November 2017

Plaza space in the Gladys Elphick Park/Narnungga Urban Park (Park 25)

Sally Smith Sally Smith

November is the month to celebrate town planning and the difference it can make for better or indeed worse. It shows us how important it is to connect with, listen to and respond to our communities. Most people outside of our sector don’t realise it but planning touches everyone. It is in this light that I encourage you to review the Draft Engagement Charter and provide feedback by Friday, 8 December for the Commission’s consideration.

It was a great privilege for me to present the Minister’s Award at the recent PIA Awards to the Mount Gambier Council for the Railway Lands project. It is fantastic to see such a significant regional project take out the win. A project that focuses on people and providing an amazing multi purpose public place in the heart of the city over an unused rail corridor. Also great to see that much of it was planned and delivered within Council. On the night, the Mid Murray Council Open Space, Recreation and Public Realm Plan project also received a Minister’s commendation.

There are a few other things happening in the engagement space, including an update to the Planning Portal. Our team have been talking to a multitude of users to find out how we can improve the messaging and make the site more interactive, and make it easier for more people to get involved. Thanks for those who have filled out the survey and given their time to work through improvements, through the lense of the user.

In this edition we also give a progress report on a few elements of setting up the new system, including updates on the Joint Planning Boards pilot project, the launch of the first Practice Direction under the PDI Act and Development Assessment Panels.

In closing, I hope everyone gets an opportunity to relax and enjoy the Christmas break. We will be doing just that at DPTI after an incredibly busy year, with the office closing from 23 December 2017 and reopening on 2 January 2018. 2018 will be a very big year for our sector as we move into the development of the Planning and Design Code, e-planning and other key components of the new system, as well as keeping the current system under the Development Act operating effectively as we transition from old to new.

Merry Christmas and happy new year.

Sally Smith
General Manager, Planning and Development

Message from the Chair of the State Planning Commission

Tim Anderson Tim Anderson

The State Planning Commission have now released Practice Directions for new protected areas which will preserve our globally revered food and wine producing regions.

These are the first Practice Directions issued as part of the new planning reforms for South Australia, and will greatly help to ensure our planning laws protect places which are vital to our state’s success.

More important news is that work to develop a new Engagement Charter for our community is continuing. This will, for the first time, ensure that authorities must consult with communities when forming rules that shape the fabric and layout of the places that are important to us all.

The consultation on the draft Charter closes on Friday 8 December so there is still time to have your say. Thank you to everyone who has already contributed their comments and ideas so far.

We have also been listening to opinions on proposals which seek to reconfigure the Repat hospital site and the Morphettville racecourse. Public meetings have given us valuable insights into community views which will be taken on board as part of planning for the future of those areas.

It’s been a busy first year for the new State Planning Commission and we look forward to keeping up the pace as we move forward during this exciting time for planning in South Australia.

Tim Anderson QC
Commission Chair

Great City Parks

We know living a great city lifestyle is all about being within easy walking distance of excellent amenities including café’s, bars, laneways, restaurants, transport and parks.

That is why, over four years, $20 million is being provided to revitalise our parklands to ensure Adelaide has first class city parks that help attract more people to the city lifestyle.

The Department has worked with councils to provide funding to over nine projects in this round of funding. 

Completing Soon!

Pityarilla Park Upgrade

$4.5 million grant for the City of Adelaide

Work is soon expected to complete this year on the redevelopment of the area fondly known as Marshmallow Park, in the city’s south-east parklands near Glen Osmond Road.

This much loved park is a popular destination for families, large groups and school gatherings and has been given a new lease of life with new BBQs, shelters and seating for people to get together.

Sports courts, a playground revamp and a new nature play area will be available for those who want to be active.

There will also be improved walking and bike boulevards and a new off-leash dog park including logs, rocks, and turfed areas along a water play feature to keep pets cool in summer.

Josie Agius Park Upgrade

$3.2 million grant for the City of Adelaide

Ahead of the next summer netball season in January, work is near complete to renew one of the city’s most popular community netball courts and improve connections to the wider south west parklands.

The existing netball courts will be expanded and better connected to the surrounding parkland with new grassed areas, improved lighting and walking trails.

Protecting agricultural areas

The introduction of Environment and Food Production Areas in April this year help protect vital agricultural lands surrounding metropolitan Adelaide, by reducing the ability to subdivide land for housing development.

The State Planning Commission has now made available a new Practice Direction to support councils and practitioners to work with conditions in these protected areas.

Practice Directions will provide guidance on legislative requirements and support professionals to make procedural judgement calls.

Council’s planning together

Our new 21st century planning legislation establishes fertile ground for groups of councils to work together and prepare long term land use vision’s for regional areas.

Representing more than half of the councils in South Australia, some 40 councils have formed 8 groups, and are now participating in work to form a Joint Planning Board in their regional area.

This is with a view to entering into a formal Planning Agreement which will allow for planning functions to be delegated to regional groups of councils, and then plans for the region prepared.

To support councils to take this step, funding has been provided and a skilled state-wide coordinator will work closely with councils to develop support tools for councils to use.

This initial stage is expected to run until around mid-next year. Interested council groups will then be able to present their proposed Planning Agreements to the State Planning Commission for consideration. Overall, the project will also help to inform state-wide regulations and guidelines to support regional planning.

New information on Development Assessment Panels

A new map showing the membership of Development Assessment Panels and Regional Assessment Panels is now available on the SA Planning Portal

Kangaroo Island Community and Business Expo

On Monday 27 November the Office of the Commissioner for Kangaroo Island held an Expo for the Kangaroo Island community.

The focus of the Expo was to give the community an opportunity to meet and talk to representatives from:

  • various major developments on the island
  • Kangaroo Island Council
  • state government agencies
  • KI industry associations
  • KI businesses undertaking upgrades and expansion activities
  • Kangaroo Island Connect ferry.

Zoe Delmenico and Sharon Wyatt from DPTI Development Division Major Projects Assessments attended with a display outlining the major development assessment process.

They had 25 to 30 people interested in the process and were able to answer queries on many development issues.

Excellence Award heralds great Council and Community Teamwork

The City of Mount Gambier has received this year’s prestigious 2017 Minister for Planning’s award for  Planning Excellence for its collaborative approach to driving innovative designs for the redevelopment of the railway lands in the city centre.

The Council launched an initiative called ‘The Rail’ which supported the community to test and trial a range of events and activities at the site.

The exciting redevelopment now includes an open green park including walking and cycling paths, recreational spaces, a nature play area and an events plaza with a raised sheltered space for community markets.

Importantly, the space celebrates local history retaining interesting railway features.

All of this was led and contributed to by the local community and is a great example of community engagement.

SA Planning Portal - Phase 2.0 Redesign Process

The next generation of the SA Planning Portal is underway, to redesign the Portal to better meet the needs of its customers.

Four external workshops were held over November with over 50 participants representing local government, state government, the industry and the community. Feedback received from these workshops was varied, thoughtful and extremely valuable in guiding the future direction of the Portal.

You can contact dpti.planningengagement@sa.gov.au with any inquiries about this process. 

SA Planning Portal updates

Our New System has a new look and feel and has been updated to reflect the latest progress in the Planning Reform Implementation Program.

Explore the new pages below:

Planning Legislation
State Planning Commission
Ministerial Advisory Committees
Practice Directions
Regional Planning
State Planning Policies
Environment & Food Production Areas
Development Assessment
Planning and Design Code
Infrastructure Schemes
Community Engagement Charter
ePlanning
Transition

Items on consultation

See the Engagement and Consultation section on the SA Planning Portal.

  • Draft Community Engagement Charter and Guide open for submissions until 8 December 2017
  • Character Preservation Acts Review open for submissions until 8 December 2017.
christmas decoration

Christmas office closure

DPTI’s Planning and Development Division will be closed from COB on 22 December 2017 until 2 January 2018.

We want to hear from you

DPTI through the Planning Ahead newsletter would love to hear from you about any stories or news they may have in the planning and development space – you are invited to submit any news which could be of interest generally to the Engagement, Education and Communication team.

Feedback

We welcome your feedback and suggestions about the new SA Planning Portal.

Email your suggestions to us at dpti.planningengagement@sa.gov.au.

Sign up!

Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest updates. 

| Unsubscribe | Forward to a friend | DPTI.Planningreform@sa.gov.au
*** This is an automatically generated email, please do not reply ***