2 million reasons Adelaide can’t afford to hide from the future | Nick Reade
Population growth is always controversial in Adelaide but the reality can’t be avoided any longer, writes RAA boss Nick Reade.
Opinion
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Imagine two Adelaide Ovals full of people with nowhere to go.
That’s what we’re looking at if infrastructure doesn’t keep pace with housing and population growth in SA.
In the past I’ve spoken about the need to grow our population and the benefits that will bring to the state, from job creation through to the economic opportunities.
Population growth is often a contentious issue in SA – but whether you like it or not – it’s happening and we need to plan for it.
We’ve had steady population growth in SA since 1836 and that’s not about to change.
South Australia is on track to crack the 2 million mark in the next six or seven years.
That means we’ll be welcoming about 150,000 more people to our great state – about 30,000 each year.
The jobs, growth and economic opportunities that will bring are exciting.
Alignment between government policy and private sector capability is everything if we’re going to get it right.
However, it can also be scary to think of the consequences if we don’t plan for it or we get it wrong.
Like the rest of the country, South Australia is facing a housing crisis, a cost-of-living crisis and is in desperate need of more funding for essential infrastructure and services.
All of these are issues are linked.
The rate of development and location of new homes will drive the need for infrastructure and services.
Over the past 12 months, the state government has released enough land to build almost 25,000 more homes.
That’s a great first step in addressing the housing crisis, particularly affordable housing.
Along with existing developments like Riverlea, it means we’ll have around 100,000 people living in new or growing developments like Dry Creek, Concordia, Sellicks Beach, Hackham and West Lakes, among others.
But we need more than just four walls and a roof to support that number of additional people.
We need roads, public transport, utilities, health and education services and the list goes on.
Without a comprehensive plan that encompasses all facets of development, we run the risk of history repeating with poorly planned development.
Most people would be familiar with Mount Barker as an example, where the rollout of infrastructure couldn’t keep pace with the development.
That’s why RAA wants to see infrastructure and services planned and delivered in parallel with the housing and population growth – not afterwards.
RAA would like to see the extension of the Seaford and Gawler lines to cater for the tens of thousands of people that will be living in these areas soon.
Imagine what would happen if an extra 100,000 people jumped into their cars and joined the morning commute?
Our road network couldn’t absorb that without significantly increasing congestion and travel times.
If we want to retain our gong as one of the world’s most liveable cities – and do our bit for the environment as well – we need to encourage public transport usage, especially for those living in the outer suburbs.
Extending our electric train lines will enable faster commutes into the city. It will reduce congestion on our roads and help grow public transport patronage.
It also helps decarbonise our economy and reduce our overall emissions, something we need to continually strive towards.
We know the state government is undertaking a review of the road network in the northern suburbs where most of these new homes will be built.
RAA is working closely with the government to influence investment in the infrastructure we need.
And we know it’s not just road and public transport infrastructure these new homes and developments will need.
They’ll also need utilities like water and electricity.
Industry tells us that supplying water, particularly to greenfield sites, is extremely expensive and needs to be funded or risks slowing down these critical housing developments.
Housing and population growth to support a thriving South Australia are exciting and have tremendous upside – but they need to be done right.
Adelaide is the best, most liveable city in the country.
We want it to stay that way.
Nick Reade is the RAA’s chief executive officer
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