BACK in 2017, then-Planning Minister John Rau embarked on a process to overhaul South Australia’s planning system.
At the time it was described as a “once in a generation” opportunity, consolidating 72 individual council development plans into one uniform code.
It was designed to provide a more streamlined process and fast track development assessments.
Labor lost at the 2018 State Election, bringing an end to the party’s 16-year reign.
And so, the responsibility to see the Code’s implementation fell to Stephan Knoll.
Despite months of delays, the new system finally went live in metropolitan Adelaide in March 2021.
But despite the ambition of the overhaul, there were also concerns that the new Code would reduce appeal rights, remove community voice and pave the way for commercial development in residential areas.
Recent history suggests that those concerns had legs.
In Gawler alone, there has been high profile proposals that have made headlines.
The proposal to demolish the Church Hill tennis courts is one, transforming the old Porter St convent into mental health consulting rooms is another.
You can now add the proposed rezoning of land housing the Vadoulis Garden Centre to the list.
All three proposals are different in nature, and all three have different arguments and merit for why they should or shouldn’t proceed.
But for the most part, the main criticism is constant: the lack of communication.
If you don’t trawl through PlanSA’s application register, it’s likely that the proposal will be missed.
A laminated sheet of paper, stuck somewhere on the subject land and containing a QR code, is all it takes to say the public has been notified.
Like Councillor Helen Hennessy said last week at Gawler Council’s first meeting for the year, is it any wonder why people get frustrated?
The system clearly isn’t operating in a manner that it needs to be, and the State Government’s review needs to address this.
Progress is good, and progress is needed, but that doesn’t mean the community should be removed from that equation.
