Some people were suspicious about the project and the reasons behind it. For instance, some thought that the project was motivated by political interest and that the state government only wanted to improve its electoral prospects in nearby Murray Bridge. Others believed that the state government only wanted to have a development project that was close to Adelaide and its economy, but still far enough from it to be included to the "new cities programme". Additionally, a geographer called Professor Peter Scott was skeptical about the idea of a new city, pointing out that the population growth was less than had been projected.