February 2022

Message from the Chair of the State Planning Commission

The Commission has also proposed a program of further investigations into the land supply analysis that informed stage one of our Environmental Food Production Areas (EFPA) report last year. This is in response to concerns raised about access to relevant data such as the latest Census results. We welcome stakeholder feedback and are committed to investigating any arising issues.

On the topic of stakeholder relations, in January Sally Smith and I met with Ben Cooper, Chairperson of the Urban Futures Exchange (UFX), formally the Australian Institute of Urban Studies South Australia. An independent non-profit, UFX seek to lead progressive discussion in pursuit of an urban future for South Australia which is, “healthy, confident, equitable, and sustainable”. Given that this is a major focus of the work of the Commission, we agreed to participate and contribute to UFX moving forward and look forward to supporting their work.

Finally, I’d like to acknowledge the Office for Design and Architecture SA (ODASA) for the work which went into the Local Design Review Code Amendment which was approved by the Minister for Planning and Local Government at the end of last year. This Commission-led Code Amendment gives effect to the Local Design Review Scheme, which provides a consistent state-wide approach for councils to establish their own Design Review panels for local development proposals.

Craig Holden
Chair, State Planning Commission

Message from the Executive Director, Team PLUS

Speaking of the PLUS team, I am delighted to announce three new senior appointments. This month, Bradley Slape will commence as our 23rd Surveyor-General of South Australia and Greg Van Gaans commences in the position of Director, Land and Built Environment. In April, Margaret Smith will commence as Director, State Assessment. A warm welcome to Greg and Margaret, and congratulations Bradley on this well-deserved promotion.

I’d also like to thank Robert Kleeman who is acting as Director, State Assessment until April, and Brett Steiner who is acting as Director, Growth Management while recruitment for this position occurs.

2022 is shaping up to be another big year. Since the launch of the planning system, we continue to make improvements based on user and stakeholder feedback with over 260 system enhancements made to date. This week we have released the latest list of completed, in-progress and planned enhancements which I encourage you to review. Many of the key updates, such as the improved online public notification system for development applications, were implemented as a direct result of stakeholder feedback and input. Thank you to the many people who give their time to make suggestions and assist with the development and testing of system enhancements.

As Craig has outlined, one of the key focus areas for the Department and the Commission in 2022 will be the Regional Plan Program. The program includes a new metropolitan regional plan and the development of six new regional plans for areas outside metropolitan Adelaide. Over the next three months the team will prepare background investigations and commence early discussions with councils and other stakeholders regarding the scope of the work and how we would like to work together.

Stakeholder and community input into the Regional Plan Program will be essential. A comprehensive engagement program will be critical to the success of the new regional plans, and further information on how you can be involved will be provided in the coming months.

Here’s to a new year.

Sally Smith
Executive Director, Planning and Land Use Services

New appointments

Bradley Slape, Greg Van Gaans, Margaret Smith

Three new senior appointments have been made within Planning and Land Use Services (PLUS). This month, Bradley Slape will commence as our 23rd Surveyor-General of South Australia and Greg Van Gaans commences in the position of Director, Land and Built Environment. In April, Margaret Smith will commence as Director, State Assessment.

Bradley has had an extensive career in both the private and public sectors and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position of Surveyor-General. He has a strong focus on cadastral integrity and regulatory compliance and as the South Australian representative on the National Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying & Mapping (ICSM) he is involved in several national reform programs. Over the past 9 years, Bradley has worked alongside the previous Surveyor-General, Michael Burdett, to ensure that the Office of the Surveyor-General and related industries remain contemporary.

Greg is a Geospatial and Cloud specialist whose career has included positions in private industry, as a lecturer at The University of Adelaide and most recently, as Manager of Enterprise Platforms at the Department for Transport (DIT). Greg’s significant contribution to the Geospatial Industry in South Australia was recognised with an ‘SA Professional of the Year’ award at the Asia Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards (APSEA) in 2017 which then gained international recognition for DIT at the Geospatial World Excellence Award in Amsterdam.

Margaret hails from Western Australia and has extensive knowledge of town planning legislation and processes. In her current position as Director, State Development Assessment for the Department of Land, Planning and Heritage, she has streamlined assessment and determined significant development proposals in the Perth metropolitan area and across Western Australia. Prior to this position Margaret worked for the City of Perth as Manager of Development Approvals, a role to which she bought a strong customer service focus.

Welcome Greg and Margaret, and congratulations Bradley.

Robert Kleeman is acting as Director, State Assessment until April, and Brett Steiner is acting as Director, Growth Management while recruitment for this position occurs.

Current recruitment

Applications are now open for the position of Director, Growth Management at Planning and Land Use Services (PLUS).

The primary purpose of the Director, Growth Management is to lead the Growth Management Directorate which is responsible for advising the Minister for Planning and the State Planning Commission in managing growth and change within South Australia. This includes oversight of a range of statutory instruments and schemes including State Planning Policies, Regional Plans, Practice Guidelines, Infrastructure Schemes and the Community Engagement Charter.

The Growth Management Directorate is responsible for providing strategic planning advice as well as analytics and information which supports evidence-based decision making across government, including analysis of population trends and projections, land supply, and system performance monitoring.

Maintaining and enhancing the integrity of the Planning and Design Code, including oversight of the Code Amendment program, is a critical component of the role. A focus on genuine community and stakeholder participation is also key.

Applications can be made via the online advertisement. If you wish to discuss this position further, please contact Evan Willen at SHK on 03 8620 8039.

Changes made to Riverbank Code Amendment

Image credit: Michael Waterhouse Photography

The Riverbank Precinct Code Amendment was approved by the Minister for Planning and Local Government in December 2021 and implemented in the Planning and Design Code in January 2022, following community consultation and review.

Changes were made to the Code Amendment to address community concerns about a potential loss of park lands, residential development, Kaurna heritage and important sites such as Pinky Flat.

Some of the key changes to the Code Amendment made in response to stakeholder and community feedback included:

• removal of the proposed Riverbank Subzone resulting in no change to planning rules for Pinky Flat
• provision of significant protected landscaping and open space within the new zones and subzones
• new measures introduced to limit building height near the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital
• greater protection of Kaurna heritage and cultural sites
• green space in the Innovation Subzone safeguarded
• significantly more park lands retained near the Entertainment Subzone
• protection of the continuous pedestrian paths and cycle ways along the River Torrens
• expansion of the Entertainment Subzone over the railyards to provide for future development opportunities.

The Riverbank Code Amendment aims to support key infrastructure projects such as the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital and proposed Riverbank Arena. It also seeks to protect the Riverbank’s unique environment and character and ensure it can be enjoyed by generations to come.

Further information about the Riverbank Precinct Code Amendment can be found on PlanSA’s Code Amendment webpage.

Local Design Review Code Amendment finalised

The Local Design Review Code Amendment has been adopted by the Minister for Planning and Local Government.

This Amendment gives effect to the Local Design Review Scheme, which provides a consistent state-wide approach for councils to establish their own Design Review panels for local development proposals.

In response to submissions received during the six-week consultation period, the proposed Amendment was updated to improve early proponent access to Local Design Review, reduce administration by council staff and improve customer service. This demonstrates the Community Engagement Charter in action and how South Australians have helped to influence better outcomes for our state.

The Engagement Report is available via the website link below. It details the process and outcomes of the engagement, including a summary of the feedback received and how the proposed Amendment was updated.

This Amendment will come into effect when consolidated into the online Planning and Design Code, which will occur in early 2022.

Learn more about Local Design Review.

ERDC code amendments finalised

Technical changes to the Planning and Design Code have been approved by the Minister for Planning following the Environment, Resources and Development Committee of Parliament (ERDC) review of the Phase Three (Urban Areas) Code. The following amendments will be incorporated into the Code in mid-February:

• Remove the need to publicly notify boundary wall development where the boundary wall is within a development site, such as in the case of semi-detached, row or terrace housing.
• Amend the wording of the boundary wall exception to provide a consistent understanding of the term ‘boundary’.
• Refine the ‘minor in nature’ public notification exclusion to provide greater clarity and more consistent interpretation.

The Minister has also asked the State Planning Commission to undertake a review of the Notification Tables in the Code as part of the Miscellaneous Technical Enhancement Code Amendment. This Code Amendment will allow additional recommendations of the ERDC to be investigated and undergo public consultation in line with the Community Engagement Charter.

Further information on the ERDC review and recommendations can be found on the PlanSA portal or on the Parliament South Australia website.

New engineered wood facility approved for development in Tarpeena

Australia’s first softwood Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glue Laminated Timber (GLT) manufacturing facility has been approved for development in Tarpeena in the state’s South East.

Under the new legislation, assessment of the $60 million development occurred in less than half the expected time.

The new facility will be co-located with the recently upgraded Tarpeena Sawmill, with both sites owned and operated by Timberlink Australia. Scheduled for completion in 2023, the new facility is expected to require 50 new full-time jobs once operational capacity is reached.

Both CLT and GLT are engineered wood products. Engineered wood is being increasingly sought as a lower carbon and more environmentally friendly replacement for steel and concrete in both residential and commercial construction.

Last week the federal government announced the $300 million Timber Building Program, designed by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) to encourage mass timber construction across the property sector. The initiative is aimed at cutting construction-related carbon emissions and encouraging greener alternatives to conventional construction materials.

Major South Australia to New South Wales interconnector development approved

Following a comprehensive impact assessment process, including stakeholder and community consultation, a new high voltage electricity transmission line (interconnector) from South Australia to New South Wales has been approved by the Minister for Planning and Local Government. The new 330 kilo vault interconnector will span approximately 190 kilometres running from Robertstown in South Australia to the New South Wales border.

The development – known as Project EnergyConnect – is expected to have a positive economic impact for both states by reducing electricity costs and increasing network security and stability. It will also support the continuing transition to renewable energy by increasing capacity for the export of energy, thereby enabling the potential future development of larger scale wind, solar and battery storage projects in the state’s Mid-North and Riverland regions.

Project EnergyConnect is a partnership between Electranet and Transgrid.

Heads of Planning and Heads of Building Reference Groups finalised

Thank you to everyone who nominated for the new PLUS Heads of Planning and Heads of Building Reference Groups. The membership of these groups for the first 12 months has now been settled.

The Heads of Building Reference Group held its first meeting on 9 December 2021 and the Heads of Planning Reference Group will meet for the first time this month.

Further information on the Reference Groups, including the profession representatives, and the Terms of Reference (once approved by the Groups), can be found on the PlanSA portal.

Certificate of Occupancy update to ease pressure on industry

From 1 January until 30 June 2022 a Certificate of Occupancy will not be required for new houses or additions (Class 1a) that are completed during this period.

This six-month suspension has been put in place to alleviate pressure on the building industry due to the high number of housing completions anticipated during this period from the State Government’s HomeBuilder Scheme. From 1 July 2022 normal Certificate of Occupancy requirements will apply.

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

Building Confidence Report - model guidance to drive better building regulation

The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) recently approved a suite of comprehensive model guidance material to address the 22 recommendations in the 2018 Building Confidence Report.

The model guidance covers topics such as documentation, third party review, inspections, and provides all states and territories with a clearer path forward to improve their building control systems.

From now, there is an opportunity to progress reforms this year and beyond - subject to stakeholder consultation and government approval - to support a system which continues to encourage the delivery of safe, durable, and compliant buildings. 

For further information and to view the model guidance, visit the Australian Building Codes Board website.