Builders will avoid plumbing rainwater tanks to new SA homes under new planning rules, industry says

A planning “loophole” will encourage builders to avoid plumbing rainwater tanks to new homes – leaving homeowners to pay for costly retrofitting, it is claimed.

A “loophole” in state planning rules will encourage builders to avoid plumbing rainwater tanks to new homes and passing that responsibility to homeowners, it is claimed.

Rainwater industry bodies – representing South Australia’s tank manufacturers and suppliers – have written to Environment Minister David Speirs and Planning Minister Vickie Chapman saying the new planning system has “serious shortfalls” in managing stormwater and will not create a “more liveable, prosperous and ecologically sustainable South Australia”.

Among issues they claim is the new planning and design code has a “loophole” that allows builders to shift installation and connection of rainwater tanks on to homeowners.

They warn the standard planning permit does not require the tank to be connected until a year after occupancy.

“We have found that if rainwater tanks are not required before occupation many builders leave installation to the homeowner rather than complete it as part of the building project,” Rainwater Harvesting Australia’s Michael Smit told The Advertiser.

This rainwater tank has been plumbed in but a planning loophole means builders don’t always do the right thing. Picture: File

“The additional costs for retrofitting are much more expensive than installation during the building process, if the plumbing connections to toilet and taps haven’t been done it is possible the tank will never be properly installed and connected.”

They want planning conditions changed so tanks are installed prior to occupants moving in.

The devastating millennium drought prompted the former Rann Labor government in 2006 to require mandatory rainwater tanks of a minimum 1000L be plumbed into new houses, and extensions greater than 50 sqm.

Under the new planning act, rolled out across SA in March, homeowners building in areas covered by a stormwater management overlay – which covers neighbourhoods undergoing urban infill – would need to have a rainwater tank between 2000L and 5000L installed as part of their approval, unless they can prove stormwater can be managed or captured in another way.

Houses built in greenfield and masterplanned housing estates would not require compulsory rainwater tanks, rather stormwater solutions would be built into the planning stage of land divisions.

A spokeswoman for the State Planning Commission confirmed tanks would have to be installed within a year of occupancy.

She said councils would “generally” check to ensure the tanks are connected but that it was not mandatory to inspect all tanks.

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