Page 22 - City Plan

The City of Port Adelaide Enfield covers a wide and
diverse area, with development varying from residential
to industrial and retail. Residential dwellings include
character heritage residences through to contemporary
high density apartments, with developments ranging
from single dwellings to major developments involving
many hundreds of dwellings. Regardless of its nature
and location it is important that development responsibly
balances the economic, social and environmental needs
of the community and quality living environments are
retained and created.
Currently over 65% of households in the City are single
or two person households. As the population profile of
the Council area ages this trend is likely to continue,
however there remains a strong demand for traditional
detached housing on single allotments. A trend with
respect to such housing has been a reduction in allotment
size as a response to the cost of land but an increase
in the size of the dwelling in response to greater lifestyle
expectations. These are issues that have implications
on the type of housing that will be required to meet
community needs in the future.
The cost of land is a significant component in the
affordability of housing and in some older areas, where
housing is reaching the end of its lifecycle, redevelopment
with smaller front setbacks and backyards presents an
opportunity to use existing land more efficiently. However,
as housing densities increase and backyards become
smaller, the provision of well located, quality open space
and recreation areas becomes increasingly important. As
development proceeds it will be important to ensure that it
is matched with appropriate infrastructure. This will include
a stronger focus on the provision of sufficient capacity
in existing and future road networks and storm water
systems to deal with greater residential densities and
greater site coverage with impervious materials.
State Government policy and legislation has a significant
influence on development outcomes within the City.
Current Government policy proposals include a population
target for South Australia of 2,000,000 people by 2050, an
increase in housing density across the metropolitan area
from an average of 15 to 20 dwellings per hectare and
the promotion of more intense development around
major public transport facilities, including a minimum
of 15% affordable housing.
The increasing cost of running a car, growing traffic
congestion and awareness of environmental impacts
highlight the need for improved public transport, cycling
and pedestrian options. At the same time, the popularity
of the car is not expected to significantly diminish.
Therefore, while seeking to increase alternative and
affordable transport opportunities, it will remain important
to continue to consider car ownership and its associated
requirements such as roads and car parking.
The State Government has recently announced an
expansion of the light rail network ‘Coast to Coast’
from Glenelg to the City and on to West Lakes,
Port Adelaide and Semaphore.
It is critical that new developments, both residential
and industrial, are planned strategically, with an
emphasis on linking people with existing or improved
transport corridors.
For over a century the City of Port Adelaide Enfield has
been home to a range of light and heavy industries,
alongside neighbourhoods that are predominantly
residential. This has impacted adversely upon air quality,
which in turn affects the health of the environment and
that of the community. Increasing local and freight traffic
on arterial and local roads, and existing problems of
residential development located near industry, highlights
the continuing need to advocate for the appropriate
management of noise and air pollution across the City.
It is important to ensure that there remains adequate
land for business and employment purposes and that
the operation of business is not unduly compromised
by the proximity of sensitive land uses such as housing,
schools and child care centres. The historical pattern of
development that has housing and industrial areas in close
proximity in the Port Adelaide Enfield area means that the
management of the interface between such land uses will
continue to be a challenge and remain high on Council’s
agenda to ensure residents enjoy a decent quality of life.
A Great Place to Live, Work and Play
22