New home proposals in South Australia will now be able to skip the planning approval process if they meet certain criteria, a policy the state government says will attempt to tackle the housing crisis by offering a more streamlined process.
Under the government’s “A Better Housing Future” plan, new homes built in greenfield areas can bypass the planning consent stage and proceed directly to the building consent stage.
For a new home to be approved for fast-tracking, it must be located in a Master Planned Neighbourhood or Master Planned Township zone and it must meet certain criteria including only one dwelling on the allotment, minimum building setbacks, maximum building height of two levels or nine metres, requirements relating to design, appearance and site services, minimum car parking and appropriate vehicle access, as well as appropriate connection to water supply and wastewater removal. A building certifier can be engaged to assess the requirements during the building consent stage.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said urgent action is needed to address the state’s housing crisis.
“The housing crisis we are in requires urgent action and removing red tape where appropriate. These immediate changes will allow South Australians to realize their dream of home ownership sooner and cuts down the lengthy approval process involved,” Malinauskas said.
“This gives confidence to new homebuyers and industry that we are increasing supply in key growth areas as quickly as possible, with planning safeguards in place.”
All developments will still be required to obtain building consent and final development approval to ensure compliance with safety standards.
The new framework follows announcements by the South Australian government that they will be accelerating the delivery of more than 25,000 more homes, in what will be the single largest residential land release in the state’s history. The land is in the process of being rezoned, with plans being made to improve infrastructure in the new residential areas. It has been forecasted the land supply will provide more than 50,000 people with a place to call home.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
