Regional South Australian communities have many committed locals who work and collaborate behind the scenes to improve create opportunities for the benefit of all. Be they people elected to local Council, Government employees, volunteers who invest time in applying for community grants, educators, businesspeople who create local job and employ people, environmental stewards, frontline workers, organisations working to support local business communities such as Business Chambers and the like, Rowe Partners like to acknowledge these efforts wherever possible and help to spread the good news. We’d like to acknowledge the work of those within the Port Pirie, Port Augusta and Whyalla Councils involved in developing the Spencer Gulf Cities – Regional Partnership Priorities released this month (September 2022).
This strategy document aims to secure a sustainable future for the Upper Spencer Gulf and align “advocacy efforts and collective resources to key priority action and outcomes that can increase the capacity of the region (economic, social and environmental) to support forecast growth (currently estimated at $15 billion investment and 9000 jobs).”
Working with Spencer Gulf Cities, community members, businesses and investors, the South Australian Government, State Planning Commission is undertaking key planning processes that will influence and support delivery of future growth for the USG region and for each of the three regional cities. The document states that setting well-informed regional priorities will serve the following purposes:
- Inform future growth planning for the region including consideration of social and environmental impacts of growth
- Support the adoption of an Upper Spencer Gulf Structure Plan for the region to provide greater certainty to the community and stakeholders about the long-term vision for the region
- Inform the preparation of new Regional Plans for the Eyre and Western, Far North and Mid-North and Yorke Planning Regions, to be published by the State Planning Commission
- Guide intergovernmental strategic planning, collaboration, and support
Key action areas include Economic Development, Housing, Workforce, Education & Skills, Infrastructure, Image & Liveability and the Environment.
Port Pirie Mayor and Chair of Spencer Gulf Cities, Leon Stephens describes this work as an important, “once-in-a-generation’ opportunity to create a “long lasting legacy” that will “protect, conserve and value the significant environmental and cultural assets we depend on.”
Rowe Partners business will likely benefit from this work as will our employees, many of the businesses we work and the people in the local communities we serve through our offices in Port Augusta and Port Pirie.
If you’re interested in the future outlook for the Upper Spencer Gulf communities, do yourself a favour and take some time to read the document and get involved if and where you can.
