Adelaide City Council to make new move to return planning powers

ADELAIDE City Council will launch a new bid to claw back some of its planning powers from the State Government, with a push to raise the $10 million CBD cap to $40 million.

Adelaide City Council, Mark Goldstone says the change in State Government presents the council with a new opportunity to try and get some of its planning assessment powers back. Photo Naomi Jellicoe

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ADELAIDE City Council will launch a new bid to claw back some of its planning powers from the State Government, with a push to raise the $10 million CBD cap to $40 million.

It’s been nearly 10 years since the then State Government made widescale changes to the way that large scale development proposals earmarked for the City of Adelaide — appointing the Development Assessment Commission as the planning authority for any development over $10 million in the city.

In November 2013 now former Planning Minister John Rau then removed the council’s referral powers for the developments over $10 million.

The council has tried to overturn this ever since and at a full meeting on Tuesday night, Adelaide chief executive Mark Goldstone told city councillors that in light of the change in State Government last month a new push would be launched to reinstate some of the council’s planning assessment powers.

Councillor Anne Moran asked if the council would have another attempt at her motion from last year.

“With the change in government it is an opportunity to us to restate our position and we will do that,” Mr Goldstone said.

The declaration by Mr Goldstone came after Councillor Anne Moran asked whether the council would resume efforts taken after a adopting a motion she moved in October last year.

The motion called for the council to discuss with the State Government about options including;

THE full restoration of the council’s powers for all development in the City of Adelaide,

INCREASING the current $10 million cap for developments removed from the council’s planning assessment powers to $40 million, and

ESTABLISHING a joint City of Adelaide and State Planning Assessment panel.

Cr Moran was going to move another motion at the meeting before settling on asking it as a question without notice.

“We have a new minister in charge of planning [Stephan Knoll],” she said.

After Cr Moran’s motion last year, Adelaide Lord Mayor Martin Haese wrote to Mr Rau requesting that he consider raising the threshold of what developments could be assessed by the council but received no response.

Cr Haese said he would again support Cr Moran’s push.

“I will continue to do so with the Marshal Liberal Government, it [the move for reinstate planning assessment powers] has great merit,” he said.

The renewed push by the council to lobby the State Government to give it back some of its planning powers is likely to again take place through a letter to the Planning Minister and by being raised at the Capital City Committee.

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