The State Premier, Peter Malinauskas, has announced that a new Infrastructure Planning and Development Unit is to be established in the SA Public Service to help drive residential developments and to coordinate infrastructure investment.
Announcing the new Unit, Mr Malinauskas said everyone knew the State’s population was going to continue to grow and there was a need to ensure the right decisions were made now for the long term.
“One important way the State Government can help more South Australians enter the housing market is by promoting the release of more land for residential development,” Mr Malinauskas said.
He said work had already started, with the rezoning of 235 hectares of land at Hackham – creating the capacity for at least 2,000 new homes.
He said that in addition, sites to fit 10,000 homes at Dry Creek, 10,000 homes at Concordia, and 1,700 homes at Sellicks Beach had also been identified for rezoning for residential use.
Plan SA said master planning for the first of the sites is to begin this year, and it anticipated construction on the first homes would begin next year with at least 15 per cent earmarked for affordable housing.
It said the additional supply was expected to open the door for more than 50,000 people.
“The Infrastructure Planning and Development Unit will be staffed by five full-time equivalents and will be charged with coordinating the provision of utilities such as electricity, water and sewage and public infrastructure such as roads and schools,” Plan SA said.
“The land release would be more than double the number of allotments released in Mount Barker in 2011 and four times the number of allotments released at Mawson Lakes in the early 2000s,” it said.
Treasurer Stephen Mullighan said that escalating house prices meant there had never been a more challenging time to enter the market.
“A significant way we can help address this is by increasing land supply,” Mr Mullighan said.
“This land release will open the door for tens of thousands of South Australians. It means more homes, jobs and a stronger economy,” he said.
