The Charter sets out the community engagement and consultation requirements for proposed amendments to planning policies, strategies and schemes.
It provides greater opportunities for South Australians to influence how we live, work and move in our urban and rural areas.
About this instrument
The Charter was established in 2018 as part of South Australia’s new planning system to help build community understanding, trust and confidence in the planning system by providing an engagement framework that is robust and adaptable.
The Charter ensures that planners and developers gather input early and more widely from stakeholders and our communities. Measuring, reporting and reviewing public engagement performance is also a key Charter requirement.
Engaging communities early, when planning rules are being developed, rather than at later stages in the planning process when it may be too late to influence outcomes, gives people greater opportunity to have a say in the future of their communities.
Councils, state government and others undertaking activities covered by the Charter, must design engagement strategies that meet the Charter’s principles and tailor engagement to the needs of the community and the characteristics of the project.
The creation of the Charter itself was subject to comprehensive community consultation and the feedback received directly shaped the Charter’s five principles listed below. People said they wanted to see engagement that is:
- genuine
- inclusive and respectful
- fit for purpose
- informed and transparent
- reviewed and improved.
The State Planning Commission is responsible for reviewing and maintaining the Charter and has the authority to determine whether compliance with the Charter principles have been met prior to decisions being made.
The Community Engagement Charter applies to proposals to amend any of the following planning instruments:
State Planning Policies
The state’s overarching goals or requirements for the planning system (to be given effect via the various instruments prepared in the system).
Regional Plans
A long-term vision for a region or area, including provisions about the integration of land use, transport infrastructure and the public realm, and including maps and plans that relate to spatial patterns that are relevant to the long-term vision.
The Planning and Design Code
A comprehensive set of policies, rules and classifications which may be selected and applied in the various parts of the state for the purposes of development assessment and related matters within the state. The Code will include the use of zones, subzones, overlays and policies.
Design Standards
A design standard that relates to the public realm or infrastructure, which may specify design principles, design standards, or design guidelines.
Infrastructure Delivery Schemes
A scheme approved by the Minister for Planning in relation to the provision of basic or general infrastructure, and the funding arrangements associated with the provision of that infrastructure.
The Charter does not have a statutory role in the assessment of development applications. Rather, it guides how the community should be engaged when determined the planning rules which will, in turn, guide the type of development allowed in an area.
The procedures to be followed for public notification and the invitation of feedback on development proposals are determined by regulation and vary across different assessment pathways.
Learn more about development assessment.
The State Planning Commission is required, in accordance with Section 45 of the Act, to review the Community Engagement Charter every five years.
The Commission finalised its inaugural review (PDF, 899 KB) and provided it to the Minister for Planning in December 2023.
While the Commission made 13 recommendations for amendments to improve the Charter, the review concluded that it is generally fit for purpose and does not require significant change in the short term.
The proposed amendments were subject to community consultation in early 2024. In response to community and stakeholder feedback during consultation, the amendments were updated and then approved by the Minister in January 2025.
You can read more about the proposed amendments and consultation process, and view a copy of the full engagement report on the past consultations page.
The Commission proposes to undertake a further review of the Charter following the conclusion of the Regional Planning Program. This will ensure that lessons from the Regional Planning engagement processes can be considered in relation to the Charter and how it may be further improved.
In the State Planning Commission’s 2023 review of the Charter, it was recommended that, in response to the commencement of the Regional Planning Program, a new section be added to the Charter detailing the engagement requirements for ‘complying changes’.
A complying change is a change to the planning rules, such as rezoning land, that is consistent with a recommendation in the regional plan for that area.
A complying change is a way to streamline the implementation of recommendations in a regional plan, on the basis that the local community would have already been consulted and given the opportunity to influence the proposed changes during the engagement process for the regional plan itself.
For a regional plan recommendation to qualify for a complying change, it must clearly and expressly outline the details of the proposed changes to the area.
Importantly, a complying change must also be lodged within two years of a regional plan recommendation being made.
The Charter also requires that a second 10-day public notification process occurs via the PlanSA website to ensure that any person can have a say prior to the changes being finalised.
Further information
The Community Engagement Charter toolkit (PDF, 422 KB) helps practitioners fulfil their engagement obligations when preparing or amending a designated instrument.
The toolkit below provides step-by-step guidance and links to a range of templates, case studies and examples to help develop the best engagement approach for different types of projects, policies or schemes.
The toolkit is regularly updated, and we welcome feedback on how we can improve it.
Documents
If you can't find a document, try searching PlanSA's resources library.
