Draft Smithfield Regeneration Code Amendment open for consultation

The Chief Executive of the Department for Housing and Urban Development is proposing to rezone land at Smithfield in the City of Playford council area.

The draft Smithfield Regeneration Code Amendment aims to provide much needed housing in this prime location between the existing railway line and shopping centre and introduces planning rules that encourage future development to include medium to high density housing across the affected area.

The affected area includes the 33.5 hectare former Smithfield army barracks site, transferred to the South Australian Government as part of the AUKUS agreement. The South Australian Government’s Housing Roadmap nominates this site to eventually accommodate over 1,500 dwellings (subject to master planning).

Key changes proposed in the draft code amendment are:

rezoning Renewal SA’s former Smithfield army barracks site to Urban Neighbourhood Zone to enable medium to high density development
rezoning the existing residential areas to the north and south of the Renewal SA site to Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone, allowing buildings up to 4 storeys, to encourage future development to include medium density housing
rezoning Smithfield Memorial Gardens and Oval precinct to Recreation Zone’, to protect this important community recreation area
applying a maximum building height of 15 storeys on the Renewal SA site, to provide flexibility in how the anticipated number of homes can be achieved
applying a new concept plan over the affected area to provide high-level guidance for future development.

Find out more about the draft code amendment, and how to share your feedback by visiting the YourSAy website.

Consultation closes on Sunday, 21 December.

Draft Seaton Code Amendment engagement launched

Seaton is set for renewal, with plans to rezone around 39 hectares of land within the City of Charles Sturt.

The draft Seaton Code Amendment aims to create a more connected neighbourhood with a wider mix of housing, upgraded parks and open spaces, and stronger links to shops, schools and public transport. This means more options for people wanting to live in Seaton, while making everyday life easier for current residents.

The transformation will also help meet Adelaide’s growing housing needs by creating new homes, while maintaining Seaton’s character and sense of community.

The draft code amendment proposes the following changes to the affected area:

Rezone the current Housing Diversity Neighbourhood Zone to an Urban Renewal Neighbourhood Zone.
Keep the Local Activity Centre Zone as is.
Apply the Affordable Housing Overlay so at least 15% of homes are affordable.
Apply the Noise and Air Emissions Overlay along Tapleys Hill Road to help protect residents from the impact of traffic noise.
Allow taller building:
- 10 levels (or 35 metres) along the arterial roads, a section of the northeast corner, and a section to the east of Pedlar Reserve
- 3 levels (or 12.5 metres) along the interface with low-density residential dwellings along the southern and the northeastern boundary
- 8 levels (or 28 metres) for the remainder of the Affected Area.

You can find out more about the draft Seaton Code Amendment by visiting the YourSAy website.

This draft Seaton Code Amendment is part of the South Australian Government’s Housing Roadmap, helping to deliver more homes and greater housing choice for South Australians.

Consultation closes at 11:59 pm on Tuesday 16 December 2025.

Southern Barossa EIS engagement launched

Community feedback is invited on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Southern Barossa Winery and Tourist Accommodation Project, which involves the construction and operation of a new hotel and winery development south of Lyndoch.

The proposal, submitted by Strategic Alliance and Commercial Pty Ltd, includes plans for a multi-level hotel with a restaurant, function and conference spaces, wellness spa, pool and other recreational facilities, as well as a winery, cellar door, indoor and outdoor function areas, and supporting infrastructure.

To ensure potential impacts are carefully considered, the EIS looks at the social, economic and environmental effects and/or benefits of the development and how they might be managed.

The project is being assessed as an Impact Assessed Development under South Australia’s Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016. As part of this process, the EIS has also been referred to The Barossa Council and relevant state agencies for their feedback.

You can learn more about the proposal and have your say by:

Reading the EIS on the PlanSA website or YourSAy
Registering for the online information session on Wednesday 3 December via Eventbrite.

The public consultation period closes at 11:59 pm on Wednesday 17 December 2025.

Sellicks Joint Amendment what we heard

Consultation on the draft Sellicks Beach Growth Area Joint Amendment was open from 4 September to 16 October 2025.

The Sellicks Beach Growth Area Joint Amendment seeks to rezone around 134 hectares of land for a staged development of a new future master-planned community.

The proposed rezoning would support a new community, with a range of housing for diverse needs and lifestyles, located within easy reach of services, with new roads, facilities and open space.

More than 440 submissions, feedback forms and survey responses were received from affected landowners, community members, councils, industry bodies, community groups, advocacy organisations and state government agencies.

Submissions provided a range of feedback and comments on a wide range of topics.

Read our ‘What we heard’ summary in the documents section on YourSAy for details about the feedback received and the next steps in the process.

Concordia Infrastructure Scheme

To support the Concordia Code Amendment, work is underway to develop an infrastructure scheme that ensures the infrastructure requirements for future housing in the Concordia growth area are well-understood and planned for.

The Concordia Basic Infrastructure Scheme is the first of its kind in South Australia. It represents a new approach to coordinating infrastructure delivery in major greenfield developments, replacing traditional infrastructure deeds with a more transparent and equitable model.

The South Australian Government has appointed Iain McPhillips as the Scheme Coordinator to oversee the scheme’s development.

The draft scheme has been developed in-line with the approved Draft Outline and work is underway to finalise the scheme in consultation with affected landowners and key government and industry stakeholders.

Draft standard policies and guidelines for establishing and delivering basic infrastructure schemes in South Australia, including Concordia, are also being finalised.

For more information about the draft Concordia Basic Infrastructure Scheme and standard policies and guidelines, visit the PlanSA website.

City Building Heights Code Amendment initiated

The South Australian Government, in partnership with Adelaide Airport, has launched a new initiative to reshape the city’s skyline. The proposed City Building Heights Code Amendment will allow for pre-approval of increased heights of 10-15 floors across many areas of the CBD, which was previously capped at just three.

This policy aims to boost developer confidence, fast track approvals, and pave the way for more apartments and commercial spaces in the heart of Adelaide. With a focus on safety and collaboration with the Australian Government, the changes promise to support a vibrant, high density urban future without compromising airport operations.

For more information visit the PlanSA website

Future Living Code Amendment outcome and supporting documents

Part 2 of the Future Living Code Amendment has now been adopted by the Minister for Planning.

The Minister divided the code amendment into two parts, adopting Part 1 on 26 April 2025 and Part 2 on 26 August 2025.

Part 1 – introduces new policies into the Planning and Design Code (including the new land use definition, new Co-located Housing Overlay, and amendments to the Established Neighbourhood Zone, overlays and general development policies)
Part 2 – introduces where the Co-located Housing Overlay will apply to the Established Neighbourhood Zone.

Following the six participating councils’ consideration of the approved policy, the new Co-located Housing Overlay has been applied to the Established Neighbourhood Zone of the following local government areas:

City of Unley
Town of Walkerville
City of Campbelltown
Alexandrina Council
City of Burnside – only where the Historic Area Overlay also applies in the Established Neighbourhood Zone, as requested by the council.

The overlay has not been applied in the City of Prospect.

Now that Part 2 has been adopted and come into effect, development applications for co-located housing can be lodged and assessed.

Further documents including a how to guide for co-located housing and co-located housing scheme description/by-laws templates are available on the Co-located housing page on the PlanSA website.

For more information visit the PlanSA website.

Amendments to Codes of Conduct

The Minister for Planning has released five amended Codes of Conduct relating to the planning and building industry. The amended Codes of Conduct came into effect on 10 November 2025.

The amendments provide further clarity on continued expectations, as well as provide greater consistency with other professional codes across Australia.

The amended Codes of Conduct are:

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback during consultation, several changes were made in response to the feedback received.

For further information on the requirements set out in the Accredited Professionals Scheme Code of Conduct and Assessment Panel Members – Code of Conduct please refer to the below guidance material:

Miscellaneous regulations amendments have been made

The changes included in the Amendment Regulations were required to implement the South Australian Government’s Housing Roadmap, recommendations of the Expert Panel for the Planning System Implementation Review’s Final Report, and technical administrative changes.

The key changes:

clarify exemptions for tree damaging activity in close proximity to a dwelling or swimming pool
make local council the relevant authority for assessing all minor variations to planning consents after final development approval is issued (except where the State Planning Commission granted final development approval)
enable local councils to maintain trees more frequently
ensure that only planning professionals can issue planning consent
clarify that applications for planning and land division consent can be made for an approved allotment that is yet to be created
give landowners easier access to documentation relevant to their property through local council
provide both public and private schools equal exemptions for performing tree maintenance works
exclude electric vehicle charging stations from the definition of ‘development’ (subject to exceptions). This change will not commence operation until 1 July 2026 to allow time for a new Ministerial Building Standard that outlines assessment requirements when an electric vehicle charging station does require approval.