March 2022

Message from the Chair of the State Planning Commission

I would firstly like to congratulate and welcome Nick Champion as the new Minister for Planning. The Commission will be meeting with the Minister soon, and we look forward to working together.

I am also pleased to welcome new State Planning Commission member Steven Griffiths. Steven brings considerable knowledge and experience in local government, public administration and law to the Commission. Steven’s background will no doubt be a great asset to our extensive work program in 2022, in particular the development of state-wide Regional Plans.

Speaking of the Regional Planning Program, there has been increased interest from the media and community in recent weeks on the topic of future planning for the Greater Adelaide region. The preparation and scoping of six new regional plans is already underway. These will be followed later this year by the development of a new 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide which will ensure that our state’s development continues to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities. The new 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide will serve as a blueprint for how Adelaide can grow to become more liveable, competitive and sustainable into the future.

It has been devastating to see the impact on lives and property in Queensland and New South Wales from severe flooding. The Department and the State Planning Commission are currently collaborating on a flood hazard mapping and assessment project for South Australia. The current situation in eastern Australia is a stark reminder of the importance of this work, and of the broader climate change initiatives to which the Commission has committed.

Craig Holden
Chair, State Planning Commission

Message from the Executive Director, Team PLUS

Sally Smith - Executive Director, Planning and Land Use Services - Attorney-General's Department

Last Saturday marked the 1-year anniversary of the new Planning and Design Code and e-planning system. Change isn’t easy, but I am proud of what we have achieved together. Built into the new planning system is a mechanism for continuous improvement which we are seeing through the various Code Amendments as well as customer-led upgrades including the automatic notification of development applications and more than 280 system enhancements.

I would like to thank the PLUS staff for their efforts over the past 12 months, and I would also like to thank our industry and council partners for your patience, feedback, and work in adjusting to the new system.

In the coming months we will be releasing the first of what will be an annual survey of users of the e-planning system (including decision makers and public users) to identify user satisfaction levels and further areas for improvement. This will be a great opportunity for users to share their experiences and for our team to learn which areas need attention. More information about the survey will be provided soon.

I would also like to congratulate and welcome Nick Champion as the new Minister for Planning and I look forward to working with him moving forwards.

Sally Smith
Executive Director, Planning and Land Use Services

New Minister for Planning

Planning and Land Use Services (PLUS) would like to welcome the new Minister for Planning Nick Champion. An MP for the northern Adelaide electorate for Taylor, Mr Champion previously served in Federal Parliament in the House of Representatives.

Beginning as a union official at the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) in 1994, Mr Champion served as South Australian State President of the Australian Labor Party from 2005 to 2006 before being elected to Federal Parliament in 2007.

Mr Champion has held several key positions over his 15 years in Parliament including as a Shadow Federal Parliamentary Secretary from 2014 to 2019.

New State Planning Commission member

Steven Griffiths has been appointed by the Governor of South Australia as a member of the State Planning Commission effective 1 March 2022. The appointment is for a 6-month period to 31 August 2022.

Mr Griffiths is a strong advocate for regional South Australia, with extensive experience in representing the interests of the regions as Chief Executive of the Federation of North Eastern Councils, including Orroroo Carrieton and Peterborough Councils, in the Mid North of South Australia from 1993 to 1999.

From 2000 to 2006 Mr Griffiths was Chief Executive Officer for the District Council of Yorke Peninsula, before being elected to the South Australian Parliament as the Member for Goyder in March 2006. He served 12 years in Parliament holding various Shadow Ministry portfolios and responsibilities, including Shadow Ministerial responsibility for the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016.

Mount Compass Golf Course Estate Code Amendment approved

Following public consultation, the Minister for Planning and Local Government approved the Mount Compass Golf Course Estate Code Amendment on 4 February 2022. The Code Amendment came into effect in the Planning and Design Code on 3 March 2022.

The Mount Compass Golf Course Estate Code Amendment changed the zoning of the golf course and immediate surrounding area from both the Recreation and Neighbourhood Zones to Golf Course Estate Zone.

A concept plan has also been introduced to clearly define the location and extent of an 18-hole golf course. Changes were made to the concept plan in response to community feedback raised during consultation.

The Golf Course Estate Zone applies to similar golf course estates in South Australia, such as Berri Barmera, Port Hughes, Waikerie, Robe and McCracken at Victor Harbor.

More information on the Mount Compass Golf Course Estate Code Amendment, including the feedback received and responses to the feedback can be found on the PlanSA portal.

Consultation on the Mount Compass Golf Course Estate Code Amendment was held from 10 September to 22 October 2021.

Local Design Review Scheme now live

The Local Design Review Scheme became operational on 17 February 2022.

The Scheme provides a consistent state-wide approach for councils to provide Design Review for local development proposals with the aim of:

supporting high-quality design
improving access to independent and expert advice early in the planning and design process
supporting consistent and informed planning decisions
facilitating collaboration between allied professionals
supporting the State’s planning system to meet objects and principles in the Act.

With the Scheme now live, councils can register to establish their own Design Review panels to provide independent and expert design advice before a development application is lodged.

You can learn more about Local Design Review by reviewing the information on the PlanSA portal or by contacting the Office for Design and Architecture SA (ODASA) on 8402 1884 or LocalDesignReview@sa.gov.au.

Interested councils are encouraged to contact ODASA to learn more about the registration process and to seek support in setting up their own panel.

Improved Public Notification system

One of the key improvements made to the Planning and Design Code, is the improved Public Notification system introduced in August last year. The new system enhances transparency by providing the public with greater access to information about development happening across the state and in each neighbourhood. It also gives people more opportunity to comment on new development.

Under the old planning system only adjacent landowners were required to be notified of a new development. Under the new system, everyone within a 60-metre radius must be directly notified and a public notification sign must be placed on the land for performance assessed development. Anyone who sees the sign or hears about the development can now submit formal feedback. Under the old system only immediate neighbours were able to make submissions. This means more people can now have their say about development in their neighbourhood.

People can also now register to receive automatic notification of development in their suburb via the PlanSA development application register. This function has been made possible by the new e-Planning platform which captures all applications across the state online in one location.

Feedback on notified development can be submitted via the PlanSA portal. For assistance with submitting your feedback, please contact the PlanSA service desk team via email (planSA@sa.gov.au) or phone (1800 752 664).

New desalination plant approved for Kangaroo Island

A new seawater desalination plant near Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island was recently approved by the former Minister for Planning and Local Government.

The $64.9 million plant and connecting pipeline network will provide an additional drinking water supply, improve water security on the island, boost economic activity and improve bushfire resilience.

Fire plugs will also be installed along the new pipelines for the Country Fire Service to use during a bushfire.

Construction of the plant will commence this month, with water to be delivered to residents in American River, Baudin Beach, Island Beach and Sapphiretown within 12 months.

Visit the SA Water project website to find out more.

The Kilburn Blair Athol Urban Renewal project

The City of Port Adelaide Enfield recently completed the Kilburn Blair Athol Urban Renewal project which received funding via the State Government’s Open Space Grant Program. The Open Space Grant Program supports local councils through the development, management and acquisition of land, to implement open space and public realm projects.

Five upgraded streetscapes have been completed in the area with those at Clifton Street, Kintore Avenue and Hopetoun Avenue funded by the Open Space Grant. The Kilburn Blair Athol Urban Renewal project has created inviting public places and revitalised the area for the local community. The upgrades included improved pedestrian and cycling links, greener streets and better access to Kilburn Railway Station.

The project has also received funding from the Federal Government to expand the streetscape works, with the final stages scheduled to be completed in June 2022.

Digital plan lodgement for the surveying industry

In April Land Services SA and the South Australian Government, through the Surveyor-General and Registrar-General, will officially launch a new approach to lodging cadastral survey plans.

Developed in consultation with the surveying industry, the solution known as Digital Plan Lodgement (DPL) provides for a standardised approach to plan preparation and lodgement and is comprised of the following interdependent initiatives:

The introduction of a new Computer Aided Design (CAD) Standard against which cadastral survey plans are prepared.
Access to a suite of purpose-built CAD Tools to support industry in the preparation of plans to the Standard.
The introduction of a pre-lodgement validation service accessible through the Electronic Plan Lodgement (EPL) system that provide real-time verification and reporting of the CAD drawing file (DWG) against the requirements of the CAD Standard and the Registrar-General’s Plan Presentation Guidelines.
Automatic generation of the plan image following the successful validation of the CAD file in the EPL system.

From 4 April 2022 all plans lodged through the EPL system will need to be prepared to the published CAD Standard and lodged as CAD DWG files, replacing the current TIFF image file format. Land Services SA has worked closely with the surveying industry over the past 12 months to ensure organisations are prepared for this change.

Further information on the CAD Standard including a number of examples can be found on the Land Services SA website.

SA's first Building Envelope Plan

The first Building Envelope Plan (BEP) was approved and published on the PlanSA portal in February.

A BEP is a plan which shows building envelopes on new allotments in master planned areas. It can show things like building setbacks, building height, floor/ground levels and vehicle access points.

When a BEP is approved and published, it allows bespoke parameters to take precedence over default policy in master planned zones in the Planning and Design Code. This allows master planned areas to develop in a way which complements the new neighbourhood’s context.

Publication of a BEP also activates an ‘accepted’ assessment pathway for new dwellings in these master planned areas. This means that planning consent isn’t required if the new dwelling is built within the BEP parameters, as well as other requirements of the Planning and Design Code, providing time and money saving benefits for future home builders.

The first BEP in the state applies to Aldinga Green and was assessed by the City of Onkaparinga.

To learn more about BEPs, or to view published BEPs, visit the BEP webpage on the PlanSA portal.

PlanSA portal: trending topics and resources

The PlanSA Service Desk have been busy fielding calls and providing resources to help people better understand and navigate the PlanSA portal and the planning system. Here are this month’s top 3 trending topics and resources:

How to view the planning policy applicable to a property?
South Australia’s Planning and Design Code can be accessed online by anyone. If you have viewed the Code and would like clarification on the policies applicable to an address, please contact your local council or an Accredited Professional.
Where to find an Accredited Professional Planner or Building Certifier?
The Accredited Professionals register lists all planning and building professionals who are accredited within government or the private sector under the Accredited Professionals Scheme.
How to apply for a Certificate of Occupancy?
A guide to applying for a Certificate of Occupancy is available to assist those who are looking to build a new home or make an addition to their current home however, it’s important to note recent changes to Certificate of Occupancy requirements