June 2022

Message from the Chair of the State Planning Commission

This month the Commission visited several of South Australia’s key ‘growth’ council areas including the Town of Gawler, the City of Playford, the City of Onkaparinga and the Barossa Council. In coming weeks, we will visit Mount Barker District Council, the City of Salisbury and the City of Port Adelaide Enfield.

The key discussions we are having during these visit relate to the challenges and opportunities present at each area’s ‘growth fronts’, and how the Commission can support sustainable growth via strategic policy and future Code Amendments.

Each visit includes a bus tour through key growth areas and ‘on site’ discussion. Thank you for the time given and hospitality shown to us by the councils we have visited so far, each visit has proved both instructive and productive.

The pursuit of sustainable and responsible growth, affordable housing, and the preservation of our climate does not have to be a contradiction. Through collaboration, advocacy, hard work and smart policy, the Commission is committed to supporting a better future for all South Australians.

Craig Holden
Chair, State Planning Commission

Commission members at the City of Playford

Message from the Executive Director, Team PLUS

Recently, Planning and Land Use Services (PLUS), in conjunction with the Local Government Association (LGA), held the first of two forums which bought together the Chief Executives from regional South Australia to discuss key issues relating to land use planning. A further session is planned with metropolitan CEOs in August.

Titled ‘Learn from the Past, Look to the Future’ the forum was attended by Minister for Planning Nick Champion, and provided a great opportunity to share knowledge and experience. Thank you to the PLUS and LGA teams for the work in organising the forum. I look forward to further constructive discussions with the metropolitan CEOs soon.

On the topic of events, I would like to thank the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) team for the successful State Conference held on June 17. I was invited to give a brief overview of the last 12 months in review – what is working well and areas for enhancement, as well as a quick summary of what’s ahead for the next 12 months. It was an inspiring event which proved that while there are certainly challenges ahead, when we join forces, the future of planning in South Australia is bright.

I would also like to wish the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects all the best for their awards ceremony on Friday night at the Adelaide Zoo. Landscape architects have a positive impact on all our lives through the planning and design of the built and natural environments.

Sally Smith
Executive Director, Planning and Land Use Services

Hackham Code Amendment now on consultation

The proposal to rezone land in Hackham and a part of Old Noarlunga to accommodate future housing and employment growth is now open for public consultation.

The Hackham Code Amendment proposes to rezone 235 hectares of land across Hackham and Old Noarlunga (211.5h and 23.5h respectively) to address an immediate need for further land supply and population growth in the south of Adelaide.

The rezoning will facilitate a potential residential development of approximately 2000 new houses and a retail centre in Hackham, as well as provide new policy to guide development on sloping land and ensure the provision of appropriate infrastructure and services for the community.

Public consultation is open until 26 July 2022, 5:00 pm. Further information about the proposed Hackham Code Amendment and consultation activities can be found on the PlanSA portal.

Update to Site Contamination Scheme Practice Direction 14

Following feedback from key stakeholders, the State Planning Commission has approved a series of changes to Practice Direction 14 (Site Contamination Assessment) to improve the function and consistency of the Site Contamination Assessment Scheme.

The following changes came into effect last week:

Site contamination assessment no longer required for residential development on farming allotments or changes of use within an existing building.
Removal of agricultural activities from Class 3 (already Class 2).
Preliminary Site Investigation valid for five years (same as audits).
Wording made consistent with Regulations.
Removal of auditor’s role from Site Contamination Declaration Form.

The Commission acknowledges that more work can be done to further improve the Site Contamination Assessment Scheme and will be undertaking further investigations in the coming months.

For more details on the recent changes to Practice Direction 14 visit the PlanSA portal

SCAP forum feedback

In mid-November 2021, the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) initiated three forums as part of its annual review, to gain feedback from key stakeholders working in industry, local government and state agencies who regularly interface with the SCAP.

The purpose of the SCAP forums was to hear directly from participants as to what was working well and what could be improved. It was also an opportunity for the SCAP to provide advice and feedback to stakeholders regarding engagement and the presentation of information to improve the assessment and decision-making processes.

A summary document highlighting the ‘key themes’ and ‘agreed actions’ as a result of the forums is now available on the SCAP website.

The SCAP team wish to thank all participants who attended the forums for their constructive feedback, suggestions and interest in SCAP’s continual improvement.

PIA National Planning Congress 2022

Image courtesy of PIA

Members of the PLUS team travelled to Hobart last month to attend the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) National Planning Congress.

It was the first time since 2019 that the Congress was held in person, and included presentations, workshops, study tours and the opportunity to connect with industry peers from across the country.

The theme of this year’s Congress was ‘Opportunity in Crisis’ to explore how the profession could respond to significant challenges, such as climate change, housing supply and affordability, and recovery from the COVID pandemic. There was also a focus on understanding and improving how built environment professionals engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and respect diverse cultures through the work we do.

Connections were also established with leaders from local and state government departments, including the State Planning Policy Unit, Infrastructure Tasmania and City of Hobart.

The team deeply appreciated the opportunity to contribute to the future of the profession at the national level - and the Tasmanian setting was beautiful, albeit bitingly cold and complete with snow!

Thank you to the PIA team for your hard work in delivering such a great event. We look forward to welcoming delegates when Congress comes to Adelaide next year.

Certificate of Occupancy deferral for houses extended

Last year, the State Government introduced a six-month deferral for new houses or additions (Class 1a) to have a Certificate of Occupancy until 30 June 2022.

This suspension was put in place to alleviate pressure on the building industry due to the high number of housing completions resulting from the HomeBuilder Scheme.

Following consultation with council and key stakeholders, the decision has been made to further extend this deferral until 1 January 2024.

This will enable time for the development of housing occupancy requirements, and stakeholder training and education on these new requirements.

While a Certificate of Occupancy will not be required for new houses completed during this period, key health and safety requirements still apply as set out in Regulations.

Further information can be found on the Certificate of Occupancy page on the PlanSA portal.

Update to Practice Direction 2 – Preparation and Amendment of Designated Instruments

On 3 June 2022, the State Planning Commission published an update to Practice Direction 2 – Preparation and Amendment of Designated Instruments. This update seeks to clarify what ‘Accredited Professional – Planning Level 1’ equivalency means in the case of a Private Proponent initiating a Code Amendment.

It also sets out the requirement to provide a consultation start date and consultation approach when a proposal to initiate a Code Amendment is lodged. This is intended to help improve the transparency of the Code Amendment process by giving the community a broad indication of when community engagement is anticipated on Code Amendments of interest to them.

A copy of the updated Practice Direction can be found on the PlanSA portal.

Planning system performance update

In May the planning system received over 4,086 development application submissions totalling $1.05 billion in development costs.

Visit the Performance Indicators page on the portal to view the latest stats and insights into the performance of the planning system.