The State Planning Commission marked an important milestone with the release of the draft Planning and Design Code covering the rural and urban areas of South Australia for public consultation.

The Planning and Design Code (the Code) is the cornerstone of South Australia’s new planning system, and will offer a single, consolidated set of planning ‘rules’ for assessing development applications across the state. The Code sets out the rules that determine what landowners can do on their land. This single set of rules will replace the 72 Development Plans and over 23,000 pages of planning policy in the current planning system.

Key facts about the Code include:

• 72 individual Development Plans into one unified, statewide Code
• 23,000 pages of planning policy into 3000 pages
• 1500 zones into 58 overlays, 55 zones and 28 sub-zones
• Paper based system into a fully digital ePlanning platform (once operational)
• Development applications assessed by fully qualified and accredited professionals.

The Code is being introduced in three phases as part of the biggest modernisation of South Australia’s planning system in more than 20 years. Phase One of the Code applied to outback and coastal water areas of the state and is already in operation. Phase Two applies to rural areas and will be operational from April 2020. Phase Three applies to the rest of the state, including metropolitan areas and major regional towns, and will come into effect from July 2020.

Some of the key benefits of the new planning system will be:

• A more efficient planning system
• Higher design standards and quality of residential infill development
• Improved development assessment notification processes
• Investment opportunities through value-adding in rural and peri-urban areas
• A more consistent and fairer system for heritage and character
• Public consultation and involvement through the Community Engagement Charter.

Consultation for both rural and urban areas of South Australia is being held concurrently in order to provide a view of the whole Code.

Phase Two (Rural Areas) consultation is now open until midnight 29 November 2019 (ACST).
Phase Three (Urban Areas) consultation is now open until midnight 28 February 2020 (ACST).

A range of supporting materials are available on the SA Planning Portal during the consultation periods. Feedback received during the public consultation periods will be used to inform the way in which the Code is officially implemented. By July 2020, the full Code will be in effect across the entire state and made available to all South Australians via a 24-hour ePlanning platform.

Have your say on the draft Planning and Design Code for rural and urban areas of South Australia on the SA Planning Portal.