Recent calls to see Australia’s regional populations increase by a further 1.5M people will put considerable pressure on the existing infrastructure in country towns and the Goulburn Valley is already gearing up to be prepared for the influx.
In recent years the Goulburn Valley has seen substantial growth in land development and all aspects of the building industry, with the major focus now on urban planning and provision of critical infrastructure to cater for the current and projected growth.
Scott Golightly, a partner at Chris Smith & Associates is leading the engineering team in working with government authorities to upgrade infrastructure and open up new land for residential and commercial development.
The Chris Smith & Associates team comprises urban planners, licensed surveyors and civil engineers working together to achieve their clients desired outcomes on a wide variety of projects.
“The workload has increased enormously in the past two years and we are now being asked to look at new ways to design and deliver projects that offer sustainable products including recycled aggregate for roads, recycled plastics for pipes and roadside furniture and the like,” said Scott Golightly.
“There are also a large number of renewable energy projects that we are involved in which include undertaking planning, civil design and project management for solar farms and waste to energy plants. There is a real focus on all projects to be sustainable, reducing the impact climate change is having. As the work increases, like many businesses, we are working hard to attract new staff for all the areas we work in.”
As the regional population expands and the focus shifts towards sustainability, the work Chris Smith & Associates performs will continue to grow which is likely to increase the demand for good technical staff into what will be challenging and rewarding careers in regional Victoria.
The future is bright and, in many ways, long overdue and keeping ahead of the demand for good infrastructure will be a great challenge.
