Planning Minister endorses Campbelltown Council push to curb higher density housing

Increasing minimum block sizes and carparking could be among changes to curb “over-development” across a council at the centre of community concern over higher density living. TELL US: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE

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Increasing minimum block sizes and carparking could be among changes to curb “over-development” across a council at the centre of community concern over higher density living.

Planning Minister Stephan Knoll has endorsed a Campbelltown Council review of planning policies currently allowing higher density housing across large parts of the north eastern suburbs including Campbelltown, Newton, Hectorville, Magill, Athelstone, Rostrevor and Paradise.

Hartley Liberal MP Vincent Tarzia

Planning Minister Stephan Knoll

The council and Hartley Liberal MP Vincent Tarzia have been under pressure to deal with perceived negative impacts of higher density living, including a lack of parking, overshadowing and increased traffic.

Under proposed reforms, largely targeted at residential flat buildings — a single building containing two or more dwellings — minimum block sizes could be increased from 150sq m, presently the smallest allowable in SA.

The zoning changes do not stipulate a preferred minimum area but the council cited neighbouring Tea Tree Gully and Norwood Payneham and St Peters Council having minimum blocks of 300sq m and 250sq m respectively.

The proposed development plan amendment would also review parking impacts, including a lack of storage space in new buildings resulting in people using their garages as a storage shed.

City of Campbelltown mayor Jill Whittaker

In justifying the review, the council said rezoning in 2014 to allow increased development through reduction in minimum allotments had also “affected built form outcomes and reduced the requirement for carparking with some forms of infill development”.

“The existing policies have resulted in an over development of sites,” it has said in the DPA, which will go out for public consultation.

“The over-development has had little regard to existing character or the impacts resulting from the mass and scale of buildings on adjoining neighbours.”

Mr Knoll’s endorsement of the draft DPA came after a tour of the area with Mr Tarzia and Mayor Jill Whittaker.

Hectorville resident John Baldino, 56, is facing the prospect of up to eight two-storey houses being built behind his single-storey Wembley Ave house: “My concerns are noise pollution, eight houses with eight airconditioners, lack of open air having a double-storey building and just the density and lack of parking”.

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