructure, too.
“These Murray Bridge growth areas will be the first ever instance of the new infrastructure scheme, providing a coordinated and planned approach to this housing development,” Mr Champion said.
“This is an important first step towards a faster, better coordinated and more efficient system that supports proper development outcomes for new communities.”
CEO Heather Barclay said the Murray Bridge council had been able to co-design the scheme, and was gaining a reputation as a leader in growth planning.
She hoped the 113-hectare development on the west side – in areas along Bremer Road, Agricultural Drive and Commerce Road – would “unlock significant land for affordable housing”.
Greater Adelaide Regional Plan sees Murray Bridge as ‘significant satellite city’
In the bigger picture, Murray Bridge is becoming more and more important to the state government’s plans for population growth over the next 25 years.
A draft plan for Greater Adelaide, published this week, predicted that at least 10,000 new homes would be needed in Murray Bridge by 2051.
That’s 2000 more than the government estimated just last year, and more in line with the ambitious 17,000-in-40-years figure suggested by the proponents of the recently announced Gifford Hill development.
The Murray Bridge district and northern Adelaide were projected to be the two main areas for future industrial growth, too.
“Murray Bridge provides significant long-term growth opportunities, having the potential to establish it as one of Greater Adelaide’s significant satellite cities,” the draft plan said.
By 2051, the Greater Adelaide plan projected that the Murray Bridge district would have:
- A population of up to 42,000 – nearly double what it was at the last census
- About 425 new homes per year, more than four times the current rate of growth
- More one- and two-bedroom homes to suit the 30 per cent of locals who lived alone
- Temperatures up to 1.5 degrees higher than the long-term average as the climate changed
Most of the new locals would be working-age adults and their children.
A majority of housing growth would take place at Gifford Hill, and most of the remaining new homes would go in Murray Bridge’s west and south.
However, in the long term, the plan also suggested housing density may need to increase in semi-rural areas on the east side.
Murray Bridge had space enough for 8000 new homes on land already zoned for the purpose, and up to another 15,400 in the longer term.
There was already plenty of room for industry, too.
However, the community would need:
- Extra retail space equivalent to another Murray Bridge Marketplace
- More public transport
- More freeway access points
- Additional health capacity
- New schools
- Improved water supplies by the 2030s
A declared environment and food production area, which surrounded the city, would also need to be modified to allow housing to be built outside the current urban area.
New residents will need jobs close to home or better public transport
Members of the public who gave feedback on an earlier version of the plan argued that public transport was far and away Murray Bridge’s top priority.
State MP Adrian Pederick was among those who highlighted the issue.
“I fully support Murray Bridge becoming a satellite city … (but) investment in a proper public transport system will be key to making it work,” he said in his submission.
“While the majority of residents who live in Murray Bridge and work elsewhere, or vice versa, are happy with using their car to get around, consideration must be given to alternative options to service a growing population.”
Many respondents suggested a high speed rail connection to Adelaide.
Over and over, they argued that the government could not have it both ways – if Murray Bridge was part of Greater Adelaide, it needed transport and health services equal to those in the suburbs.
As one respondent put it: “If people are expected to move to areas more than a 50-minute journey from friends and families, they may as well move interstate to regional Victoria, where services exist.”
Ideally, more jobs – including public service jobs – would be created in the Bridge so people could live and work in the same community.
Other suggestions included:
- Public transport and better cycling paths within the town
- Medium- to high-density, retiree-friendly housing
- Plenty of parks and green spaces
The Australian Institute of Architects recommended a back-to-the-future approach to developing Murray Bridge, with “a cluster of urban villages interconnected by public transport around a larger civic centre … the pre-war, pre-car-centric development pattern”.
The RAA recommended that the state government provide an on-demand bus service in the community.
Have your say about the draft plan
A public consultation about the draft plan for Greater Adelaide opened on Monday and will close on November 4.
Briefing sessions about aspects of the plan will be held online next week.
- More information: Visit yoursay.sa.gov.au/greater-adelaide-regional-plan.
- Have your say: Take the survey at yoursay.sa.gov.au, fill in the form at plan.sa.gov.au or email plasasubmissions@sa.gov.au by 5pm on November 4.
- Read more: Could Gifford Hill be the next Armstrong Creek?
- Read more: New R-12 school, main street changes and more planned in Murray Bridge
