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The Context

Several State Government plans drive and guide facility planning and development for sport and recreation in South Australia.

South Australia's Strategic Plan

This plan guides individuals, community organisations, governments and businesses to secure the wellbeing of all South Australians. South Australia's Strategic Plan contains our community's visions and goals and its 100 measurable targets reflect our priorities.

These are the pillars for success:

  • our prosperity
  • our environment
  • our health
  • our education
  • our ideas.

Target 83 of the State Strategic Plan relates directly to sport and recreation: 'Increase the proportion of South Australians participating in sport or physical recreation at least once per week to 50% by 2020'.

In addition, seven strategic priorities focus efforts and drive the work of government:

  1. creating a vibrant city
  2. safe communities, healthy neighbourhoods
  3. an affordable place to live
  4. every chance for every child
  5. grow advanced manufacturing
  6. realising the benefit of the mining boom for all
  7. premium food and wine from our clean environment.

'Safe communities, healthy neighbourhoods' are the strategic priority for the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing. The office supports Government plans to create neighbourhoods that are safe and welcoming where people can live active and healthy lives and feel part of the community.

Planning Strategy for South Australia

The State Government's direction for land use change and development in South Australia is contained in:

30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide

The 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide emphasises urban regeneration, rather than urban sprawl, due to existing built-up areas having the advantage of being close to established jobs and services. It helps state and local government agencies plan and coordinate the provision of services and infrastructure.

Open space is an essential part of Greater Adelaide and a key component of a liveable, healthy city. The plan provides a Greater Adelaide Open Space System that expands on the Metropolitan Open Space System. This includes providing a network of walking, cycling and horse trails and recognising the importance of integrated sporting facilities being accessible by all communities.

The plan emphasises the importance of shared spaces that can be used for activities and cultural events to help build community cohesion.

Community Sporting Hubs are the Government focus for sporting and recreational facility development. A Community Sports Hub is a local, regional or state level centre of sport and active recreation activities. They seek to build communities by optimising shared use of location and facilities. They meet the needs of communities by striving to be stainable, multi-use, accessible, safe, inclusive and relevant.

Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan

The Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan ensures development proposals along particular corridors are subject to land use policies that complement the transport function of the corridor.  It provides an important mechanism to better integrate transport and land uses, including integrated sporting facilities.

Strategic Infrastructure Plan for South Australia

The Strategic Infrastructure Plan for South Australia released in 2005 seeks to develop a coordinated long-term approach to infrastructure provision throughout the state from 2005-06 to 2014-15.

Recreation and Sport is one of 15 infrastructure sections included in the plan and has the following priorities:

  • Refocus the design, provision and distribution of appropriate recreation and sporting facilities throughout the state to improve access to and use of them at the community level
  • Develop integrated recreation and sport hubs that link with other community infrastructure and transport
  • Achieve greater coordination between State and Local Governments and the private sector to develop sustainable, multi-use and adaptable facilities to meet changing community needs
  • Provide organised sporting facilities in transit corridors, transit orientated developments and major activity centres
  • Build on the capacity for South Australia's sporting facilities to host international and national events
  • Improve coordination between State Government agencies and the sports industry to attract and retain major sporting events
  • Continue to sustain and improve facilities to host state and national level competition
  • Develop cross-government policy and design guidelines to ensure local school sport facilities maximise school and community use
  • Promote the shared use of existing publicly-owned sporting infrastructure through partnership opportunities between state and Local Government
  • Support the development of local and regional recreation and sport and open space strategies
  • Focus community level funding towards areas with demonstrated needs and identified infrastructure priorities
  • Review the provision and distribution of public pools and indoor recreation and sports centres.

The South Australian Planning Policy Library

The South Australian Planning Policy Library provides best-practice and consistent land use policies used in local development plans to assess development proposals. Topics covered include land uses, such as community facilities, Metropolitan Open Space System (MOSS) and open space and recreation and how these are integrated into our communities.

Office for Recreation and Sport Strategic Plan 2013-2015

Our strategic plan provides the following focal points in relation to facility planning and development:

Strategic Priority 2 - deliver better places to participate and perform

Better planned and more sustainable sport and active recreation facilities

2.1   Provide sport and active recreation facility policy and planning advice to industry and government
2.2   Implement a sports hub approach to the development of shared local and regional facilities
2.3   Plan and design for the development of major sports facilities for state, national and international competitions
2.4   Contribute to the development of strategic community sport and active recreation infrastructure

Local government plans

Local government is responsible for the provision of wellbeing of its community, including the provision of sport and recreational services and facilities. It does this through the provision of sports grounds, clubrooms, courts, swimming pools, sports centres and parks, often in partnership with the community. A challenge is ensuring that sport and recreation facilities will meet future needs while being affordable and fit-for-purpose.

Councils prioritise facility development and upgrades, prioritise financial investment and resources and identify needs for the community via Local government open space strategies and sport and recreation plans.

The office works with councils and provides funding assistance, advice or input into plans, particularly at the regional level.

State sporting organisation plans

State Sporting Organisations (SSO) develop their own strategic and state facility plans. These plans often include state-wide facility audits and strategic recommendations for the future growth and development of their sport.

The sports to identify where facility development is required either at state, regional or local levels or where upgrades to existing facilities are required, as well as funding opportunities and future financial investment priorities.

The office often works with SSOs by providing funding assistance, advice or input into their plan.