Planning Code Amendment

In August 2022, Wattle Range Council endorsed a Strategic Land Use Plan that provides a 25-year vision for land use planning across the council area.

The plan provides an effective and meaningful framework to ensure Council can proactively facilitate sustainable development and growth for the next 25 years while also protecting valuable agricultural land and areas of environmental significance to achieve sustainable outcomes. The plan also considers infrastructure, servicing, community facilities, transport and all other factors which go into making livable and thriving communities.

The Strategic Land Use Plan includes an Action Plan outlining the next steps forward, including opportunities for advocacy, potential future projects, and possible rezoning. The actions have been prioritised into immediate and medium-term priorities. The following 10 sites have been identified as immediate priority areas to be rezoned.

In order to rezone land, Council is required to prepare a Code Amendment which will alter the way the existing policies in the Planning and Design Code, apply to an area.

What is the Planning and Design Code?

The Planning and Design Code (the Code) contains the policies that guide what can be developed in South Australia. Planning authorities use the Code to assess development proposals.

The Code is supported by the SA Property and Planning Atlas (SAPPA) which is an electronic mapping system that outlines all of the Zone, Subzone and Overlay boundaries within the State, guiding what types of development are suitable in which locations (i.e. residential development in neighbourhood type zones and industrial development in employment type zones).

What is a Code Amendment?

A Code Amendment is a proposal to change the policies or spatial mapping within the Code, which can change the way future developments are assessed. This is sometimes referred to as a rezoning. Code Amendments must be prepared according to certain processes set out by legislation.

What is the process for a Code Amendment?

This Code Amendment is currently at the ‘pre-initiation’ stage.

What is proposed?

Council is proposing a Code Amendment which will change the Zone or policies which apply to 10 sites across Millicent, Beachport, Penola, and Glencoe.

The changes proposed at each site respond to the recommended actions listed in the Council’s Strategic Land Use Plan.

The details of what is proposed for each site can be viewed in the Code Amendment Factsheets. The Factsheets detail how the Code Amendment will affect each site such as:

• Current Zoning of the Land
• What could be developed under the current Zone; and
• What is being proposed and what does this mean.