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Planning and Development

This section deals with land-use planning and the assessment of development proposals. Most of the law in this area is contained in the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (SA) and all references are to the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act unless otherwise stated.

A new planning system

The Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (SA) was assented to on 17 April 2017, and has been gradually implemented across 5 years. The new planning system fully commenced on 19 March 2021 and has now completely replaced the previous planning system under the Development Act 1993 (SA). The Development Act 1993 has been repealed and no longer applies to the planning and development process in South Australia. The Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (SA) has been implemented in three phases across all council regions in South Australia.

The three phase implementation of the new Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 was implemented as follows:

  • Phase 1: Implemented in outback areas of South Australia as at 1 July 2019;
  • Phase 2: Implemented in rural council areas with small towns and settlements as at 31 July 2020;
  • Phase 3: Implemented in urban councils and councils with regional towns and cities from 19 March 2021.

Phase 3 of the implementation of the new development scheme applies to the following council areas:

Adelaide Light Port Lincoln
Adelaide Hills Marion Port Pirie
Adelaide Plains Mid Murray Prospect
Alexandrina Mitcham Salisbury
Barossa Mount Barker Tea Tree Gully
Burnside Mount Gambier Unley
Campbelltown Murray Bridge Victor Harbor
Charles Sturt Norwood, Payneham & St Peters Walkerville
Copper Coast Onkaparinga West Torrens
Gawler Playford Whyalla
Holdfast Bay Port Adelaide Enfield Yankalilla
Kangaroo Island Port Augusta Metro Coastal Waters

The key feature to the new planning system is the replacement of the current Development Plan process with the new Planning and Design Code. Under the new system, development applications will be submitted and tracked through an online ‘ePlanning’ portal. The new Planning and Design Code will be applied in each region in a manner consistent with the relevant regional development plan.

To determine what planning policies apply to each council area, or to browse the new Planning & Design Code, visit the PlanSA website (opens new window).

Planning and Development  :  Last Revised: Mon Mar 15th 2021
The content of the Law Handbook is made available as a public service for information purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal advice. See Disclaimer for details. For free and confidential legal advice in South Australia call 1300 366 424.