Orderly Expansion In Elizabeth

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30883, 16 October 1965, Page 18

Orderly Expansion In Elizabeth

Elizabeth, an attractive satellite city with a population of 40,000, 17 miles north of Adelaide, South Australia, is a striking example of the great benefits which can be obtained from modern town planning and orderly development. It is an industrial centre without the unpleasant features usually associated with such an area. The city, which is Australia’s fastest-growing new town has been designed for an eventual population of more than 70,000. Proclaimed a city in November, 1964, it is the largest South Australian centre of population outside metropolitan Adelaide. Originally the city was intended as a town for English immigrants and in the early stages they formed the largest proportion of the population. As the industrial development continued more and more Australians went to live in the area so that now 55

per cent of the residents are Australian, 35 per cent. English and 10 per cent, are Europeans from outside Great Britain.

Visitors to the shopping centres soon become aware of the large number of women with English accents. Surprisingly, few Australians in Elizabeth have the characteristic drawl associated with the country. One of the hotels, the Rose and Crown, has been designed on the lines of an English pub. New Zealand journalists who travelled on the inaugural DCB jet service of Air New Zealand between Christchurch and Sydney, were shown over Elizabeth by the Chief Publicity and Travel Promotion Officer of the South Australian Government Tourist Bureau (Mr E. G. Correll). English Lines Modelled on the lines of English new towns, Elizabeth has a basic design of 12 neighbourhood units or suburbs each of which will ultimately accommodate 4000 to 6000 people, planned around the main centre.

Each suburb has a large shopping centre, set well back off the road, with pedestrian malls to eliminate traffic hazards. Near each shopping centre is a primary school. Australia has the third highest motor vehicle density per head of population in the world and South Australia has the largest number of vehicles per person of any Australian State. This factor was taken into consideration when Elizabeth was planned. There are a large number of parks and open spaces as well as small garden reserves in the various shopping centres and residential areas. About 1400 acres have been set aside for this purpose. Some 200,000 trees and shrubs have been planted. The city was built on what was almost a treeless plain but an extensive tree-plant-ing programme has been carried out, with about 100 miles of streets planted with trees on the verges. Centre Of Life

In the early 1950 s the South Australian Housing Trust, the equivalent of the New Zealand State Advances Corporation, drew up plans for a town that was to be the centre of community life for its inhabitants and not just

an extension of the city of Adelaide.

The current plan provides for the trust to build at least 15,000 houses and flats at the rate of about 1000 dwellings a year.

The initial scheme was for the purchase of some 4000 acres but the current plan, for which the trust has the necessary land. required 8590 acres—an area of nearly 14 square miles. Though Adelaide and Elizabeth will eventually grow closer they will never link up entirely because of green belt areas where building is not permitted.

The town centre has been planned with great care. The 80-acre site is situated where South Australia’s Main North road and the main north railway line are at their closest point—less than half a mile apart and it is also the city’s geographical centre. Located in this area are the civic and public buildings, a park, the principal retail area, business premises and the main railway station. Wide Walkways Shoppers use 60ft wide walkways and the shops are arranged in courts. Parking areas accommodate 3500 vehicles. Ultimatelv the town centre will have 130 shops. A special court, away from the shopping area, has been set aside for banks.

In the suburban shopping centres the shops face covered walkways and open spacqs which are laid out with gardens and shrubs. Vehicular traffic is excluded. Delivery of stock to the shops is made from the roads at the rear of the buildings.

These centres are built by the trust and are let by tender for specific trades for an initial period of three years, with the right of renewal for five years. The centres are planned so that they are generally no more than a few minutes’ walk from all homes in the neighbourhood.

The largest industrial plant in the city is operated by General Motors-Holden Pty". Ltd., which maufacturers 200,000 vehicles a year at its factories throughout the country. There are more than a million Holdens on Australian roads.

The company has built on 40 acres of its 312-acre site, thus leaving plently of room for future expansion. This is characteristic of the planning

of Elizabeth which has been designed to meet requirements for many years ahead. Even so the rate of development has exceeded the calculations of the experts who had allowed for what they considered was a very generous margin above their estimations. Only 47 per cent, of a Holden vehicle is manufactured by General MotorsHolden, Ltd., the rest being made by independent companies. As a result a number of firms turning out vehicle accessories have established factories in the area. At present production of cars in Australia exceeds the demand and plants are laying off a number of workers. This did not apply at Elizabeth. The two industrial areas j are outside the town on the south and west but they are sufficiently close to be within cycling distance. Many Products Companies running factories at Elizabeth make sewing machines, vacuum cleaners, floor polishers, oil space heaters and other domestic appliances, fibre-board containers and packaging materials. electrical control equipment, electric storage batter- i ies, electronic equipment, fire- j works. industrial gases, i asbestos cement, pressure t water pipes, wires, cables > tubes, men’s ready-made ( clothing and many other 1 articles ,

The main passenger transport service between Adelaide and Elizabeth is provided by fast diesel trains and unit’s run every five minutes at peak periods. Elizabeth has four railway stations on the main line. Small Margin The trust is a statutory body, not a state government department. It was set up by legislation in 1936 and its policy is determined by a board of seven members appointed by the Governor. In recent years, it has carried out nearly 40 per cent of the house building in South Australia. It constructs houses, flats, industrial and commercial premises. While it is expected to operate without a loss, it is not intended to make more than a small margin of profit. The trust has provided about 45 different designs of houses, both for rental and sale. To keep pace with modern trends some designs have

been dropped and new ones added. The cost of the houses are less than in many areas in Australia. A house in the price range of 1A4200 to £A5300 can be purchased with deposits of £ASOO and upwards with a weekly repayment of about £AS 3s. It provides for a wide diversity of appearance and tries ’ to ensure that the cost of its houses and therefore the pur, chase price or rents are within the means of most people. The sale price includes land, fencing, legal and transfer fees. All houses are provided with stoves, cupboards, linen cupboards, sinks, tubs and hot water services. Most homes built by the trust have air-conditioning and a limited number have more elaborate fittings.