The Property Council is calling on the State Government to create a single master plan for Adelaide’s CBD.
In its submission to the Government ahead of the 2015 state budget, the peak body for the property industry says a coordinated plan “from terrace to terrace” would be necessary to take advantage of upcoming development opportunities in the city.
“There is currently no overarching plan that envelops the central business district (CBD) from terrace to terrace,” the submission reads.
“Whilst the reinvigoration of the Riverbank precinct is important, the rest of the city should not be left behind.
“… the property and development sector yearns for a sophisticated, instuctional master plan that has a view for development – particularly in relation to the release of Government land and assets.
“… there are a number of Government owned planning and development opportunities coming up in the CBD, including the existing RAH, the State Administration Centre parcel of land, the Central Market, Victoria Park, the southern side of North Terrace and the existing Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
“These are great developments in isolation, but would benefit from a coordinated approach under a clear vision to ensure that we are fully leveraging theseopportunities for the city and the state more broadly.
“This plan ought to align with the soon-to-be updated 30 Year Plan for Adelaide.”
The submission advocates the creation of an independent statutory body to oversee the prioritisation, financing and funding of infrastructure projects, which would be called Infrastructure SA.
“There is now a backlog of infrastructure and no clear funding strategy for the delivery of the new intrastructure our state needs in order to catrer for its growing population,”the document says.
“The introduction of a body such as Infrastructure SA would assist in depoliticising infrastructure investment and introduce more regour into decision making.”
The submission also warns that older people living in retirement villages may be inadvertently excluded from receiving the State Government’s ‘cost of living’ concession.
“Eligibility requirements released to date stipulate that the cost of living concession is payable per household,” it reads.
“The Government needs to ensure that retirement village residents are not inadvertently excluded from reveicing this concession and it should be made clear that ‘households’ include retirement villages.”
