August 2021

Message from the Chair of the State Planning Commission

Amendments to the Planning and Design Code (the Code) continue to be an important legislative process to ensure policy within the Code is current and appropriate such that, in the best interests of our State, the Code continues to guide future development that is aligned with state-wide economic growth underpinned by enhanced liveability.

Public consultation on the Local Design Review Code Amendment will commence on 12 August 2021, I encourage everyone to learn more about it and have their say.

The Amendment seeks to introduce a state-wide approach to encourage consideration of high-quality design early on in the planning process and to empower councils to establish their own design panels to provide design review for locally assessed development proposals.

Recently there was a virtual meeting of State Planning Commissions from around Australia, including international guests David Walsh, Chair of the National Planning Board of Ireland and Peter Kemp, Head of Change and Delivery, Planning at the Greater London Authority.  

The purpose of this forum was to create a better understanding of planning, governance and issues across the various jurisdictions. The role and responsibility of Commissions acting as statutory decision makers was discussed at length acknowledging the broad and significant State and community responsibility that goes along with these long term decisions.

Across the jurisdictions there is significant interest in the use of electronic platforms as part of planning systems to harness efficiencies and accessibility. Each jurisdiction has made in-roads in this area. 

During the discussions, South Australia’s planning system created some excitement as the most extensive and comprehensive. To round out this session, the Commission will soon virtually showcase a live demonstration of our digital planning system.

Regards

Helen Dyer
Chair, State Planning Commission

Message from the Executive Director

Policy refinements to the Code are now in full swing, including the flood mapping and assessment project – funded by a $3 million COVID-19 stimulus grant. Work is getting underway with consulting councils, reviewing and enhancing existing data and new flood hazard mapping. The goal is a more consistent and contemporary approach to flood mapping, by way of preparing flood hazard mapping and land use policy for a future Code Amendment to the Planning and Design Code Hazard Overlay. This will provide greater certainty in Development Assessment processing and will also inform Code Amendments, Regional Planning, emergency management and response.

In the major development space, public comment is being sought on the newly-released Environment Impact Statement (EIS) for a significant South Australian project – the Whaler’s Way Orbital Launch Complex on the Lower Eyre Peninsula.

In June, the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) gave Southern Launch permission to fire 3 rockets from the site under strict environmental protections, to help inform the final response on the EIS. The EIS document is readily available and feedback can be provided until 16 September 2021. Public information sessions will also be held in Port Lincoln on 24 August 2021.

It's also great to progress projects that play a part in improving community access and enjoyment of our outdoor spaces. To that end, planning approval has been granted for the new 1.3 km section of Adelaide’s Coast Park shared-use pathway, between Grange and Semaphore Park - one of the remaining links in a continuous 70 kilometre shared-use path. 

In closing, Census night - 10 August 2021 - will provide us with a wealth of data to help plan for our future growth and change.

Sally Smith
Executive Director, Team PLUS

COVID-19 lockdown leads to planning changes

New variations to planning regulations will apply up until 30 September, 2021 in response to the latest state-wide COVID-19 lockdown.

The Planning, Development and Infrastructure (General) (Application of the Act) Variation Regulations 2021 (regulation variations) were gazetted to help ease pressure on supermarkets, ensure that supply chains are not impacted by planning restrictions and goods can be delivered at any time without breaching conditions of development approval.

The regulation variations also allow, if required:

• the delivery of goods to other retail outlets other than supermarkets such as chemists, hardware stores or bottle shops (in the event of pressures on supply chains and only if gazetted in a notice by the Chief Executive on the PlanSA) to not breach conditions of development approval
• shops to open to the public at any time, without breaching conditions of development approval that restrict their hours of operation.

This ensures that the notification process for publicly notifiable applications, if upheld due to state-wide lockdown, are not affected by the prescribed time periods for consultation. The time period will not apply until a sign can be placed on the land and letters sent to neighbouring property owners.

Local Design Review Code Amendment - have your say

The Local Design Review Code Amendment (the Amendment) proposes to amend the Planning and Design Code to give effect to the Local Design Review Scheme (the Scheme).

The Scheme provides a consistent state-wide approach for councils to establish their own design panels and provide Design Review for locally assessed development proposals.

The proposed Amendment would introduce a process where a council can specify certain classes of development to be eligible for Local Design Review in their area. This process would occur when that council registers to participate in the Scheme. Proponents of the eligible classes of development will then be able to apply to that council to participate in Local Design Review and seek design advice on their development proposal.

The proposed Amendment was informed through pre-engagement workshops with local government staff and industry representatives, and the extensive engagement undertaken to develop the Scheme.

All submissions will be considered by the State Planning Commission to determine if the proposed Amendment is suitable for adoption, or if changes should be made. Each submission will published on the PlanSA Portal after this consultation closes and be summarised in an Engagement Report.

Public consultation commences on 12 August 2021 and closes Monday 27 September 2021.

To learn more and have your say on the proposed Amendment, please visit the PlanSA Code Amendment Page or the YourSAy consultation page from 12 August 2021.

Whaler’s Way public consultation – environmental impact

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Whaler’s Way Orbital Launch Complex is available for public comment until Thursday 16 September 2021.

Southern Launch Space Pty Ltd (Southern Launch) has proposed the development of a multi-user rocket launch facility (for placing small satellites in orbit) at Sleaford, approximately 25 km south-west of Port Lincoln.

PLUS-AGD will be holding two public information sessions in Port Lincoln on August 24. The major development assessment process will be outlined, followed by a presentation from Southern Launch on the development proposal, followed by a question and answer session.

All submissions will be made available on the PlanSA portal and will be addressed in the proponent’s Response Document (to be also released for public information at a later date).

For details on how to obtain an electronic, USB or hard copy of the EIS, making a submission or attending the public information session refer to our fact sheet. Visit the PlanSA portal for more information on major projects.

Flood Hazard Mapping and assessment

The Attorney General’s Department has received a $3 million Covid-19 Stimulus Grant to undertake a flood mapping and assessment project.

The project will deliver more consistent and contemporary mapping of riverine and surface water flooding flood hazard across the State – providing improved Flood Hazard Overlays for the Planning and Design Code (the Code), and supporting information in reference layers in the South Australian Property and Planning Atlas (SAPPA).

Flood Hazard Mapping can be used to support future Storm Water Management planning and flood mitigation activities along with the improving the State’s flooding emergency response capabilities.

Not only will this information provide greater certainty in Development Assessment processing but it will also be used to provide information for the purposes of rezonings, Regional Planning and emergency management.

The grant will be spent on new detailed flood studies and enhancing existing studies, the purchase of state-wide coarse-scale mapping of the State, and new Digital Elevation Modelling. 

These products will enable the update of the Code's spatial layers and the policies through 2 stages of Code Amendments.  

PlanSA: trending topics and resources

The ePlanning system is keeping our PlanSA Service Desk busy fielding calls and providing helpful resources. Here are this month’s top 3 trending topics.

1. How to upload documents:
   Upload a correspondence document and record the date sent      
   Upload and superseding a document
    
2. How to respond to a request for further information:
   How to provide requested further information during assessment
    
3. How to cancel and reissue a fee advice
   How to cancel an issued fee advice and re-issue a revised application fee advice

Feedback wanted on National Construction Code professional development

The Building Confidence Report (BCR) Implementation Team has developed a draft national model guidance to assist governments and industry in regulating and delivering ongoing professional development on the National Construction Code (NCC).

The national model guidance recommends that each jurisdiction requires all registered building and plumbing practitioners to undertake compulsory continuing professional development (CPD) on the NCC – in line with recommendation 3 of the Building Confidence Report (BCR).

Feedback on the draft model guidance is now sought via a discussion paper. The paper explores and proposes content in the form of 6 principles. These cover matters relating to the number of CPD hours on the NCC to be undertaken annually to what types of CPD are considered acceptable.

Responses to the consultation will be considered by relevant ministers towards the end of the year.

Responses to questions in the discussion paper are invited until 11.59 pm AEST Sunday 5 September 2021.

Census night 2021

Census night - Tuesday 10 August 2021 – is when the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) conducts its 5-yearly national Census of population and housing.

The Census aims to capture the number and characteristics of people in every household to provide an invaluable snapshot of the economic, social and cultural make-up of our nation.

Census data is widely used to inform decisions that impact on our lives.

At the State level, data from the 2021 census will provide a new baseline for the preparation of population and housing forecasts which are widely used for future service and infrastructure planning. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen significant changes in how we live and work and the new data is eagerly anticipated to confirm some of these trends.

At the federal government level, Census data helps determine the number of electoral seats, distribute GST funding and allocate grants to local government areas.

Australia’s first national Census was held in 1911 and the detailed report can be found here. At the time, 403,000 people were living in South Australia with only 189,000 living in the metropolitan Adelaide area. The average household size was 4.9, which is double what it is today.

Plans for new section of Adelaide Coast Park revealed

Plans for a new 1.3 km section of Adelaide’s Coast Park shared-use pathway, from Third Ave Semaphore Park, to the northern edge of the Wara Wayingga-Tennyson Dunes Conservation Reserve, have been finalised.

This follows a detailed review of feedback provided through consultation undertaken in 2020 and the subsequent establishment of a Linear Park by the Minister for Planning.

The Department for Infrastructure and Transport will manage the project delivery - expected to start in early 2022.

The design and location of the pathway have been carefully considered to minimise the impact on the dune system, native vegetation and fauna habitat, as well as local residents.

Coast Park has been progressively implemented by State Government and local councils since 1992 and the section between Grange and Semaphore Park is one of the few remaining incomplete links.

Plans for a possible Linear Park Stage Two and shared-use path from the southern edge of the Wara Wayingga-Tennyson Dunes Conservation Reserve to Terminus Street, Grange are still under consideration. If considered a viable option, it will be subject to further public consultation.