Fears that the new Mt Barker hospital will be too small to cater for Mt Barker’s growing population are representative of the issues across the region.
A local doctor’s assertion that the hospital is 10 years too late, could be repeated about any number of infrastructure projects planned for or underway in the Hills.
The significant growing pains felt in Mt Barker and its surrounds were entirely foreseeable 15 years ago when a former Labor State Government went against the local council’s wishes and rezoned thousands of hectares of farming land for housing.
But instead of planning and providing – ahead of time – the infrastructure necessary to cater for the growth they allowed, successive governments have largely washed their hands of the region.
Now the Hills community is suffering from years of neglect and an astonishing lack of planning.
In the last few years some significant steps have been taken to address some of the region’s needs.
This includes a new ambulance station, ED and hospital and upgrades to freeway interchanges at Mt Barker and Verdun.
These projects are a step in the right direction.
But many of them are too little, too late and only begin to scratch the surface of the needs of the region – particularly around Mt Barker.
The freeway is becoming more and more congested; despite several studies and consultations there seems to be little meaningful action on a rapid public transport solution; a long-term fix for congestion around Hahndorf’s main street has been largely put in the too-hard basket; Mt Barker’s Adelaide Road remains a choke-point; and the Heysen Boulevard – which should provide a continuous link around Mt Barker’s growth areas – remains unfinished and disjointed.
Most governments – both State and Federal – seem to have trouble seeing beyond the three or four year election cycle.
And, while some credit must be given for the projects already started, at some point government will need to bite the bullet, decide to be on the front-foot and make the once-in-a-generation investments that are vital to keep up with Mt Barker’s growth.
That will be incredibly expensive.
But governments need to stop providing bandaid fixes that have already been outgrown by the time they’re built and begin making real change before, not after, the need arises.
