The final 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, released yesterday, is risking populism, according to a leading Adelaide architect.

Jason Schultz, director at DASH Architects, told Architecture & Design that the plan was “written to try and please everyone”, with a little bit to keep the property developers, public transport activists, advocates for urban consolidation and the heritage backers happy.

“It’s a shame they couldn’t bit the bullet and state up front what is best for the city.”

Despite the political nature of the document preventing it from being more direct, the plan’s creation is “positive” for the city, Schultz said.

“It’s going to do a lot to help Adelaide develop in a more cohesive fashion. I don’t necessarily agree with all of the principles and directives that the 30-year plan promotes. In particular, I would question a lot of the fringe development it promotes.”

The detail for public transport and infrastructure provision “is all a bit vague” and runs the risk of creating disenfranchised communities with little or no access to services and public transport, he said.

There is also scope for conflict between how the plan promotes urban consolidation and its heritage commitments. And the plan is “deliberately vague” on how these two principles will combine, Schultz said.

“They promote openly a very vibrant and intensified built environment within the city. But within the same breath they talk about larges swathes of areas around parkland and heritage buildings that have to stay sensitively developed. Well, how do you do that? There needs to be some consideration into how you achieve often-conflicting principles.”

Premier Mike Rann said the government will “immediately act” on the objectives of the plan.

“This isn’t a Plan that will sit on a shelf gathering dust. This is a living and breathing document that provides the catalyst for energising developments that will make Adelaide one of the world’s great liveable, competitive and climate resilient cities,” Rann said.

One of the first projects to be targeted will be the Northern Economic Corridor, he said.

“This strategically important corridor covering more than 100 square kilometres stretching from Port Adelaide Enfield through Salisbury to the City of Playford has the capacity to accommodate an extra 28,000 jobs and up to 40,000 people,” Rann said.

Two new principles have been added to the draft, one emphasising the protection of natural resources and the other stating a commitment to community engagement.

“Policies regarding climate change have been strengthened and a new section on emergency management and hazard avoidance has been added.

“We have also clarified the policies on new metropolitan and township growth areas to address the impact of population growth on primary production in near the urban fringe and close to townships.”

Copies of the final plan are available here www.dplg.sa.gov.au

Gemma Battenbough

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