West Torrens Council lodges rezoning bid to reduce maximum height limits on key Anzac Highway sites from eight to three storeys

Buildings of up to eight storeys are now allowed along Anzac Highway – but the local council is fighting the new rules, saying they’re invalid.

Maximum building heights on eight prime blocks in Adelaide’s west would be slashed by 20m amid concern the eight-storey limits were introduced invalidly.

West Torrens Council has lodged a proposal to reduce maximum allowable heights on the properties on Anzac Highway at Glandore to three storeys, or 12.5m, under an amendment to the state’s planning and design code.

It also wants the government to ban any development approvals on the properties between South Rd and Beckman St until such time it finishes the rezoning bid, which was lodged last month.

The blocks in question, marked in red, which are allowed to have eight storeys – but the council argues that limit was introduced unlawfully.

The Advertiser flagged the potential rezoning bid in September after outcry over the approval by the state’s planning commission of an eight-storey development on a block at 192 Anzac Highway.

Planning Minister Vickie Chapman last month gave in-principle support to the initiative, which will go out to public consultation and could take up to a year to complete.

The blocks in question include an OTR service station, lighting shop and several houses and are zoned urban corridor, introduced in 2015, aimed at increasing building density along major roads.

Residents, with the support of ward councillor John Woodward, have been pressuring the council to ban buildings of up to eight storeys on the properties citing traffic, overshadowing and privacy concerns.

An artist impression of the eight-storey building approved for 192 Anzac Highway, Glandore. West Torrens Council wants to ban similar projects on seven other blocks in the suburb. Picture: Future Urban

The government’s planning and design code, introduced in March following extensive public consultation, reduced the maximum development height of the eight blocks from eight to three storeys – a change for which the council had lobbied.

As The Advertiser reported in June the government said the height reduction was an “error” and the code should have carried over existing policies that allowed eight-storey buildings.

“It was intended that all existing height limits would be reflected in the new code, however, in this case, the limit was unintentionally lowered from eight to three storeys,” a government spokesman said at the time.

Ms Chapman, through a delegate, returned the zoning back to eight storeys, without public notification, using powers available under section 76 of the planning and infrastructure Act.

The council’s chief executive Terry Buss, in response to a question on notice from Cr Woodward at last Tuesday’s council meeting, said it was “not unreasonable to assume” that the government amendments to the maximum heights was “inappropriate”.

Ms Chapman wrote to Mr Buss last month indicating her “in-principle” support for the amendment to the planning code but that the government would not provide any funding.

Mr Woodward said the rezoning process would cost $50,000. Ms Chapman would have the final say on any rezoning.