Planning reform on the cards in SA

Planning reform on the cards in SASouth Australia’s Expert Panel on Planning Reform has released for public discussion its Planning Ideas for Reform in South Australia report, complete with 27 big ideas for reform.Among the most fundamental of the reforms put forward in the report is the creation of an independent state planning commission with statutory powers. The proposed commission would administer the state’s planning system, including the development assessment approvals process.The Property Council, which was consulted extensively in the preparation of the report, says there is much merit in the reforms proposed. It contends that the creation of an independent, expert-based system to assess development applications and the streamlining of the approvals process will aid South Australia’s growth through property investment and development.According to the Property Council, South Australia currently has too many variations of the same planning regulations in local areas, which makes it difficult to streamline development across the state.The Property Council adds that the report is perfectly timed – its release coinciding with a point at which South Australia is in need of policy reform to facilitate growth.The SA planning committee is due to deliver its response at the end of September 2014.To download the Planning Ideas for Reform in South Australia report, go to http://www.thinkdesigndeliver.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/139377/Our_Ideas_For_Reform_Report.pdf