Outraged Seacliff community protest shed built without public consultation under State Government’s Planning and Design Code

A seaside family is outraged and a community has protested after an ‘eyesore’ shed was erected under South Australia’s controversial new planning scheme.

Residents of one of Adelaide’s top coastal suburbs are outratged after a neighbour was legally allowed to build a shed directly in front of properties, blocking sea views.

Brenton and Cathy White, Seacliff residents of 21 years, were appalled to find their neighbour was allowed build a shed directly in front of the lounge window of their Wheatland St house.

The Whites said they were not given any chance to reject the plan.

“All I can see from my loungeroom now is the side of this shed,” Mr White said. “It’s so high.”

Brenton and Cathy White are protesting a 7x6x4 shed that cuts off their panoramic views in Seacliff. Picture: White family

The view from the White’s first floor. Picture: White family

The shed, which Mr White described as 60sqm and 4.8m tall, was approved through South Australia’s controversial $40m planning system, touted as making it easier and faster to process applications.

The online portal provides a single planning code against which all development applications are assessed.

The White family is disheartened by the lack of consultation from their local council, given the Marine Parade shed’s direct impact on their property and ocean views.

“They have been rejected on two similar applications but it hasn’t been until these new rules came in that they were given the okay – and now they have built it 900mm from the boundary,” Mr White said.

“Council can’t object or even inform us and before we know it this thing has been built – we weren’t even allowed to look at the plan.

“Everybody hates it.”

Many residents will protest the shed on Saturday February, 5. Picture: White family

Mr White said about 100 concerned neighbours attended a protest against the planning laws on Sunday morning at the site of the shed.

“We are getting a huge amount of local support, everybody is outraged,” Mr White said.

Other residents have taken to the Seacliff Community Facebook group to express their concerns.

“My heart broke for you,” Narissa Penhall wrote.

“Further it is an absolute eyesore as you walk down Wheatland St and detracts completely from the landscape.”

Chris Chan wrote that: “It’s hideous.”

“We stood there in disbelief a few days ago when the first wall went up.”

A Holdfast Bay Council spokesperson said under the new planning and design code, which replaced all council development plans, the scope of a council’s role is to assess whether applications meet the ‘deemed to satisfy’ criteria.

Under the new code a project described as ‘deemed to satisfy’ is as an appropriate land use and must be approved.

“The outbuilding was adjudged to have achieved the ‘deemed to satisfy’ criteria...” the spokesperson said.

“The nature of the development, being an outbuilding, did not require public notification ... the size and placement of the outbuilding did not trigger the need for public consultation either.

Plan SA and the owners of the property were contacted for comment.