Strategic Aspiration

The development of a growth strategy has been identified as an action within the last two iterations of Council’s Strategic Plan.

Within the Our Liveability theme of the current Strategic Plan, Council has identified a strategic goal to have ‘Our built environment balances the need for progress, with respect for our environment and heritage.’ The action being to develop and implement a Growth Strategy.

Housing Support Program

Mid Murray Council received funding toward the project as part of the Federal Government’s $1.5 billion Housing Support Program which is one of a range of measures designed to help achieve the National Housing Accord's target of building 1.2 million new, well-located homes over five years from 1 July 2024.

Council has engaged Adelaide based planning firm URPS to prepare the Growth Management and Housing Strategy (the Growth Strategy).

Objectives

The development of a Growth Strategy is a significant step forward in increasing housing supply across the Mid Murray into the future. This Strategy will seek to identify growth areas, employment and residential land supply and demand across individual towns, mapping infrastructure needs, and understanding the development challenges and opportunities in our district.

The Growth Strategy will identify potential growth areas in 11 towns including Mannum, Morgan, Tungkillo, Blanchetown, Swan Reach, Sedan, Truro, Keyneton, Cadell, Palmer and Cambrai.

The Growth Strategy aims to deliver the following benefits:

• To provide well-located housing - identify where new housing and potential employment land might be located over the next 20 years.
• To ensure that Council assets and infrastructure can support planned growth.
• To provide strategic direction for land use, infrastructure and service planning that is coordinated and meets the needs of the Mid Murray Community.
• To expediate housing construction in the Mid Murray Council.
• To achieve greater housing choice and diversity.
• To increase resilience of the Mid Murray Council and adaptability to planned growth.
• To grow the region’s population by creating vibrant, attractive and well-planned places to live.
• To help inform the State Planning Commission in developing the new Regional Plan for the Murray Mallee region.

Community Engagement

Draft Growth Management and Housing Strategy Engagement - Completed

Mid Murray Council has prepared a draft Growth Management and Housing Strategy and wants your feedback.

The draft Strategy has been informed by analysis as well as input received from community and stakeholder engagement in November 2024.

The draft Strategy identifies areas the Council believes are suitable for more housing or employment land, and explores the infrastructure needed to support that growth.

Hard copies of the draft Strategy and survey are also available at each of the Council offices.

Your feedback will be considered to finalise the Strategy.

Growth Strategy Issues and Options Paper Engagement - Completed

Engagement with the community on an Issues and Options Paper to gather input to inform drafting of the Growth Strategy was undertaken in November 2024.

Council received 75 survey responses and 3 written submissions and 35 people participated across three workshops. The Early Engagement Summary Report can be found here.

Growth Strategy - How to get involved

Should you wish to be kept informed around Council’s Growth Strategy and the community engagement activity, please register your interest at des@mid-murray.sa.gov.au.

Murray Mallee Regional Plan

The draft Murray Mallee Regional Plan is out for consultation. View the Plan and have your say by 17 June 2025 click here.

Regional plans set the direction for future planning and development of South Australia.

The State Planning Commission, supported by Planning and Land Use Services (PLUS) of the Department for Housing and Urban Development, is currently preparing six new country regional plans in addition to the plan for Greater Adelaide for the following:

• Eyre and Western
• Far North
• Kangaroo Island
• Limestone Coast
• Murray Mallee
• Yorke and Mid North.

The Department and Council will collaborate throughout the process of preparing the Mid Murray Growth Management and Housing Strategy and Murray Mallee Regional Plan to ensure that each is consistent and reflective of the growth areas and scenarios developed.

Methodology Overview

Regional Plan

Growth Management and Housing Strategy

From 28 April 2025 to 26 May 2025 Council had invited the community and stakeholders to comment on the draft Growth Strategy.

There were 51 survey responses, and eight (8) written submissions were received on the proposed Strategy. The feedback and proposed amendments to the Strategy was presented to Elected Members and members of the Strategic Growth and Economic Activation Committee on 25 June 2025. A copy of the Engagement Summary Report is available in the Document Library.

The post consultation version of the Growth Strategy was presented to Council on 15 July 2025 for adoption, signalling the conclusion of this stage of the project. A copy of the final Growth Management and Housing Strategy and other supporting material is available in the Document Library

Murray Mallee Regional Plan

Council’s Growth Strategy will be provided to the State Planning Commission/Department of Housing and Urban Development as a means of providing input to the Murray Mallee Regional Plan that concluded public consultation on 17 June 2025. The final version of the Regional Plan is scheduled to be released late 2025.