The first phase of South Australia’s new planning system is now live in the outback with the Planning and Design Code (the Code) and supporting Development Assessment Regulations becoming operational in land outside of council boundaries today.
This is a significant milestone in the ongoing transformation of our planning and development sector.
The Code has introduced changes to planning policies that better meet the needs of rural South Australians and address prevailing planning issues relevant to the remotest parts of our state.
Key changes include the mapping of buffers around a greater number of airfields - including those airfields that support the Royal Flying Doctor Service - as well as an increased number of key transport routes, railway crossings, rivers and lakes.
New and updated policy has also been introduced to lessen the risk of bushfire impacts on development, and address inappropriate uses of land (such as industrial development close to housing and phone towers close to airfield runways).
Our outback communities support a diverse range of economic activities that are critical to the state’s prosperity as a whole - these activities include mining, food production, tourism and renewable energy production.
These industries will only be able to thrive if they are supported by a planning system that is focused on growth and sustainability and provides straightforward, transparent and flexible planning policy.
The first phase of the Code is the start of realising this exciting new future.
The rest of South Australia will also benefit from the new Code when it rolls out to regional and metropolitan council areas over the course of the next 12 months.
The Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure will soon be providing more information on implementation timeframes, including the consultation plan for phases two and three of the new planning system.
In the meantime, more information is available on the SA Planning Portal.
