September 2023

Message from the Chair of the State Planning Commission

We have released the state’s first design standard for consultation. The draft design standard for residential driveway crossovers aims to improve public safety and enhance streetscapes across South Australia and I encourage you to share your feedback.

As one of the largest pieces of work the Commission is leading, I am delighted to report that consultation on the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan Discussion Paper is tracking extremely well and the feedback and responses we’ve received so far have been considered, insightful and thorough. 

This is an opportunity for stakeholders, industry, councils and community to provide early input into the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan and help determine what Greater Adelaide might look like in 30 years and where and how we should grow.

I encourage everyone to participate in the consultation process, which will be integral to how we plan for South Australia’s future development and growth while meeting the needs of population and employment, housing affordability and quality of life for the region.

To read the Discussion Paper, find out more about the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan and how to get involved, visit the PlanSA portal. Consultation is open until 6 November.

Craig Holden
Chair, State Planning Commission

Message from the Executive Director, Team PLUS

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the incredibly hard working and talented team at PLUS (past and present) and the contractors that worked with us on this massive program of reform. And while it’s nice to stop and smell the roses after an acknowledgement like this, we are committed to continuous improvements. The commitment of our sector to work with PLUS in a collaborative and respectful manner is always appreciated and will see our system go from strength to strength.

In other planning news, we have been working hard this year to develop and implement initiatives that bridge the skills gap in built environment roles and provide aspiring professionals with clear pathways from entry-level courses to undergraduate and master's degrees.

I am delighted to share that in 2024, students planning a career in the built environment professions will be able to study the newly created Bachelor of Surveying degree at Flinders University and the new Diploma in Local Government (Planning) is now open for enrolments with TAFE SA. There have been further pathways developed and more detail is included in this edition of Planning Ahead. I sincerely hope this helps our industry make important inroads in growing our profession.

In closing we recognise the sad passing of Grant Pember and Raymond Bunker. Grant and Ray leave a lasting and enduring legacy on our profession and they will be missed.

Sally Smith
Executive Director, Planning and Land Use Services

South Australia’s planning system rated best in Australia

South Australia’s planning system ranks first in the nation, according to a recent report by the Business Council of Australia.

The business council’s first edition of Regulation Rumble provides a national guide to best practice in planning and regulation, ranking all states and territories.

South Australia’s planning system was highly praised for its speed and efficiency, with the report finding:

Bringing together the elements of efficiency, consistency, certainty, and transparency, the BCA finds that overall, the South Australian planning system ranks first in the nation.

 In 2021 South Australia underwent the biggest modernisation of its planning system in 20 years, introducing the Planning and Design Code and Australia’s first fully digital, 24/7 planning system.

The Planning and Design Code is the cornerstone of the state’s planning system, replacing all 72 council development plans with one Code. This consistency in land use planning was found to represent best practice in Australia.

The system is able to adapt to future challenges and is subject to continuous improvement, greatly improving the planning landscape in South Australia.

It has also enabled the state government to take action to help alleviate the pressures of housing availability and affordability, with fast-tracked approvals for simple applications such as new houses and ‘deemed-to-satisfy’ applications such as houses in new estates taking less than 2 days.

Combined with the report rating South Australia as having the most competitive business tax, based on taxes for employing workers, charges for owning or acquiring property and the retail trading environment, the state was found to have “the most conducive environment for encouraging business growth” in the nation.

New State Commission Assessment Panel appointed

A new State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) has been appointed to 31 May 2026 by the State Planning Commission, bringing a wealth of experience to assessing some of South Australia’s most significant development applications.

Following an open call for expressions of interest earlier this year, SCAP’s Presiding Member Rebecca Thomas and Deputy Presiding Member Rebecca Rutschak have been reappointed to their positions. Ordinary Members John Eckert, Paul Leadbeter and David Altmann and Occasional Member Mark Adcock have also been reappointed.

The Commission welcomes new Ordinary Members Jenny Newman and Don Donaldson, and new Occasional Members James Hayter and James Botten to the panel.

SCAP meet fortnightly to assess and determine development applications of state significance where the State Planning Commission is the relevant authority.

Bridging the skills gap in built environment role

A range of training and educational opportunities have been generated in recent months through the work of the Built Environment Education Liaison Group, initiated by Planning Minister Nick Champion.

The group is tasked with addressing the skills shortage and limited tertiary options for built environment professions in South Australia.   

These opportunities include:

• a newly created Bachelor of Surveying degree at Flinders University
• a new Diploma in Local Government (Planning) with TAFE SA, recognised by the Accreditation Authority under pathway 1 for Planning Level 4 Accredited Professional status
• a planning cadetship from high school into PLUS from late 2024
• a new grant program for Master in Urban and Regional Planning students valued at $10,000 for five students, developed by PLUS and UniSA
• partnering with the Department for Education to build curriculum resources, career pathways, access to data and resources, and high-quality learning environments
• SurveyingSA raising awareness of surveying as a career opportunity to high school students and their influencers, including parents, school career counsellors and teachers
• Planning Institute of SA working with UniSA to increase interest in the planning profession and help fill required quotas for an undergraduate degree
• PLUS and industry bodies attending Adelaide Careers and Employment Expo, sponsored by ODASA, to promote built environment professions and career pathways – and more expos are arranged.

These efforts are a significant step towards addressing the skills shortage in the built environment industry and ensuring there are enough skilled professionals to support the sustainable growth of South Australia.

Approval Wizard: do you need development approval?

If you're planning on undertaking development, you may need approval before you get started. The Approval Wizard is a guide to help people to find out if approval is required for a proposal and the next steps.

This is a good place to start when thinking about a proposed development and whether approvals are likely to be required.

Map viewer for development application notices

The map viewer shows all development applications currently being notified, including Crown developments and major projects, and includes links to the relevant PlanSA webpages where you can view the related plans and details.

It provides a visual representation of development applications currently being notified across the state. Further information can then be obtained for each development application of interest.

Subscribe and keep up to date

Did you know you can subscribe and receive updates about development applications and Code Amendments directly to your inbox through PlanSA?

You can subscribe to receive notifications about developments occurring near you or areas of interest posted on the Development application register. You will automatically receive details of developments in your selected local government area.

As we mentioned in our last edition, you can also subscribe to receive Code Amendment email notifications about code amendments and their progress.

To receive emails, click the ‘Subscribe to be notified’ button on the Code Amendments initiated, on consultation or consultation completed pages and customise your notifications based on whether code amendments are state-led, in your local area or state-wide, or to follow the progress of a particular code amendment.

New design standard for driveway crossovers open for consultation

A new design standard for residential driveways that aims to improve public safety and enhance streetscapes across South Australia is now open for community feedback.

The draft design standard outlines how new residential driveways should connect from private property to the street. It is the first design standard initiated under the new South Australian planning system.

Under the draft Residential Driveway Crossover Design Standard, new driveways should be positioned to allow:

• space for a street-tree in front of the home
• room to put bins out
• a suitable distance from roadside infrastructure, such as Stobie poles.

The design standard will also make sure home builders consider the impacts of driveway design on car parking along the street, maintaining a safe and clear footpath and aligning with the street’s character.

The design standard must be considered as part of the planning and land division approvals process, helping to identify issues with a driveway’s design or location at an earlier stage of the planning process and avoiding costs and delays later on.

Design standards are a new planning instrument that complement the planning rules outlined in the Planning and Design Code, with a focus on the public realm and infrastructure.

They promote good design in streets, parks and other public places, help manage the interface between the public and private realm and contribute to delivering high-quality infrastructure as part of development.

The State Planning Commission prepared the draft design standard, with input from local councils, developers and state government agencies.

Minor changes to the Planning and Design Code have also been drafted to complement the design standard and support its delivery, and are open for consultation as part of this process.

Amendments to Accredited Professionals and General regulations approved

Amendments to clarify and improve the Accredited Professionals Regulations and General Regulations have been made by the Governor and are now in effect.

The changes reflect feedback received during consultation on proposed amendments to the Planning, Development and Infrastructure (Accredited Professionals) Regulations 2019 and Planning, Development and Infrastructure (General) Regulations 2017 in early-2023.

Opportunities to clarify and improve the Accredited Professionals Regulations were identified as part of last year’s Accredited Professionals Scheme review, while improvements to the General Regulations reflect feedback from planning, development and building industries received during the past year.

The proposed changes to the General Regulations were endorsed by the Expert Panel that has undertaken the Planning System Implementation Review.

Details about changes to the Accredited Professionals and General regulations are available on the PlanSA portal.

Connecting Accredited Professionals with assessment panel opportunities

A new tool to help connect Accredited Professionals with opportunities to become an assessment panel member is now available on the PlanSA portal.

Council Assessment Panels and Regional Assessment Panels are responsible for assessing and determining development applications in their areas, and planning professionals with Level 2 accreditation are eligible to become panel members.

The Planning Institute of Australia hosts regular training sessions on how to become a panel member and the benefits of doing so.

The new PlanSA portal page lists available panel members, opportunities to join a panel, training opportunities and details about becoming an Accredited Professional Planning (Level 2).

We are keen to support gender diversity on Panels, which currently sits at 32% of members being women. Working towards 50% representation should be sought by those recruiting panel members to bring new perspectives to the table, leading to better decision making.

Residential infill development policies

Accredited professionals are reminded to make sure residential infill developments are assessed correctly and meet all policy requirements.

Infill development refreshes our streets and meets a clear demand for contemporary housing in established areas, close to jobs, shops and services.

The Planning and Design Code seeks to raise the bar on the quality of residential infill developments and provide a consistent approach to development requirements across all council areas, focusing on four core themes:

• trees and landscaping
• stormwater management
• carparking and garaging
• street appeal and facade.

Infill policies introduced in 2021 promote walkable communities and encourage soft landscaping and tree planting to combat the urban heat effect. Water sensitive urban design is also key, incorporating stormwater detention and reuse into residential development.

An infill development application that meets ‘deemed-to-satisfy’ criteria is guaranteed to gain planning consent within five business days of lodgement. However, if one or more of the criteria are not met, the house must be assessed on its merits against ‘performance outcomes’.

Carried out on behalf of the State Planning Commission, a recent review of deemed-to-satisfy infill development applications found the majority were assessed against performance outcomes and many did not meet policy requirements.

Due to the importance of infill policies as a tool to enhance residential amenity and mitigate the impacts of climate change, further investigations will be carried out to address non-compliance.

For the latest information on residential infill policy requirements, view Raising the bar on Residential Infill: Policies in the Planning and Design Code.

Enhancing the skills of SA’s surveyors

As part of their commitment to advancing the skills and expertise of surveyors in South Australia, the Office of the Surveyor-General and RMIT University recently conducted a two-day Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) training course for staff and external surveyors in South Australia.

The course aimed to provide a deeper understanding of the principles, technology, limitations and applications of GNSS for cadastral (property boundary) and geodetic surveying, supporting surveyors to understand and utilise available and emerging technologies.

Providing professional learning and knowledge exchange opportunities such as this contributes to developing the surveying industry, leading to more accurate and reliable surveying practices and an improved land boundary system.

Recognising the sad passing of Grant Pember and Raymond Bunker

Grant Pember

With more than 20 years’ experience in South Australia’s property development sector, Grant Pember’s initial career as a property valuer expanded significantly as he went on to head investment sales and property development teams, and to work in senior leadership roles in local government and private industry.

He made a significant contribution to the State Commission Assessment Panel, and previously the Development Assessment Commission, bringing his extensive experience as a leading commercial property advisor and consultant, and knowledge in strategic development, property sales and investment and managing large property portfolios.

Grant was always willing to have a frank and good-humoured conversation around development and what was considered feasible or ambitious. He was a greatly valued member of the team and will be greatly missed.

Raymond Bunker

Throughout his distinguished career, Raymond Bunker made a significant contribution to planning policy, research and education in South Australia.

During his career Raymond held a number of significant South Australian public appointments, including part-time Chair of the State Planning Commission and its successor the Development Assessment Commission, advisor to the South Australian Government on the Multifunction Polis project, a member of the South Australian Planning Review expert reference group and Chair of the South Australian Committee on Climate Change.

His contributions to planning education and research included publishing significant reports and extensive international engagements. His roles ranged from his first lectureship at Sydney University teaching the Diploma of Town and Country Planning through to Associate Professor with the University of South Australia.

His important contribution to planning over seven decades, in South Australia as well as more broadly, leaves a lasting legacy for planning and urban development.