Page 18 - City Plan

18

The City of Port Adelaide Enfield is currently experiencing

residential and industrial growth and change. It faces

the challenge of ensuring that this increased population

and development is managed in an environmentally

sustainable way.

Retaining and creating new green and open spaces in the

urban environment is particularly important to the City’s

quality of life, both for recreational use by the community

and to enhance biodiversity through protection and

expansion of this area’s unique flora and fauna habitats.

Across the City in locations such as the River Torrens

Linear Park, reserves at Dry Creek, and along the coast,

there are areas of extraordinary natural conservation and

recreational value. The coast along the northern Council

boundary is particularly valuable in terms of biodiversity

with extensive mangrove stands, samphire and tidal

wetlands, and creeks that support natural fish nurseries

and in turn the State’s fishing industry. The inner shore

area of the coast and Port Adelaide River is also the home

to the Dolphin Sanctuary and its inhabitants. Protection

of these valuable community and environmental assets is

crucial to maintaining the health of the State’s aquatic and

marine habitats.

The community’s awareness of the risks of climate

change and the impacts of South Australia’s ongoing

severe drought conditions is a warning about the

importance of managing water and energy use within

sustainable limits. As a State there is a sense of urgency

to reduce demand on our natural resources both in the

home and in industry. This sense of urgency extends

to identifying alternative sources of energy and more

efficient capture and use of water.

Supplementing water supply can be tackled by State and

Local Governments and the community through a mix

of strategies including greater harvesting of rain and

stormwater and technologies such as desalination.

The importance of building design in helping to minimize

energy consumption and reduce building running costs

in response to the implications of climate change will be

increasingly recognized as energy costs rise. Similarly,

water restrictions will encourage property owners to take

greater responsibility for their water use and supply. This

is expected to have implications with respect to rainwater

capture and re-use and greater interest in grey water

systems and alternative garden design.

Council has set an objective in this City Plan to meet

the State Government targets for reducing waste to

landfill. These targets can only be achieved through the

commitment of Council’s residents to responsible waste

management, in particular recycling. Council’s contribution

toward the South Australian targets to reduce waste

going to landfill will have the added benefit of reducing the

greenhouse gas emissions from landfill that are created by

the gradual breakdown of green organic material.

A Unique, Healthy and

Sustainable

Environment