Visit Tasmania to see how people there are dealing with the changes brought about by growing suburbs.


FIONA BLACKWOOD: Last year 2,700 new houses were built in Tasmania. The 36% increase in construction compared to two years ago has been partly fuelled by a population growth.

EVAN BOARDMAN, PLANNING INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA: It's also been driven by a change in housing demographics. There's less people living within individual houses.

FIONA BLACKWOOD: The rapid growth in residential development has been felt particularly strongly in outlying areas, like Sorell and the Southern Beaches.

CARMEL TORNIUS, SORELL MAYOR: For over a decade now we've had the dubious honour of being one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the State.

FIONA BLACKWOOD: Kingston has also been swept up in the subdivision sprawl.

DON HAZELL, KINGBOROUGH MAYOR: There's been a total explosion of growth in our municipality.

FIONA BLACKWOOD: And the Port Sorell township has expanded by about 1,000 people in the past four years.

MICHAEL GAFFNEY, LATROBE MAYOR: It's 15 minutes from the major centre, Devonport. It's beautiful - it's got a river estuary and the environment's great, it's just a nice, friendly place to live.

FIONA BLACKWOOD: The search for a sea change is part of the reason for the growth of certain suburbs.
But with that expansion come certain strains.

STEWART WARDLAW, PROPERTY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA: The rapid rate of residential development on the urban fringes has caused towns to be developed without proper water services, in some cases without sewage services, in some cases without adequate transport systems in place.

FIONA BLACKWOOD: In fact, transport is fast becoming one of the biggest infrastructure headaches associated with the rapid growth of suburbs.

DON HAZELL: The traffic at the moment is becoming more chaotic. It's incredible how it's increasing so fast.

FIONA BLACKWOOD: Sorell is also suffering from a traffic build-up.

CARMEL TORNIUS: It's a state road and at the moment it just can't cater for the residents and the tourists coming through.
We have a bottleneck at Midway Point and also the junction here at the traffic lights.

FIONA BLACKWOOD: A traffic management study will examine options for Sorell next month. But roads are not the only infrastructure issue.

CARMEL TORNIUS: There recently was approval given to aquaculture in that area and it appears that the pressure is now on even more so to do something about the sewage in the Southern Beaches, but not only there, but also the Sorell and Midway Point treatment plants.

FIONA BLACKWOOD: Kingborough is also in need of an upgrade.

DON HAZELL: The treatment works are all becoming near capacity, so that is where we have to really put our thinking cap on to increase the size of those and/or to build new ones and that can't be done without a lot of money - it does take a lot of money.

FIONA BLACKWOOD: But rather than an ad-hoc approach to funding infrastructure needs, the Property Council believes state and local governments should be taking a longer-term view to planning.

STEWART WARDLAW: We believe it should be a regional approach. There should be integrated water and sewerage services across the whole of the urban area. We have to think what is good for the community at large, not what is good for a property owner or a resident or a township, or a single council. It's got to be across the whole region.

FIONA BLACKWOOD: And with the Housing Industry Association expecting another 2,500 houses will be built in the next 12 months, the pressure on the ever-expanding suburbs is only likely to continue.