Message from the Chair of the State Planning Commission

Where we live, how we live, where we work and what our communities look like are the core questions we are asking as we develop the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan and six country regional plans.

These long-term plans will be instrumental in planning for sustainable, long-term growth and change across our state.

Commission members and I have been attending visioning workshops throughout South Australia for the country regional plans. We’ve heard first-hand the many challenges and opportunities of our regions. We now begin work on drafting the regional plans.

Our work to determine a vision for Greater Adelaide through to 2050 is well underway and I look forward to sharing the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan Discussion Paper with you mid-year, including the projections and trends that will shape our planning decisions.

Your feedback on the Discussion Paper will help shape the Greater Adelaide region and deliver a strategic and impactful planning vision.

The recent initiation of Code Amendments to rezone land for residential development across Greater Adelaide and Murray Bridge highlight the importance and value of our regional planning program. These land releases are the final significant residential growth areas identified in the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide (2010) and its 2017 Update.

The Commission and I look forward to engaging with you through 2023 as we prepare the framework for our planning system for the next 30 years.

Craig Holden
Chair, State Planning Commission

Message from the Executive Director, Team PLUS

March has been an exciting month for residential land supply, with work underway to deliver new growth areas in Greater Adelaide and Murray Bridge.

While the City of Murray Bridge is leading the code amendment to rezone land in Murray Bridge, the PLUS team is working closely with the new Housing Infrastructure Planning and Development Unit on the next steps to ensure metropolitan developments are well planned before land is rezoned.

Master planning for these growth areas will consider requirements for transport, infrastructure, community services and environmental sustainability to support sustainable growth. Community input is key to master planning developments. Consultation on the first of the developments in Greater Adelaide is expected to get underway later this year.

The important work on our Regional Planning Program continues and the PLUS team is now consulting with government, industry and community to review the new Regional Plans for Greater Adelaide and our six country regions. The new regional plans will identify new opportunities for long-term, sustainable growth.

In particular, we are looking forward to working with councils across the state to ensure they can fulfill their strategic vision. Collaboration with councils will be instrumental to the development of effective and impactful regional plans.

Sally Smith
Executive Director, Planning and Land Use Services

Special Issue

Better Housing Future

The South Australian Government is boosting residential land supply and delivering initiatives that support sustainable growth with appropriate infrastructure in place as part of the Better Housing Future plan.

Increasing residential land supply in the right places, at the right time, will support the property market and create more diverse and affordable housing to meet the needs of our growing population.

The Better Housing Future plan includes:

South Australia’s largest residential land release
establishing the Housing Infrastructure Planning and Development Unit
developing a land supply dashboard.

South Australia’s largest residential land release

The South Australian Government is fast tracking what will be the single largest release of residential land in the state’s history – set to deliver at least 23,700 more homes for South Australians.

Work has already started, with rezoning of land at Hackham creating the capacity for at least 2,000 new homes.

In addition, the following sites have been identified for re-zoning for residential use:

10,000 homes at Concordia
10,000 homes at Dry Creek
1,700 homes at Sellicks Beach.

This land release would be more than double the number of allotments released in Mount Barker in 2011 and four times the number of allotments released at Mawson Lakes in the early 2000s.

The additional supply is expected to open the door for more than 50,000 people.

Master planning will take place in consultation with landowners, councils, infrastructure and utility providers, and the community to ensure these growth areas are well serviced with appropriate infrastructure.

Infrastructure planning for the first of these sites will begin this year and at least 15 per cent of the new homes are earmarked for affordable housing. Rezoning will not occur for the remaining land until infrastructure needs are well understood, concept planning is complete and funding has been confirmed.

Concordia, Dry Creek and Sellicks Beach were first identified as housing growth fronts in the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, published in 2010 and again in 2017.

Establishing the Housing Infrastructure Planning and Development Unit

The South Australian Government is establishing a Housing Infrastructure Planning and Development Unit to help drive residential developments and coordinate infrastructure investment.

The Housing Infrastructure Planning and Development Unit will be staffed by five full-time equivalents and will be charged with coordinating the provision of utilities such as electricity, water and sewage and public infrastructure such as roads and schools.

The unit will work in tandem with the land supply dashboard to ensure the release of land is closely monitored to ensure the state grows and is developed in a sustainable manner with the appropriate infrastructure in place.

Land supply dashboard to be developed

A dashboard to help keep developers, councils and agencies up to date on land availability and rezoning activity in South Australia will be launched as part of plans to place downward pressure on housing prices.

The online dashboard will make urban land supply and development activity data more timely, accessible, transparent and interactive through an online platform.

It will support the new Housing Infrastructure Planning and Development Unit to ensure the release of land is closely monitored and the state grows and develops in a sustainable manner with the appropriate infrastructure in place.

The online tool is in the process of being created and will be launched in the beginning of the 2023/24 financial year.

The dashboard is part of the South Australian Government’s Better Housing Future plan and complements the government’s commitment to release additional land.

Murray Bridge Residential Growth Area Code Amendment initiated

Up to 1000 new homes are set to be delivered at Murray Bridge under a proposal to rezone land for residential development across the rapidly growing township.

The Code Amendment seeks to unlock three key parcels of land to the south-west of the city – totalling 113 hectares – to allow housing development and accommodate future population growth in the area.

The amendment has been proposed and led by the Rural City of Murray Bridge, as part of the council’s long-term strategic planning to meet their community’s needs.

Considerable council-led work was done to support the proposal, including identification of infrastructure requirements for growth areas and potential funding opportunities for stormwater, road and footpath upgrades.

With the rezoning process now underway, the council will undertake more detailed infrastructure investigations and engage with the community to ensure their ideas, concerns and aspirations are considered in developing the final code amendment.

Key organisations will also be consulted – including transport, emergency services, environmental and education agencies, as well as utility and telecommunication providers – to help ensure appropriate infrastructure and services are in place.

The proposed changes will then be presented to Minister for Planning Nick Champion for determination.

The three sites were first identified as housing growth fronts for Murray Bridge in the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, 2017 Update. The council’s bid to have them rezoned is further underpinned by the Rural City of Murray Bridge Structure Plan (2011) and the Murray Bridge Residential Growth Areas Review 2022.

The initiated code amendment is an example of the strategic planning regional councils can lead as they engage with the State Planning Commission for the 30-year plans for regions across South Australia, which will shape the future of the state and its regional communities.

Regional plan visioning workshops

Yorke Peninsula and Mid North visioning workshop, 23 February at Clare Town Hall

Throughout March, the State Planning Commission and PLUS have run regional plan visioning workshops in Clare, Maitland and Naracoorte.

About 100 local council, state agency and community group representatives attended the three workshops, providing a wide range of local knowledge for each region.

Key stakeholders for each region were invited to share invaluable knowledge that will help inform the Yorke Peninsula and Mid North Regional Plan and the Limestone Coast Regional Plan.

Preparation is underway for the two regional plans and both will be released for public consultation later this year.

Regional plans play a significant role in identifying suitable areas for residential and commercial development, in addition to long-term infrastructure needs to support sustainable growth within the region.