Planning reforms blowout needs scrutiny, while developer donations should be reviewed, inquiry finds

Donations to political parties could lead to ‘political favours’, submissions to a parliamentary inquiry into SA’s recent planning reforms has heard.

A probe into South Australia’s planning overhaul has stopped short of supporting a ban on political donations from developers but called for scrutiny of the cost blowout of the planning reforms.

Nearly 14,000 people signed a petition demanding an interrogation of the state’s planning reforms – which suffered a $17.8m budget blowout – and urging SA to adopt similar laws as in Queensland and NSW, preventing developers from donating to political parties.

Submissions to the Legislative Review Committee inquiry raised concerns that developers had too much influence on the state’s planning system and their donations may lead to “political favours”.

The petition, initiated by community group the Protect our Heritage Alliance, was triggered by a contentious overhaul of the state’s planning system the state government has said would streamline development applications by replacing all council development plans with a single planning blueprint and online application portal.

Crane and building construction site at sunset

Critics said the reforms had been rolled out too quickly, with poor community consultation and that new policies would imperil historic properties and mature trees, increase subdivisions and reduce the “rights and roles of community members and councils in making planning decisions”.

The committee has delivered a 233-page report with 14 recommendations but did not go as far as supporting a ban on developers’ political donations.

Rather, the committee, which received 107 submissions and heard from 27 witnesses, concluded that SA’s political donation laws would “benefit from a review” in line with NSW and Queensland.

NSW introduced laws in 2009 banning developer donations to curb the influence of developers over planning and environmental decisions.

The SA planning reforms were launched with a $25.8m budget in 2016, which increased to $43.6m this year. Much of the cost overrun was controversially funded through subdivision levies paid by developers into a so-called planning and development fund for open-space projects.

Among the LRC committee’s recommendations:

THE Economic and Finance Committee inquire into the cost overruns and use of the open space funds;

THE planning minister instigate an annual independent risk assessment of any potential risks from the new planning system and that any risks be reviewed by a parliamentary committee and;

AN annual review of the impacts of the new planning and design code on community and individual rights, sustainability and the environment.