State and Council partner on plan for Mount Barker's future
The initiative will guide how infrastructure, services and future growth are coordinated across the district, helping ensure roads, transport, wastewater, stormwater, community facilities and other essential infrastructure keep pace with population growth.
Council and the State Government have agreed to a joint working program to deliver the Master Plan as Stage 1, followed by investigations into an Infrastructure Scheme as Stage 2. Both stages are expected to be completed within 18 to 24 months.
Minister for Housing and Urban Development Nick Champion said the work represented a fundamentally different approach to managing growth in Mount Barker.
"For too long, the infrastructure hasn't kept up with the housing growth in Mount Barker," Minister Champion said.
"Previous governments let housing race ahead of the roads, the services and the planning that communities need. We are taking a fundamentally different approach.
"Mount Barker has been burned before by governments that allowed housing growth to occur ahead of infrastructure. This Government will not repeat those mistakes."
Mayor David Leach said the announcement represented a significant step forward for the district and reflected years of advocacy by Council and the community.
"Minister Champion's announcement is the most significant State Government plan presented to this community since 2010 and I want to acknowledge the commitment to working alongside Council to address the complex challenges and opportunities associated with Mount Barker's future," Mayor Leach said.
"Through the MARKYT Community Scorecard, residents have consistently identified transport and infrastructure as the district's number one priority. This announcement delivers the coordinated planning our community has been calling for and Council has persistently advocated to achieve."
"Alongside this work, Council is planning for future employment lands so that people can not only find a great home here but also access local jobs and services, supporting our vision of becoming the most liveable region in South Australia by 2044."
The Infrastructure Scheme will investigate mechanisms to fund major growth-related infrastructure, ensuring costs are shared fairly between landowners and developers while helping deliver roads, transport corridors, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure in step with future housing growth.
The Master Plan will also help coordinate the delivery of these investments and support planning for Mount Barker's continued growth as one of South Australia's fastest-growing communities and an emerging regional city.
