February 2023

Message from the Chair of the State Planning Commission

Last week the Commission formally initiated work on the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan, an important milestone. The next step will be the release of the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan Discussion Paper in Q2 this year. The discussion paper will outline our key areas of focus when developing a vision for Adelaide through to 2050, and it will contain important projections and trends that will impact our planning decisions. I will keep you updated on all elements of our work with the regional plans throughout the year and will be encouraging you to participate.

The Regional Planning Program is of course not our only focus for 2023. Climate change and climate resilience remains a key area of focus for the Commission, and we are pleased to be partnering again with Green Adelaide, this time in developing guidance material regarding Water Sensitive Urban Design which will complement the Adelaide Garden Guide for New Homes released last year.

Water Sensitive Urban Design is about minimising the impact of new development on local water cycles, and utilising smart design to improve water use and enhance biodiversity and amenity. You can read more about the project in the article below.

Below you can also read about the update to Practice Direction 17 which the Commission hopes will assist proponents, state agencies and local councils to measure the economic, social, and environmental impacts of projects of state significance.

Craig Holden
Chair, State Planning Commission

Message from the Executive Director, Team PLUS

As Craig has mentioned, the PLUS team are also focused on preparing the discussion paper for the Commission which will be our key tool to engage industry and community on all elements of the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan. The paper will frame the conversation around population growth, potential land and housing supply and the strategic long-term planning required for sustainability. We look forward to sharing it with you and hearing your views

2023 also marks the second year in operation of the new planning system. I would like to again thank all our council, industry and community stakeholders for your support, valuable feedback, and work to in transitioning to the new system.

Sally Smith
Executive Director, Planning and Land Use Services

State Commission Assessment Panel - Expression of Interest now open

The State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) is established under South Australia's Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 as a committee of the State Planning Commission (the Commission).

SCAP’s responsibilities include the following:

• Assess and determine development applications where the Commission is the relevant authority.
• Assess and report on crown development and public infrastructure applications to the Minister for Planning.
• Act as the lodgement authority for all land division applications.

The SCAP consists of seven members with planning and development expertise, appointed by the Commission. SCAP membership comprises a Presiding Member, a Deputy Presiding Member and five Ordinary Members.

SCAP Members may be appointed for a maximum of three years and are eligible for reappointment. Membership must, as far as practicable, comprise equal numbers of women and men.

SCAP Members are required by the Commission to be an Accredited Professional (Planning Level 2).

Expressions of Interest to join the panel are currently being sought. Please see the Expression of Interest document for further information.

Expressions of interest must be received by 5:00 pm (ACDT) on Tuesday, 20 March via email to saplanningcommission@sa.gov.au.

Hackham Code Amendment approved

Changes brought in by the approval of the Hackham Code Amendment address an immediate need to accommodate future population and employment growth in the south of Adelaide.

The rezoned land will facilitate the development of a new master planned development of up to 2,000 new homes, an activity centre and associated new infrastructure, as well as provide new policy to guide development on sloping land.

The approved changes also contain policy guiding the appropriate transition in development to adjacent areas of natural or built form character such as the Onkaparinga River National Park and Old Noarlunga.

The South Australian community and stakeholders were invited to have their say and provide feedback on the proposed Code Amendment. The Minister for Planning has approved the Hackham Code Amendment with changes which take into account the significant feedback received during community consultation.

Before development can occur, more detailed planning will occur in consultation with landowners, the Council and infrastructure and utility providers to ensure the new community is well serviced with appropriate infrastructure.  

For more information visit the Hackham Code Amendment page.

Amendment to Practice Direction 17: Impact Assessed Development 

On 2 February 2023, the State Planning Commission confirmed changes to Practice Direction 17: Impact Assessed development, with specific reference to Attachment 1, the Assessment Requirements template which informs the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement.

In addition, a Model Assessment Requirements Library has been developed to assist in the initial preparation of the matters that the proponent must address in their EIS document. 

Overall, the updates to Practice Direction 17 seek to deliver a refreshed format which makes clear the logical sequence of procedural steps required by the new planning system, to assist proponents, state agencies, local councils and the general public in the consideration of the economic, social and environmental impacts and benefits of projects of state significance.  

The updated Practice Direction 17 and Model Assessment Criteria library documents are available on the PlanSA portal:

• Impact Assessed Development
• Practice Direction 17

Guidance material for Water Sensitive Urban Design

Promoting and encouraging WSUD practices such as stormwater filtering, harvesting and infiltration in urban areas will not only improve amenity but will also contribute to cooler, greener neighbourhoods.

In December 2022, a workshop was held with participants from local council and state government to explore how current stormwater and WSUD policies are being used, and to identify guidance materials which could assist in the interpretation of Code policy.

In the coming months, engagement is also planned with representatives from the development industry, to further explore how policies are currently being applied.

The aim is to develop targeted and useful guidance material including a reference library of WSUD solutions for stormwater runoff for common types of development, and guides which show how integrating stormwater solutions with landscape design can enhance the amenity of new developments.

 The new WSUD guidance material will complement and build on the Adelaide Garden Guide for New Homes, released in September 2022, which illustrates how to implement the Code’s tree planting and soft landscaping requirements for residential infill development.

This project is due to be completed mid-2023.

Consultation now open on Flooding Hazards Mapping Update Code Amendment

Public consultation is now open on the Flooding Hazards Mapping Update Code Amendment – the first step in a wider project to introduce new and updated flood hazard mapping into SA’s Planning and Design Code.

It is important for the Code to correctly identify areas likely to flood in order to minimise potential impacts to people, property, infrastructure, and the natural environment.

The Code’s planning policies aim to restrict new development in high-risk flood areas and encourage suitable design responses in lower risk areas. These policies are applied in the Code via ‘overlays’. 

The Flooding Hazards Mapping Update Code Amendment is focused exclusively on the ‘Hazards (Flooding – Evidence Required) Overlay’ in the Code.

This Code Amendment proposes to:

• reduce the extent of Hazards (Flooding - Evidence Required) Overlay in 12 local government areas and several Outback Areas where more recent flood hazard mapping has demonstrated that there is minimal risk of flooding; and
   
• apply the Hazards (Flooding - Evidence Required) Overlay to a portion of the Port Adelaide Enfield Council area, as a precaution, where the level of flood hazard has not yet been determined and until new flood hazard mapping can be implemented in future stages of the wider project.

Public consultation will be open for 8 weeks from 22 February to 22 April 2023.

This Code Amendment is the first step in a three-stage Flood Hazard Mapping and Assessment Project being undertaken to deliver more consistent and contemporary mapping of riverine and flash flood hazards across South Australia.

The Project will involve using new technology to deliver updated flood studies and modelling which will cover a range of flood events and consider the impact of both climate change and future development to 2050. The final stage of the project, which is expected to go on public consultation later this year, will involve the introduction of new flood mapping across the entire state.

Private bushfire shelters in South Australia 

To construct a private bushfire shelter in South Australia, you are required to obtain approval.

Private bushfire shelters (commonly referred to as fire bunkers) may, as a last resort, provide shelter for occupants from immediate life-threatening effects of a bushfire.

But there is no guarantee that a private bushfire shelter will save your life – and priority should always be given to leaving early in a bushfire event. Private bushfire shelters should never be considered as a stand-alone measure against the hazards of a bushfire and are not an alternative to having a current bushfire survival plan.

Given the grave danger posed by unsuitable shelters, in South Australia all private bushfire shelters must be built according to the Building Code Performance Requirements and must not be issued building consent without the concurrence of the Building Technical Panel – which is a committee of the State Planning Commission.

For more information on the approval process required for private bushfire shelters in SA, visit the private bushfire shelters page on the PlanSA portal.

Regulation change to fast-track temporary accommodation for regional workers 

Accommodation for seasonal workers and workers involved in the provision of essential infrastructure projects (as defined under section 3 of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016) may be fast-tracked in 11 regional South Australian sites following changes to planning regulations published in the Government Gazette on Thursday, 16 February 2023.

The regulations remove the requirement to obtain planning consent in specified locations (building consent and final development approval must still be obtained), thereby allowing temporary accommodation to be established much more quickly.

The new amendment will be applied in key locations across regional SA where major infrastructure projects are being undertaken. It may also be applied to areas impacted by natural disasters – such as the recent flooding in the Riverland – where there is a need to quickly accommodate tradespeople assisting communities to rebuild.

This amendment ensures that accommodation for temporary workers can be constructed quickly and easily as needed – and in a way which won’t impact or put needless housing pressure on our regional towns and communities. It expands on the original amendment approved last year which enables accommodation for seasonal workers to be fast-tracked in designated areas.

The locations will be considered and determined by the Minister for Planning on a case-by-case basis and listed on the PlanSA portal once confirmed.

Sites at the following locations have been confirmed so far: Rudall, Pinnaroo, Witera, Port Giles, Kimba, Wolseley, Bowmans, Snowtown, Darke Peake, Burra – Hall Terrace, Burra – Pistol Club Road.

Should other industries or sectors require workers’ accommodation to be established quickly, they may write to the Minister for Planning requesting further kinds of work and/or sites be designated.

To download the amendment regulations, visit the development regulation amendments webpage on the PlanSA portal.

Code of Conduct guidance material - conflicts of interest 

On 2 February 2023, the State Planning Commission (the Commission) endorsed Code of Conduct Guidance Material presented to it by the PLUS team within the Department for Trade and Investment. 

The Guidance Material seeks to assist Commission members, assessment panel members, accredited professionals, infrastructure scheme coordinators and joint planning board members in determining whether a conflict of interest exists in a matter before them or whether there is a possible perception of bias, as well as how to manage either should they exist.

It is important that all decision-makers under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (the Act) comply with the requirements in their relevant Code of Conduct to ensure confidence is maintained in decisions made under the Act. Further information, including the Codes of Conduct and Guidance Material, is available on the PlanSA portal.

Accredited Professionals Scheme update

Since the completion of the Accredited Professionals Scheme Review and release of the Consultation Report – (What We Heard and How We Responded) last year, further progress has been made with respect to the recommendations outlined in the report.

So far, of the 32 recommendations outlined in the report, 19 recommendations have been adopted and finalised, 11 are in progress and 2 are currently under investigation.

Further updates made following the Review include:

• updates made to pathways under the Qualifications, skills and experience requirements for Accredited Professionals and within the Guide to the Accredited Professionals Scheme
   
• panel availability status of Accredited Professionals holding Planning Level 2 made available on the Accredited professionals register as well as guidance material on assessment panel code of conduct
   
• additional CPD material published on Maintaining accreditation and accessing continuous professional development (CPD) training
   
• removal of the requirement for the Statutory Declaration to be witnessed on renewal of accreditation.

Keep up to date with future updates via the Accredited Professionals Scheme webpage on the PlanSA portal.