Fast-tracked approval for new homes in key areas

New homes in key growth areas have approvals fast-tracked in the latest measure by the South Australian Government to tackle the housing crisis.

South Australians building in greenfield areas will no longer require planning approval for new homes, allowing compliant builds that meet basic requirements to bypass the separate planning consent process through councils and associated cost.

New homes in master planned communities will now progress straight to building assessment under a simpler, faster and more affordable approval process, helping South Australians own their own home sooner and reducing red tape.  

The changes – to be implemented as part of the Government’s A Better Housing Future plan – set out minimum planning requirements for new homes to be assessed as ‘accepted development’, including:

• only one dwelling on the allotment
• minimum building setbacks
• maximum building height of 2 levels or 9 metres
• minimum carparking and appropriate vehicle access
• appropriate connection to water supply and wastewater removal.

These requirements are easily assessable by a building certifier, enabling these basic planning matters to be considered at the building consent stage – instead of an earlier planning consent process which can take weeks.

Building consent and final development approval will still be required to ensure new homes – developed in greenfield ‘Master Planned Neighbourhood’ and ‘Master Planned Township’ zones – are safe and meet standards.

The changes will not apply in established suburbs, or infill areas, as a greater level of design is needed to integrate a new house into an existing streetscape.

The new framework builds on the fast tracking of the single largest residential land release in the state’s history – set to deliver more than 25,000 more homes – and follows planning reform to greenlight hundreds of homes for workers in regional SA.

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Fast-tracking approval for new homes in master-planned growth areas