March 2019

Message from the Executive Director

Sally Smith Sally Smith

This month members of the team hit the outback to speak to residents about the Planning and Design Code and how it will apply in their communities. The tour was a fantastic opportunity for our planners to live our Community Engagement Charter values and chat with resident groups and progress associations.

Feedback will help inform the first phase of the Planning and Design Code that will come into operation from mid-2019 in these areas. You can still have your say via YourSAy until 29 March 2019.

We also received 80 submissions on the draft Development Assessment Regulations and I would like to thank everyone who contributed. The feedback highlighted a shared desire across industry and the community for an assessment process that is clear, fair and more transparent. Submissions are available online and a summary will be developed in the coming weeks. 

The Minister for Planning and Minister for Energy and Mining have now signed joint declarations to assess the impact of expanding mining production at Olympic Dam, which could see a 75% increase in annual copper production.

Consideration is also being given to the most appropriate development assessment pathway for the proposed new high voltage interconnector transmission line, which will have a capacity of up to 330 kilo-volt (kV) and link South Australia with New South Wales.

A new program of local government reform has now commenced that aims to help councils operate more efficiently and effectively in their local communities, and all ratepayers are invited to submit their ideas for reform to the Office of Local Government via YourSAy.

On 1 April 2019, the PDI Act will have its second birthday and the Accredited Professionals Scheme will become operational. The Scheme is a significant reform under the Act and will introduce a new state-wide benchmark for professional standards across the planning and development sector.

For further updates on what is happening in the planning and development space, I invite you to take a look at my first vlog of the year and listen to the latest message on planning reform from the Department’s Chief Executive, Tony Braxton-Smith.

Best wishes

Sally Smith
Executive Director, Team PLUS

From the Commission Chair...

Michael Lennon Michael Lennon - Chair, State Planning Commission

We all have an interest in the way land is used in the state and what kind of development happens in our neighbourhoods and communities. The new Planning and Design Code will provide one set of easy-to-understand planning policies that can be applied to individual sites.

Consultation on the first phase of the Planning and Design Code for the out-of-council areas of our state (outback and coastal waters) is closing at the end of this month.

Although this initial phase of the Code won’t impact the vast majority of South Australians, I urge you to take a look at how it will operate as the State Planning Commission prepares to progressively introduce it to regional areas (end of 2019) and metropolitan areas (mid-2020).

Please view my short video about this exciting and important step in our planning reform journey.

Michael Lennon
Chair, State Planning Commission

Outback tour highlights importance of the Code in remote regions

Photo caption: Our Code experts meeting with members of the Pimba
Progress Association and the Outback Communities Authority

The planning reform team recently undertook a week-long tour in the outback to speak with local residents, business owners and progress associations about the impact of the Planning and Design Code on rural and remote communities. The tour included drop-in sessions and pub talks in Coober Pedy, Andamooka, Marree and Yunta, as well as impromptu visits to Glendambo, Pimba, Lyndhurst and Copley. Mark Shirley from the Outback Communities Authority and Helen Dyer from the State Planning Commission joined the team on tour. Feedback on Phase One of the Planning and Design Code (as it applies to the outback and coastal waters) is invited until 29 March 2019 via YourSAy.

ODASA joins South Australian History Festival

Next month the Office for Design and Architecture SA (ODASA) will be hosting an exhibition entitled ‘The Evolution of Leigh Street’. The exhibition forms part of the South Australian History Festival and tells the architectural story of one of Adelaide’s busiest pedestrian streets through historic photographs and artefacts. A public open day will take place on Monday 29 April 2019 at the ODASA gallery at 28 Leigh Street, Adelaide. Group visits to the gallery can be booked by contacting ODASA on (08) 8402 1884.

Accredited Professionals Scheme to become operational 1 April 2019

South Australia’s new Accredited Professionals Scheme will become operational on 1 April 2019 and will introduce the most rigorous standards of professional practice in planning and development in the country. Though the Scheme will be in effect under the PDI Act at the start of next month, practitioners will not need to be accredited until the Planning and Design Code (the Code) becomes effective in the council area in which they make decisions. Additionally, private certifiers will be subject to transitional provisions to allow them to continue practicing at their existing level until their current registration expires (at which point they will need to become accredited). Further information is available from the SA Planning Portal.

Talking about our people and neighbourhoods

Due to overwhelming feedback from our communities about the number of planning reform documents currently on consultation, the State Planning Commission has agreed to postpone the release of the People and Neighbourhoods Discussion Paper. This paper will be released at a future point in time and will focus on the next generation of the Planning and Design Code (i.e. after July 2020). A suite of materials that explains how our neighbourhoods will be addressed in the new planning system, including heritage and character, will be available in the coming weeks. These materials will form the basis of targeted discussions with councils and practitioners and will be explored more broadly with the community when Phase Two and Phase Three of the Code are released on statutory consultation (mid-2019 and late-2019, respectively). More information will soon be available on the SA Planning Portal.

National Construction Code brings sustainability to the fore

The National Construction Code (NCC) 2019 has now been released in ‘preview mode’ before its official launch on 1 May 2019. The Australian Building Codes Board held an industry seminar for more than 200 building professionals in Adelaide on 15 March 2019 to provide an update on the significant changes made to the NCC, which include a major overhaul to the commercial building energy efficiency provisions (in line with the COAG National Energy Productivity Plan). A full overview of the changes is available in the latest ABCB Connect article, 'What to expect in NCC 2019'.

Ministerial Building Standards now on consultation

The new PDI Act has introduced a number of changes to the way that building and construction is to be undertaken in South Australia, including the conversion of Ministerial Building Specifications to Ministerial Building Standards. The new Ministerial Building Standards seek to improve the quality and safety of building work across the state and provide clearer building rules under the National Construction Code. The first five Standards are now on consultation via the SA Planning Portal. All building professionals are encouraged to provide their feedback by Friday 26 April 2019. Additional Standards will be released on consultation in due course.

Council reform agenda now underway

The Premier and the Minister for Local Government hosted a roundtable with 45 council mayors last month to ‘kickstart’ a program of local government reform that will simplify and strengthen council systems and legislation. The program is focused on four key deliverables, namely to achieve increased capacity and improved conduct among council members; deliver lower costs and enhanced financial accountability; create a more efficient and transparent electoral process; and simplify current regulation. All councils, elected members and residents are invited to submit their ideas for reform to the Office of Local Government via YourSAy by Friday 26 April 2019. More information is available in Minister Knoll’s media release and on the Office of Local Government website.

Elected members meet with the Commission to discuss new Code

Last month the State Planning Commission hosted three workshops for elected members of metropolitan councils. The focus of the workshops was on the phased delivery of the new planning system and the roll-over of Development Plans to the Planning and Design Code. A number of additional issues were discussed, including the quality of infill development, suburban street parking and tree canopy loss. A copy of the presentation given at the workshops is now available from the State Planning Commission website. Further Commission briefings for elected members are planned for late May/June 2019.

Guidelines on forming a Joint Planning Board now available

Guidelines are now available for those councils who wish to form a Joint Planning Board under the new planning system. Joint Planning Boards enable groups of councils to form a body corporate and execute their own Regional Plan, which is the long-term vision for their region. To date, six council groups have participated in a pilot project for the creation of a Joint Planning Board – these groups include the Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Limestone Coast, Riverland, Barossa and the Spencer Gulf. Step-by-step advice and templates for the creation of both a Joint Planning Board and a Regional Plan are now available on the SA Planning Portal.

What you told us about environmental planning policy

A What We Have Heard Report in now available on the Natural Resources and Environment Discussion Paper, which has been one of a series of discussion papers designed to stimulate thought on the policy direction for land use in the new planning system. The report summarises the feedback received on the paper from industry and the community, and addresses sustainable living, water security, natural hazards and environmental protection. More information on this and other discussion papers is available on the SA Planning Portal.

Reminder - items on consultation

Don't forget to Have Your Say on the following items:

  • Planning and Design Code - Phase One - closes 29 March 2019
  • Ministerial Building Standards - closes 29 April 2019

 

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