THE 450 new homes planned for Kelso under two development applications currently before Bathurst Regional Council will be just the tip of the iceberg for that part of town.
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Areas east of the Macquarie River have been earmarked to bear the greatest load as the Bathurst population swells by around 10,000 people to more than 53,000 by 2036.
The latest proposed subdivisions will continue the changing face of the landscape at the city’s edges as more former grazing land is converted to homes.
They will also add around 1000 people to the Kelso area, with the promise of more to come.
The subdivision proposed for Marsden Lane and Graham Drive will take up just a fraction of the 90-hectare site to be created by the consolidation of two large vacant lot, with the planned 123 lots likely to represent just stage one of a multi-stage development.
And while that is great news for the continuing growth and economic prosperity of the Bathurst region, the massive growth of Kelso will create planning and infrastructure challenges that must be tackled sooner rather than later.
Council has jumped ahead of the curve to ensure the area’s water needs are met with the commissioning in July of a new 10 million litre reservoir, but that’s just one step in a long journey.
Of particular concern will be the road links from Kelso to the CBD, with Hereford Street to be the main focus.
Hereford Street is already at its limit at morning and afternoon peak, with a long bottleneck created across the low level bridge and roundabout at George and Stanley streets.
Flood events create even more problems when the bridge is closed and all that traffic is diverted onto Gilmour Street.
Raising the bridge will inevitably come under new consideration, along with discussion of another river crossing.
Hereford Street must also be upgraded to a four-lane road to cope with the increased traffic, and residents will want to see that work under way before construction starts on 123 new homes at the other end of the road.
Bathurst can never shy from continued growth, but growth must be managed and infrastructure must keep pace.
We never want to see our city become a poor copy of the sprawl we see in the major cities. Proper planning – and patience – should ensure that’s not the case.